reviving battery

[VAL. H.]

The bike has been standing for 18 months now and the battery is showing no signs of life.

I've tried charging it several times over the last few months with no luck. It's a Motobat sealed about two and a half years old. I have various different chargers, an optimate a modern charger for sealed and lead acid and an old conventional pre sealed charger/s.


Any suggestions as to the probability of getting it to come back to life?




Val.

 

[DrFarkoff]

Personally Dont!! Go and get a new one

The voltage spikes and current surges generated with the ECU's can be really detrimental to them

I've replaced 3 main BMS K units and the common factor was a battery that was really low and bike "just" turning over!

NOt Good News

ON the other hand if you are stuck

Set two batteries YOur duff one and a known good one beside each other and connect them in parallel

basically connect charger across your duff one and then jump lead +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve to the other

after a couple of hours it might have gained enough charge to accept charge on its own Again I would leave it overnight connected

 

[Deleted account 200123001]

What the Dr says...Revived a dud oddysey battery this way.

 

[batman1]

When I was in the car motor trade, if we had a completely knackered battery on a car that wouldn't accept a 12v charge, we would bang a 24 volt charge into it to wake it up, but you needed to keep your hand on the charger switch and be ready to flick it over to 12volts once it woke up.

My advice to you is to go and buy a new battery!

Batteries hate being left flat, it kills them!

 

[Bendy toy]

Optimates are good but after 18 months that battery is dead. It will never wake up.

LiFePo batteries will stand unused without damage but cost about 2x a lead acid. They are smaller and lighter.

Alternatively buy new lead acid and always use a conditioning charger.


Sent somehow.

 

[MattW]

It's dead - buy a new one and leave it on your optimate.

 

[Greg Masters]

You have an Optimate and didn't use it when parking the bike for 18 months?

 

[Bendy toy]

He might have my problem - no permanent power to the garage. Hence my broken record about LiFePo batteries.


Sent somehow.

 

[VAL. H.]

Thanks for the replys guys. Guess I'll be buying a new battery then.

Any recommendations? Last one was a Motobat.

You have an Optimate and didn't use it when parking the bike for 18 months?

Used to use the Optimate a lot, but decided that it was shortening the life of the batteries, so stopped using it. Just used to connect it every couple of week for 24 hours. Then we moved here to Wales and got too busy to consider the bikes.

Anyway I got it running yesterday, using the battery from my other half's R100GS. (R100, 18 months standing started without even charging the battery ) Then when that went flat, the ride on mower.



Val.

 

[MattW]

Used to use the Optimate a lot, but decided that it was shortening the life of the batteries, so stopped using it. Just used to connect it every couple of week for 24 hours. Then we moved here to Wales and got too busy to consider the bikes.

Looks like not using it shortens their life more...

 

[Bendy toy]

Lead acid batteries will develop hard sulphate when not used.
If you don't use the bike very much and/or don't have permanent power to the garage, either use cheap (basically disposable) lead acid or use the new technology LiFePo batteries.
These cost more but are not damaged by lack of use.
You pays your money etc.


Sent somehow.

 

[Santa-2512]

Make sure it's not your optimate

I have a new Yuasa battery i bought for the virago ...

started from new - Acid etc ....

less than a month later after standing over winter my optimate 3 says disulphated

then i put it on my brand new gel mat battery (gs), and it says the same wiggle the lead, and it goes through all the options lol

Might invest in a new optimate

Mart

 

[Bones]

Make sure it's not your optimate

I have a new Yuasa battery i bought for the virago ...

started from new - Acid etc ....

less than a month later after standing over winter my optimate 3 says disulphated

then i put it on my brand new gel mat battery (gs), and it says the same wiggle the lead, and it goes through all the options lol

Might invest in a new optimate

Mart

The optimate connectors do corrode and won't make a good connection without a 'wiggle'. I get this problem. The charger itself is probably fine

 

[richtel]

Sanity check- when you try to revive it with the optimate, make sure it's not still connected to the bike. Smart chargers often won't go into their high-voltage desulphate mode if they detect that the bike's still in the vehicle just in case the electronics are damaged. Disconnect it or remove it from the bike and try it.

 

[Bendy toy]

Just disconnect the positive lead from the battery then clip on the Optimate. If it goes amber after a few minutes you might be ok.


Sent somehow.

 

[richtel]

Just disconnect the positive lead from the battery then clip on the Optimate. If it goes amber after a few minutes you might be ok.


Sent somehow.

Might want to disconnect the neg first

"IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKEN."

 

[VAL. H.]

Sanity check- when you try to revive it with the optimate, make sure it's not still connected to the bike. Smart chargers often won't go into their high-voltage desulphate mode if they detect that the bike's still in the vehicle just in case the electronics are damaged. Disconnect it or remove it from the bike and try it.

Interesting, didn't know that. I'll give it a go.



Ta Val.

 

[Blackal]

I reckon you will be looking for a new battery. It probably died over the first winter.

Get an opitnate and give it a go, but Id advise getting a new battery

AL

 

[Bendy toy]

Might want to disconnect the neg first

"IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKEN."

Very true but with battery remaining in bike what is there to short out the positive?
Ok the terminally (sic) incompetent can always find a way to screw it up but they'll manage that without our help.

People who park their bikes for long periods will be better off fitting a LiFePo battery. It will eventually go flat but won't be harmed. Disconnected they lose just 10% charge over 12 months.

 

[richtel]

Very true but with battery remaining in bike what is there to short out the positive?
Ok the terminally (sic) incompetent can always find a way to screw it up but they'll manage that without our help.

People who park their bikes for long periods will be better off fitting a LiFePo battery. It will eventually go flat but won't be harmed. Disconnected they lose just 10% charge over 12 months.

Apologies- I didn't mean that to come over as patronising. It's the old adage about disconnecting the negative first because of the possibitility of shorting tools out against the chassis when unbolting the positive while the neg is still connected.