Flat battery while out.

[mhsnowy]

Was out all day Saturday around Salisbury Plain doing lots of stop start and idling. I had only the satnav on and one HID headlight. The fan was obviously running a lot. After about 4 hours I turned it off and the battery was flat.

I did manage to bump it to get it started and then went for a 10 minute blast which seemed to give the battery enough of a charge to keep it going.

It was on my mind then for the rest of the day and also when I was out on the sunday. What a crap design!

Anyone else have any similar problems and how did you cure it or what is the best way to cure it?

 

[theoneandonly]

most bikes charging systems are marginal .
for example , fzr 1000 , sitting at traffic lights , headlight on , brake light on , indicator on , ticking over ....makes minus 8 amps that is not plus that is minus . add in heated grips , usage all round town , and you are in trouble .

reduce your power consumption

or

charge your battery when you get home esp. in the winter

or

go for at least a 30 min ride to put back in what you have taken out .

your battery is a reservoir , it will need topping up .

 

[john_aero]

hawker battery.

i had awful issues with bmw dakar before. put hawker in and 2 years trouble free riding.

i always plug battery in after 3 days if not used for 12 hours.

most batteries only has 2-3 year life anyway

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Was out all day Saturday around Salisbury Plain doing lots of stop start and idling. I had only the satnav on and one HID headlight. The fan was obviously running a lot. After about 4 hours I turned it off and the battery was flat.

I did manage to bump it to get it started and then went for a 10 minute blast which seemed to give the battery enough of a charge to keep it going.

It was on my mind then for the rest of the day and also when I was out on the sunday. What a crap design!

Anyone else have any similar problems and how did you cure it or what is the best way to cure it?

Mine did the same, new battery needed

 

[Fanum]

Was out all day Saturday around Salisbury Plain doing lots of stop start and idling. I had only the satnav on and one HID headlight. The fan was obviously running a lot. After about 4 hours I turned it off and the battery was flat.

I did manage to bump it to get it started and then went for a 10 minute blast which seemed to give the battery enough of a charge to keep it going.

It was on my mind then for the rest of the day and also when I was out on the sunday. What a crap design!

Anyone else have any similar problems and how did you cure it or what is the best way to cure it?

Do you keep it on an Optimate (or similar) normally?

 

[mhsnowy]

Yes I keep on an optimate, but probably the original battery, so time for a new one I guess.

What are the best options then? What did you end up getting JB?

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Yes I keep on an optimate, but probably the original battery, so time for a new one I guess.

What are the best options then? What did you end up getting JB?

Not purchased yet


Yuasa for £70 from a Honda Dealer or a MotoBatt for £43 are the options


I may try the MotoBatt, for it's Yorkshire value

 

[Mr K]

Do you keep it on an Optimate (or similar) normally?

Bill, my bike is now 8 years old and still on the OE battery and I use an Optimate when it's out of use for a while.

 

[Losttheplot]

Was out all day Saturday around Salisbury Plain doing lots of stop start and idling. I had only the satnav on and one HID headlight. The fan was obviously running a lot. After about 4 hours I turned it off and the battery was flat.

I did manage to bump it to get it started and then went for a 10 minute blast which seemed to give the battery enough of a charge to keep it going.

It was on my mind then for the rest of the day and also when I was out on the sunday. What a crap design!

Anyone else have any similar problems and how did you cure it or what is the best way to cure it?

I had similar problems at the HUMM 2 years ago, only things were made worse by a clogged radiator.

I think the rectifier is affected by the heat, when it gets to hot it struggles to do it's job.

Once the bike had cooled it was fine- apart from the clogged radiator

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Bill, my bike is now 8 years old and still on the OE battery and I use an Optimate when it's out of use for a while.

There's your problem. The optimate has hidden the fact that it's been gradually failing.

 

[Fanum]

Bill, my bike is now 8 years old and still on the OE battery and I use an Optimate when it's out of use for a while.

That's fine, but the point has always been that an Optimate (or similar) will MASK the symptoms of a failing battery....leaving to them suddenly failing like this one.

For a period of non-useage, it might make sense, as most of the types of batteries we use don't respond well to being deeply discharged

On a daily basis though, all it does is fools the owner into thinking their battery is 'fully charged', because that's what the optimate says, where all it actually means is that it has charged it as much as it can.

Without an Optimate, the battery in this case would probably have started sounding a bit weak turning the engine over......giving advanced warning of impending failure.

With it though, it could have left the guy stranded if he hadn't been able to bump start it, because he didn't know it was on its way out.

You might find the same thing happening with yours......TBH, I'd be inclined to get a drop test done in any battery of that age that's regularly hooked up to a trickly chargy thingy....best to find out now and be able to lay in a spare, than be caught out up on the moors or on the way to work one critical day

PS OE battery, 8 years, it's doing well....and the OEMs are cheaper than the 'must have badge 'Oddysey'



EDIT Beaten to it, and by a far more succinct answer

 

[Mr K]

There's your problem. The optimate has hidden the fact that it's been gradually failing.

