Flat Battery - replace or charge?

[WeegieBlue]

Morning all

I just wanted to run something by you all and get a bit of advice.

I went out this morning, jumped on my 99 curvy and the battery was having none of it. I ride nearly 30 miles a day on my commute and it has generally been fine until now. I did flatten it a few months back when I left the keys in the ignition and the lights on for about 15 minutes when I was cleaning the bike, but I charged it and it was fine thereafter. It has been turning over a couple of times before the engine fires up this week but I thought that might just be the cold.

I don't have a garage so the bike is kept covered in my garden and is at the mercy of the elements. I commute 5 days a week and will continue to do so unless the weather becomes very wintery.

My question is should I buy a new battery that is more adept at coping with the elements (suggestions would be welcomed), or should I buy a trickle charger and take the battery in every now and then for a top up?

As always, thanks in advance for your help orgers.

WB

[fizzwheel]

How old is the battery ?

[danf1234]

An Optimate would be a worth while investment anyway. If you could extend the leads and run it to your bike outise via a window even better.

I would also have a bet that your battery is knackered, so I would look at getting a new one.

I can't recommend a specific replacement, but I have always bought my batteries from

www.tayna.co.uk

[SVMAT]

Is the battery a sealed unit? i.e does it have caps you can take of to top the water up in the cells? If the water is not high enough in the cells (i think its meant to be just above the plate) it wont hold charge for long. If it is a sealed unit ant quite old it could prob do with replacing. Do you run heated grips/clothing?

[WeegieBlue]

@Fizzwheel: I have absolutely no idea. It was in the bike when I bought it in August and there's no clues as to when it was put in there.

@ SVMAT: the only thing the battery runs is the bike - no alarm, fancy gadgets or gizmos. Not sure whether it's sealed or not. I'll have a look over the weekend.

[andrewsmith]

sometimes there is a service life date on the batteries (where the manufacturer says the battery at its end).
OEM suzuki batteries have it just below the top one the opposite side to the connectors (i roughly remember).

[fizzwheel]

So you have a battery of potential dubious nature of an unknown age.

Cold Weather will finish off a battery near the end of its life. Especially if the bikes left out outside all day. Personally I'd be looking to fit a new battery, leaving your existing one plugged into a trickle charger all the time will only mask the problem if the battery is knackered...

IIRC the SV uses a sealed battery.

[WeegieBlue]

I was kinda thinking it's better to get a new battery rather than flog a dead horse.

Any recommendations? Is there anything specific about the curvy battery I should be looking for in terms of size and power?

[andrewsmith]

YX12BS is the battery size.

I've got a GS heavy duty and it seem to be holding up well, cost about £50

after that its gel and lithium batteries. Gels are about £80, liths about £400

[WeegieBlue]

Is it YXT12BS rather than YX12BS? Can't see YX anywhere.....

[metalmonkey]

A trickle charger is always worth while, I have one for my bike its worth the money. Is Batteryman still on the site? He did some deals for batteries, worth a PM I would have thought.

[Matts-Yokes]

Get a Yuasa Japan battery, dont even bother with a cheap taiwan/chinese replacement from the large wholesalers they are crap and wont last the winter. There is also a company in China called Yuasa so make sure you are buying the Japanese one.

If you buy something thats cheap **** then you get what you pay for and you will be buying another in a few weeks/months.

[andrewsmith]

Is it YXT12BS rather than YX12BS? Can't see YX anywhere.....

My apologies Its YT12BS

[embee]

About the best batteries readily available are the Yuasa "YTZ" range, they will deliver significantly more starting current ("cold cranking amps" or CCA) than YTX types and the like.

The best bang for buck comes from the YTZ14S, enough current to start a 747. It is a little taller than the stock item and I believe it is necessary to remove the fuse tray (but obviously keep the fuse blocks!) though I haven't done it on my curvey. I don't use mine in winter so fitted a YTZ10S which is actually slightly shorter than stock but still more CCA. Compare dimensions on the Yuasa (http://www.yuasabatteries.com/)site.

Honda dealers have genuine ones at pretty competitive prices, though they have gone up recently, presumably India/China are buying up all the lead in the world. They cost around £65 for a YTZ14S at the mo'.

It would be worth just checking that your bike is charging properly first, lights on and rev to 3000rpm+ and you should see 14V or so, if it's significantly less it'll probably not be charging properly. Check the flow chart here (http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/library/diagnosis/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf).

