Battery woes

[Dick Dastardly]

Recently, the ABS lights on my '99 1100 flash. Now i know what this means, but do ya think it's being caused by the battery needing replacement?

I've had the bike for 2 years, and i haven't changed it. I have an optimate, which tells me that it charges well, and it's ridden most days, just doesn't want to put the ABS on.

Coming to think about it, it doesn't turn over so readily as it did.

Battery, or just too bloody cold ??

 

[Tarka]

If you`ve got a lead acid battery ( wet battery ),then you`re on borrowed time by three years.

Change it if in doubt.

 

[wessie]

I put up with a sluggish battery for 1.5 winters. If the bike was not used the battery would discharge after a week of cold weather. The Optimate would always recover it enough to start the bike but it got to the stage where I was rarely riding with the ABS active. So, I fitted a new Hawker battery earlier this year.

 

[Jimb]

Westco

Batteries are notoriously difficult to diagnose, if youv'e had a wet battery on an Optimate it tends to "cook" the plates and sulphites build up on the plates reducing its current capacity, the ABS is sensitive to this, replace the battery with a Gel AGM ( Absorbed Glass Matt )type, this is designed to be continually charged and will not degrade,the Westco is the best choice, about £63 for a GS 19Ah the 1100 might be smaller.

HTH

 

[wessie]

if youv'e had a wet battery on an Optimate it tends to "cook" the plates and sulphites build up on the plates reducing its current capacity,

HTH

Do you have a reference for this data? It contradicts the Optimate marketing blurb which says that an Optimate can be safely connected to a stored motorcycle ad infinitum.