That's fine, but the point has always been that an Optimate (or similar) will MASK the symptoms of a failing battery....leaving to them suddenly failing like this one.

For a period of non-useage, it might make sense, as most of the types of batteries we use don't respond well to being deeply discharged

On a daily basis though, all it does is fools the owner into thinking their battery is 'fully charged', because that's what the optimate says, where all it actually means is that it has charged it as much as it can.

Without an Optimate, the battery in this case would probably have started sounding a bit weak turning the engine over......giving advanced warning of impending failure.

With it though, it could have left the guy stranded if he hadn't been able to bump start it, because he didn't know it was on its way out.

You might find the same thing happening with yours......TBH, I'd be inclined to get a drop test done in any battery of that age that's regularly hooked up to a trickly chargy thingy....best to find out now and be able to lay in a spare, than be caught out up on the moors or on the way to work one critical day

PS OE battery, 8 years, it's doing well....and the OEMs are cheaper than the 'must have badge 'Oddysey'



EDIT Beaten to it, and by a far more succinct answer

Tosh!

Modern batteries do not gradually decline like the olden days. They fail instantly.

Example 1: Citroen Saxo, driven home from work, no difficulty starting. Parked in garage overnight. Absolutely dead in the morning, not even a dash light.
Example 2: Vivaro work van, started no problem, driven 20 miles and parked for an hour. Same deal: Not a peep from the battery.

It is the nature of modern sealed batteries.

 

[mhsnowy]

Ordered a Motobatt today, so see how that goes.
Worst ways I'll have a spare battery.

 

[Fanum]

Tosh!

Modern batteries do not gradually decline like the olden days. They fail instantly.

Example 1: Citroen Saxo, driven home from work, no difficulty starting. Parked in garage overnight. Absolutely dead in the morning, not even a dash light.
Example 2: Vivaro work van, started no problem, driven 20 miles and parked for an hour. Same deal: Not a peep from the battery.

It is the nature of modern sealed batteries.

Double tosh sir

Two subjective personal experiences do not make a case for 'that's the nature of modern sealed batteries'

Especially when those two examples cited are from a car and a van, and NOT a motorbike battery

 

[Mr K]

Double tosh sir

Two subjective personal experiences do not make a case for 'that's the nature of modern sealed batteries'

Especially when those two examples cited are from a car and a van, and NOT a motorbike battery

Nae bother. Continue as you were, ignoring the opinion and experience of an electrical engineer.

PS: I of course forgot motorcycle batteries are entirely different to car and van ones. How silly am I?

 

[Fanum]

Nae bother. Continue as you were, ignoring the opinion and experience of an electrical engineer.

PS: I of course forgot motorcycle batteries are entirely different to car and van ones. How silly am I?

It's been a commonly reported problem for years Chris

Go back and look at the threads about sudden battery failures and in the vast majority of them, the common link has been the use of a trickly chargy thingy.

Those who don't use them often (like you) seem to get a lot more prior notice about the failure.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Tosh!

Modern batteries do not gradually decline like the olden days. They fail instantly.

Example 1: Citroen Saxo, driven home from work, no difficulty starting. Parked in garage overnight. Absolutely dead in the morning, not even a dash light.
Example 2: Vivaro work van, started no problem, driven 20 miles and parked for an hour. Same deal: Not a peep from the battery.

It is the nature of modern sealed batteries.

It is

Fanum, I had the same on the 1150GSA, 10 days and 2000 miles around Spain, ferry back to Plymouth - all fine and then filled up in Plymouth after disembarkation - fine

Stayed at a friends in Exeter overnight, next morning ............zilch, battery dead and no warning signs

Mr K, is bang on the money with his analysis


My XChallenge has done exactly the same, all fine then zilch......... again, another one

 

[Fanum]

It is

Fanum, I had the same on the 1150GSA, 10 days and 2000 miles around Spain, ferry back to Plymouth - all fine and then filled up in Plymouth after disembarkation - fine

Stayed at a friends in Exeter overnight, next morning ............zilch, battery dead and no warning signs

Mr K, is bang on the money with his analysis


My XChallenge has done exactly the same, all fine then zilch......... again, another one

JB.......I don't doubt either of you for one second, but again, yours is a subjective tale......Mine differs, and is just as irrelevant.



On the other hand, I also know for sure that it's been a common theme through a good number of years of battery failures mentioned here......you only have to look back (hell, I've commented on a lot of them mentioning Optimates a good few times)

 

[Mr K]

JB.......I don't doubt either of you for one second, but again, yours is a subjective tale......Mine differs, and is just as irrelevant.



On the other hand, I also know for sure that it's been a common theme through a good number of years of battery failures mentioned here......you only have to look back (hell, I've commented on a lot of them mentioning Optimates a good few times)

Your superstition re; Optimates has been noted. My examples are factual.

 

[Fanum]

Your superstition re; Optimates has been noted. My examples are factual.

Yes Chris.
I've had two batteries in 8 years on my GSA....the second was actually not entirely needed, but I only discovered that afterwards.

That's factual as well, but as I've said, subjective and irrelevant

Double

And a for good measure