(PS - I think the stock battery for a curvey is a YT12A-BS)

[WeegieBlue]

Them Yuasa ones ain't cheap are they?!? Is it really worth spending £150 on a battery? Will it be three times as good as one from Halfords for £50 or a Suzuki one at £65?

Or what about this

http://www.mdsbattery.co.uk/shop/productprofile.asp?ProductGroupID=2047

[andrewsmith]

Varta's are about £50 have a look on fleabay

[fizzwheel]

Them Yuasa ones ain't cheap are they?!? Is it really worth spending £150 on a battery?

Where are you getting your prices from ? I bought a Yuasa for my GSXR a while ago which IIRC is the same one that the curvey takes, cost me £60 ish from the local battery guy...

Get ringing around, I bet you find some more competative prices.

edit - a quick google reveals this

http://www.batterymasters.co.uk/Product-Froogle_2399.aspx

£44.58 + delivery...

Or here

http://www.mdsbattery.co.uk/shop/productprofile.asp?ProductGroupID=2047

£49.98 includnig vat with free delivery...

[WeegieBlue]

It was here:

http://www.yuasabatteries.co.uk/yuasa-ytz-motorbike-batteries-23-c.asp

But I think they're funky gel ones.

[andrewsmith]

aye thats a gel battery CCA 210A instead of CCA 110A.

If your running a lot of electrical gear (heated grips etc) invest in one

[WeegieBlue]

aye thats a gel battery CCA 210A instead of CCA 110A.

If your running a lot of electrical gear (heated grips etc) invest in one

Nothing electrically fancy on my bike so I'll stick with the cheaper one. Gonna order it now and hope it arrives Saturday in the post.

Thanks for all the help folks. Karma will reward you at some future point :)

[slinky]

Hi,

I was having the same problem as my bike is kept outside too! I ended up buying a new battery as it was old and i thought well probably needs replacing any way ... worked a treat. Until the cold weather started kicking in and the battery didn't have enough umph to turn the engine over.

The best thing i've done is go to wilkinsons buy some cable and an ouside junction box then BnQ and purchased an ouside plug socket. Installed it all running from a security lamp and went for an optimate 4 as its weather proof and according to the WWW its quite a good one!

Not had a problem since, unplug the charger in the morning and the bike starts first time & all in all about 80 quid and 1 hours of time!

J

sv650 - 1999 curvy

[suzukigt380paul]

i'd go for a gell battery,just picked one up for my gsx600f,i bought a motobatt mb10u (yb10a2)absorbed glass mat,supposed to be the dog whatsits,and cost £45,

[yorkie_chris]

30 mile each way is plenty to charge the battery back up, don't worry about a charger.

Check reg rec though, if it is a bit low it could be giving issues. More cold cranking amps is always good/

[WeegieBlue]

I ordered a Yuasa gel battery so should be here today although the bike is under a foot of snow so I'm not likely to be trying it out any time soon!

[muzikill]

Buy an optimate, if your bike is going to be left outside for long periods or in a shed with no power to trickle charge then consider bringing the battery in especially during the winter and especially since we are having great weather atm!
Don't treat you bike battery like any other, its needs to be maintained and at £50+ a pop i don't want to buy them all the time. Original yuasa got knackered by leaving the bike out in all weathers and i didnt have a optimate at the time. The battery is kept inside and i slam the optimate on it every 2 weeks to keep it ok. Now have a Varta battery, dunno how good they are!

[danf1234]

Buy an optimate, if your bike is going to be left outside for long periods or in a shed with no power to trickle charge then consider bringing the battery in especially during the winter and especially since we are having great weather atm!
Don't treat you bike battery like any other, its needs to be maintained and at £50+ a pop i don't want to buy them all the time. Original yuasa got knackered by leaving the bike out in all weathers and i didnt have a optimate at the time. The battery is kept inside and i slam the optimate on it every 2 weeks to keep it ok. Now have a Varta battery, dunno how good they are!


Like I said before - Buy an Optimate. Its a no brainer for £40. It will pay for itself in new batteries in a couple of winters.

[BoomBoomBox]

In the cold, a 12V battery can be knocked to about 4V, making the electric not start. Do you have an optimator? (Surges charge on and off while connected the battery via the mains) this will always keep the battery tip-top...?

[arenalife]

Charge it once, if it does it again don't give it another chance - replace it.