Motobatt expiring

[ahutcheon]

After just over 2 years my Motobatt appears to be well on the way out. I'd thought of late that it was getting a bit lazier to start, then the bike stood for 9 days (it usually gets run a couple of times a week, used to be pretty much daily but the wr250 is such a great hooligan tool across town...) and there wasn't enough juice to hold the solenoid in once the motor turned enough to hit compression. A day on the Optimate and it turned over briskly and fired right up.

The starter was fine when I had it apart a few weeks ago, cleaning it cured the run on screech, magnets were secure and everything else looked OK. That and the easy start 30 seconds after taking the charger off make me pretty sure the battery is at fault. Maybe I was unlucky; the original battery lasted four times as long treated pretty much the same way.

Can't say I'm vastly impressed, but I'll probably be replacing like for like as its pretty much the only affordable game in town (BMW NZ want a scary price for an OEM battery, and Motorworks don't ship them overseas). Unless somebody wants to convince me that a very expensive LiFe battery is a great way to get long life and shave a couple of kg off the old porker? Or that I can't diagnose a dead battery...

 

[Grizzly]

When faced with similar symptoms, even after checking starter etc I eventually removed the starter relay in the fusebox to check.
The relay can be opened carefully using a small screwdriver or penknife. i found the contacts were in fairly bad condition - but one contact can be removed easily and this allows access to polish contacts with wet & dry.
I think the poor nick of the contacts allows the solenoid to drop out when cranking voltage is even slightly low - worth a try as it doesn't cost anything.
I've had Motobatt in my GS and other bikes and service life is loads longer than your 2 years.

Cheers....................Grizzly

 

[Grim Rider]

The Motobatt on my GS lasted just over 3 years and then suddenly died completely - seemed to go from starting the bike with no problems to not holding any charge whatsoever in the space of a couple of hundred yards. Did not buy another!

 

[ahutcheon]

Ta Grizzly, the relay might be worth a look. On the one hand, the idiot lights dimming and clock resetting suggest a battery failing under load. On the other, the battery came back up overnight on an old Optimate which doesn't supply enough current to pull a (good) battery from flat to full in 12 hours or so?

 

[ahutcheon]

Update: I'm seeing 13.9v with the engine running, but the battery sags rapidly to 12v under the load of the headlight with the engine off. Looks a lot like a sick battery to me, if anybody cares...

 

[topcat2006]

To those whose motobatts expire to soon - have you ever charged them and what with. I remember being told by Motorworks that the Hawker Oddysey battery needed a special type of charger - wondered if Motobatt was the same?

 

[Black Rooster]

I think its any bike charger that can do AGM batteries I use an optimate 3 never had any problems

 

[Grim Rider]

I am not sure I ever charged my Motobatt at all (bike gets used fairly regularly through the year).

 

[ahutcheon]

I've charged a few times with an old Optimate, mostly the bike was used often enough not to bother. Original battery went 8+ years under the same regime. I know just about enough about battery chemistry to be pretty sure the odd times on the charger didn't do too much to kill the battery.

 

[ahutcheon]

But how many of us have an alarm? I know Motobatt tout a very low self discharge rate, I wonder if their design makes them sensitive to regular partial discharge?

 

[Black Rooster]

odyssey battery is in R1100GS no alarm , motobatt is in the KTM sting no alarms on both bikes

slight drain on R1100gs due to the running clock

 

[MattW]

The battery has lost capacity due to deep discharge.
Once you've flattened a battery, you've irrevocably reduced its capacity and no charger (however 'smart') will recover this lost capacity. The charger might report that it's fully charged and healthy but in reality the charger is just saying it's fully charged to the reduced capacity.

It's new battery time...

 

[MikeO]

The critical voltage to check is across the battery terminals when cranking the starter - that'll tell you whether it's shagged or not (and it sounds like it is).

If you're dissatisfied with the quality of this battery why on earth would you consider changing like for like?

 

[Disaster Area]

If you're dissatisfied with the quality of this battery why on earth would you consider changing like for like?

One simple reason: cost. Certain things in NZ cost a fortune. I'm looking at new tyres for my 1100. It's getting to the point where I'm seriously considering having them sent out from the UK as it will be cheaper than buying them from just down the road.

 

[Disaster Area]

FWIW, I have a Motobatt in my 1100. I had it charging off a solar panel, mainly for the reason that an Optimate seemed to cost as much as a new battery and my garage doesn't have an electricity supply.

 

[ahutcheon]

The battery is on the way out, won't hold charge for more than a few days and falls off faster than it should under load. I guess I'm taking a bet on two years being at the short end of the spread in lifetime for this brand, hoping to get lucky with the new one... At a third of the price of the OEM Exide I feel like taking the bet; a downside of living in a beautiful distant country, and batteries being no-go for airfreight from the handy mail order places over your way.

 

[Blackal]

Generally - Motobatt are highly regarded.

In your situation with them retailing at a third of OEM - I'd certainly continue using Motobatt.

Al

 

[Cook1e]

Have you tried complaining to the supplier or Motobatt?

Nothing to lose but 5 minutes writing a polite explanatory email "In view of the high regard in which your batteries are held by many bikers, I was surprised and disappointed... yada yada"