05 1150 GS Adventure. She dead?

[Shep]

Battery's had it.

Or you are expecting too much from a maintainance charger, optimates AFAIK are no good at all at charging flat batteries, you need a proper battery charger for that. If you borrow a charger and after 24 hrs or so charging the bike starts fine, it could still be the battery but then again you could have left the parking lights on

Decisions decisions, mmm buy a 1200 at least you know it will let you down, and you can prepare for it, rather than the awkward uncertainty you get with 1150's.

Shep

 

[Dragon Master]

Hi Shep;

Or you are expecting too much from a maintainance charger, optimates AFAIK are no good at all at charging flat batteries, you need a proper battery charger for that.

How do you come to that conclusion? (Not being sarki, genuine question). I had my flat battery (< 10v on the meter) on my optimate for 24 hrs last week. At the end of it, the battery was bubbling away happily, and very warm, so a charge was going in there. Still only read 10v though, so knackered battery. Optimate worked fine though.

Cheers,

Dave.

 

[Shep]

Hi Shep;



How do you come to that conclusion? (Not being sarki, genuine question). I had my flat battery (< 10v on the meter) on my optimate for 24 hrs last week. At the end of it, the battery was bubbling away happily, and very warm, so a charge was going in there. Still only read 10v though, so knackered battery. Optimate worked fine though.

Cheers,

Dave.

Nothing really technical, i just remember reading an optimate manual that said it was not reccomended as a battery charger, perhaps it may be ok for a small bike battery and not a car jobbie, I dunno.

Most modern battery chargers are quite complex bits of kit that enable them to charge a battery from flat without causing damage to the battery or the charger. Persistant charging from a low voltage/amp charger can lead to sulphation of the battery, most modern quality chargers and indeed some trickle chargers have an anti sulphation sequence that momenteraly reverses the voltage to reduce sulphation. (something i used to do to revive the odd ailing forktruck battery, by shorting directly accross the battery with a spanner, it certainly released the sulphation but it was all a bit violent with 3-500amps available, not a reccomeded practice by the way)

Shep

 

[chrisjk]

The Optimate manual also says this:_

NOTE : If the battery is deeply discharged (and possibly sulphated), it is essential to disconnect the battery from the
vehicle before connecting the charger for recovery. The recovery mode circuit will not engage if it senses that the battery is still connected in a vehicle wiring circuit effectively offering a lower resistance than the battery on its own.

 

[Pauly S]

are you mad?

Nothing really technical, i just remember reading an optimate manual that said it was not reccomended as a battery charger, perhaps it may be ok for a small bike battery and not a car jobbie, I dunno.

Most modern battery chargers are quite complex bits of kit that enable them to charge a battery from flat without causing damage to the battery or the charger. Persistant charging from a low voltage/amp charger can lead to sulphation of the battery, most modern quality chargers and indeed some trickle chargers have an anti sulphation sequence that momenteraly reverses the voltage to reduce sulphation. (something i used to do to revive the odd ailing forktruck battery, by shorting directly accross the battery with a spanner, it certainly released the sulphation but it was all a bit violent with 3-500amps available, not a reccomeded practice by the way)

Shep

Lead acid batteries by their very nature emit hydrogen gas whilst in the charging cycle, arcing a spanner across the terminals will make a large spark or two, ask the pilot of the hindenburg what that does!!!!not an action i would recommend to anyone who enjoys life!!!

 

[Shep]

Lead acid batteries by their very nature emit hydrogen gas whilst in the charging cycle, arcing a spanner across the terminals will make a large spark or two, ask the pilot of the hindenburg what that does!!!!not an action i would recommend to anyone who enjoys life!!!

As an apprentice I used to work at BA's Overseas Dispatch buildings at Heathrow, maintaining their mechanical handling fleet, the equipment used to work 24 hours so had spare batteries for the trucks, these were stored in a charging room.

This room was 60' X 40' approx with the batteries and chargers all around the edge and a bank down the middle. For safety reasons the individual cells lids were removed before charging, obviously this process was opposite to the teachings we recieved at the apprentice school so I asked the question as to why. The guy took me into the charging room and with his cigarette lit one end of the battery bank, whoosh!, a flame shot around the rooms quick as a flash

He mentioned that one time before, they had had the same thing happen but the cells lids were kept on at the time, it was explained that then you get more of a bang then rather than a whoosh

Ah! pre heath and safety days, loverly

Shep

 

[Taff]

Well I'm pleased to say that the Optimate seems to have justified itself.

Last night (after the Optimate had been connected for about 9 hours) there were signs of life but just a machine gun type noise when I tried to start the bike. Went home lunchtime (by now the Optimate had been on for 24 hours) and it started up at the first attempt.

As it happens the bike is booked in at Mikes tomorrow to finish off some repair work, so I'll see if he can find anything wrong with it, but it's a total mystery to me.

 

[ELIMINATOR]

Have you remembered to "do" the 3 monthly electrolyte level check on the battery ???
If you don't you get a flat battery very suddenly, just like you have.
Do Not Ask Me How I Know

There speaks a true airhead luddite,

gel battery?