Battery story

[pastybee]

Hi,
This is a little story about my battery weekend and it pissed me off but now i have to laugh.

Went to pick up the car and drop my bike of for a service went to get the car from the panel shop as some dickhead went up the backside, any ways the guy rings me and says i think the battery is flat...mmmm its only a few months old but he said there is enough to start. Picked it up no juice no car.

Went home in the second car and went to drive my 400 on Sunday and would you belive it not enough battery juice so start, now this battery is a week old and brought it and was advised to take for a good burn which i did but that bike not starting.

Get up this morning and have to take my girlfriend 250 over the takas (Joy) and guess what that fuker is flat also.
These bikes are kept in the garage and is not in the heart of winter yet but a great start to the week

Cheers P

[ManDownUnder]

Jees mate - not good.

[XP@]

had days like that too

had a toasted Reg/rectifier in one bike, door open in the car and toasted battery in the other bike all at the same time.

But live on a hill so starting is no issue... went to miter 10 and bought a charger... bloody useful!

[Paul in NZ]

The cooler evenings at this time of the year is when batteries start failing.

Keep your battery in good condition by making sure it's clean, the connections are sound (good earth as well) and the fluid is topped up.

Don't let it get dead flat. ie, if it aint gunna start do try. Nothing roots a lead acid battery faster.

I usually remove the thing once a year, clean up around it and whack it on a charger just to check all is OK. (measure the specific gravities with a hydrometer)

At the same time, check around the bike and clean any corrosion from earth points and that all connections are OK. I know it sounds anal but as you bike ages you need to consider these things. Plus batteries are still pretty expensive so if I can get a few extra years out of them it's a bonus.

[scumdog]

Bummer dude!

My H-Ds battery is 9 years old and still working but having said that I'm keeping my fingers crossed come winter time, that's when most batteries spit the dummy.

[Paul in NZ]

Bummer dude!

My H-Ds battery is 9 years old and still working but having said that I'm keeping my fingers crossed come winter time, that's when most batteries spit the dummy.

Pull it out now and give it a couple of hours on a charger. Go buy a little hydrometer and check the specific gravity of all the cells, if one is down by more than 10% it's on it's way out and better to replace it early.

Leave it for an hour or 2 on the bench and check again.

If you are real anal, leave it for an hour on a load (like a head lamp) and check it again. One cell will always be weakest but if you charge it up again at the 10 hour rate and discharge it a few times at the same rate it helps extend it's life.

However, this does not work with a lot of auto batteries, when they are toast they are toast! Replace them before they fail, your ignition and charging system will thank you for it.

[Bonez]

Hi,
This is a little story about my battery weekend and it pissed me off but now i have to laugh.

Went to pick up the car and drop my bike of for a service went to get the car from the panel shop as some dickhead went up the backside, any ways the guy rings me and says i think the battery is flat...mmmm its only a few months old but he said there is enough to start. Picked it up no juice no car.

Went home in the second car and went to drive my 400 on Sunday and would you belive it not enough battery juice so start, now this battery is a week old and brought it and was advised to take for a good burn which i did but that bike not starting.

Get up this morning and have to take my girlfriend 250 over the takas (Joy) and guess what that fuker is flat also.
These bikes are kept in the garage and is not in the heart of winter yet but a great start to the week

Cheers P

Must be something in the air. The GBs when tits up on yesterdays ride. Having a kickstart is a handy thing indeed.

[Drum]

Ive got a 6V/12V, 2.5amp battery charger. Will this be suitable for charging my bike battery, and how long does it need to be charged for?

[Ixion]

If it's reasonably modern , it should be fine. You should find that when you start charging the meter on the charger will show 2 amps or more. Then the meter reading will drop back, once it's only showing naff all , the battery is fully charged (ie the rate the battery charger charges at depends on how flat the battery is)

[Paul in NZ]

Depends also on the capacity and state of the battery.

Check here

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-13.htm

best advice? Go buy a cheap hydrometer and learn how about specific gravity. Don't drain a car battery dead flat, keep it clean, don't over charge it (boil it too hard), don't over heat it.

Cheers

[Drum]

Thanks for the tips.

[Pixie]

Did a job in Hamliton last week.As I was leaving,I noticed the charge light was on.Regulator had died,so I disconnected the alternator and drove home on the charge remaining in the battery.
200 km, 2.5 hours running the ignition and fuel injection and I was expecting the car to stop anywhere the road had no shoulder to stop on.
I didn't want to close the window and I was hoping it wouldn't get too dark,so I could leave the lights off.