Batteries on motorbikes do not seem to last long

[mulletman]

Neither I nor Mrs H have ever had to replace a motorcycle battery. That's 11 bikes and over 400,000km ridden in 12 years.

Hmm 6 bikes and 15 yrs for me , 1 advantage of single bike ownership i spose.

[AllanB]

Trickle chargers are a good investment if you have a keeper bike.

[speedpro]

Lead Acid batteries also don't seem to like deep cycles. They'll do it but the life could be shortened. So it seemed with a friend who only had solar panels and batteries. Bigger battery sets lasted longer and the thought was that it was down to just how discharged they got between charges. Could be why the Merc battery is lasting longer. Batteries used very regularly even for very short trips can last a very long time. Letting them go flat through lack of use, which is a deep cycle, is a sure fire way to kill them. Battery tenders solve problems.

[baffa]

As said, lead acids are not designed to be completely discharged.
I've found once your average automotive battery is over about a year old, you completely drain it a couple of times and it is enough to kill it. Keep it constantly topped up with regular running or charging, and they can last for as long as 5-10 years.

[Blackbird]

+1

Oximiser has a quick connect cable that you attach to the battery terminals which has a waterproof cover. You slip it somewhere discrete on the bike and then no more taking off the seat (or whatever - it's even worse and much more tedious on my bike) to get to the battery.

At my last place the bike was outside so I couldn't leave it plugged in all the time and I wasn't riding on a daily basis. Just put it on for half an hour before riding every week or two and it kept the battery going fine. Before that I was going through a battery in 8-10 months (Italian electrics).

Pretty much my experience too. The Yuasa battery on my Street Triple is original and about 5 1/2 years old. The bike gets used a couple of times a week and if it ever sits for a week or more, I just hook it to the Oximiser for a couple of hours. The key is not to let it sit around for long periods. Our boat marine battery is hooked up a solar panel and it works a treat as we only get out every few weeks.

[mossy1200]

My bike comes with a 8.4amp battery and they give you a charger with the bike. Still trying to work out if this is good news or bad.

[insomnia01]

My bike comes with a 8.4amp battery and they give you a charger with the bike. Still trying to work out if this is good news or bad.

More a brand thing i think Mossy Lol

[bogan]

My bike comes with a 8.4amp battery and they give you a charger with the bike. Still trying to work out if this is good news or bad.

Not bad if it is a trickle charger. Not good if it is a desulphation charger. Really bad if they threw in a multimeter

[mossy1200]

Not bad if it is a trickle charger. Not good if it is a desulphation charger. Really bad if they threw in a multimeter

There is a telescopic kick starter in the tool kit.

[bogan]

There is a telescopic kick starter in the tool kit.

Oh. GLWS

[Flip]

Battery in the HD lasted 8 years. The ones in the landy lasted 12.

Trickle charger extends the battery life about 100%.

[Motu]

The bike was sluggish to start this morning, and almost didn't start tonight coming home. Coincidental with fitting handlebar heaters, but it's 6 years old, and records going back 28 years confirm that's exactly how long they last. I'll put it on charge for 24 hrs and test tomorrow night, but I think it's done.

[BMWST?]

As already said, it's probably your irregular use that's shortening the life of the battery.

It took about 9 years and a winter to finally kill the original CB919 battery, and that was about 120k, so not bad going at all. The BMW one I replaced after a couple of years as a preventative measure, as the OEM ones are known to work work work, not work, even mid trip. Couldn't afford to have that, so put a Shorai in since circa 2011. Modern bikes are now much like cars, voltage has to be in a small band, otherwise nada.

Dad's 2001 Merc has a monster battery, and we believe it's still on the original... replacing it won't be cheap tho

a huge Hella will cost you about 400

[R650R]

Got over 7 years out of Yuasa on the GSXR. When I finally killed it the thing was near dead shorting it self and showing all sorts of odd voltages...
Intermittant use too but would hit it with car battery charger now and then plus garaged, stable temp.
Have a tender on the DR as tracker drains the battery a bit if bike not used. Be interesting to see how long it lasts, the big single sucks a fair bit of juice to crank over I think...

[Motu]

I got a Motobatt, no more acid to worry about. Cranks over a lot faster than the Yuasa ever did, and it was charged regularly when I didn't ride everyday.