Battery issues

This bike is starting to work on my nerves.

Lately I cant ride with my lights on because it runs the battery flat.
Now is it because the bike is not charging the battery or has the battery got a dead cell or two???

I would hate to go buy a new battery (485 rand) and its the actually the bike thats not charging and I destroy a new battery...

[Sid Squid]

You need to check that your bike is properly charging the battery first, before doing anything else. You'll need a meter that has a suitable range, about 20V, (DC), is about right, connect the meter to the battery terminals, and start the engine, with the lights on and the motor spinning about ~4-5000 rpm, the meter should read at least 13.5 and preferably 14+ Volts , with a maximum of 15 volts, outside these figures is indicative of a problem, most likely with the regulator-rectifier unit, even so, it would be best to check all the connectors and wiring for corrosion and damage first, if the charging system passes this test, then check for a current leak, this is done by disconnecting the battery, and connecting the meter across the battery wires, using the resistance scale, there should be no significant reading, (no circuit), with the ignition switched off, if there is then first disconnect the reg-rec unit, problem solved? If so, then the rectifier diodes have failed, if not try disconnecting any eletrical add ons you may have and see if the problem goes away.
If the bike passes these tests, then the battery is suspect.

PS Moved to the technical forum.

Thanx Sid

I have printed your troubleshooter and will check to see why this is all happening...

someone told me that it takes an hour and 20 mins of riding to replace the charge taken by starting the bike (lights off)

i had a similar prob with the 125, topped it up with io water and gave it a good charge, its been fine for 4 months now

Yeah thats all fine and well but the first time my battery went flat I also filled it but I then charged it over night and 2 days later it died on me again...

mabe your regulator rectifier

Do the test with your full beam on. Mine was just in at around 13.5V with headlights on but dropped well below when on full beam. My recitfier was faulty. The cheapest I found at the time was here:

http://www.patternparts.net/stock_re...3&model_go.y=4

Since replacing the rectifier I have had no further probs.

Originally Posted by ShaunSV SA

Yeah thats all fine and well but the first time my battery went flat I also filled it but I then charged it over night and 2 days later it died on me again...

How old's your battery?

Last winter my old one discharged itself when I didn't ride for a few weeks but after I recharged it overnight it was fine for a while. Then after a few more weeks I found it wasn't holding its charge again and even after an overnight recharge it wouldn't work. I understand that if you regularly recharge the battery from flat it can damage it particularly if the battery is getting on a bit, mine was almost 5 years old. I got myself a new battery (stunned at the cost!) and even then had to charge it before use...

I've since bought an optimiser to protect my investment.

Do the test with your full beam on. Mine was just in at around 13.5V with headlights on but dropped well below when on full beam. My recitfier was faulty.

What SVPilot said. Mine did exactly the same thing, new rectifier and jobs a good 'un

Tris

[embee]

Originally Posted by Nick762

.... I understand that if you regularly recharge the battery from flat it can damage it particularly if the battery is getting on a bit......

Automotive batteries aren't really designed for what's called "deep discharge" cycles, i.e. running to nearly flat then fully recharging. Batteries specifically designed for this (like forklift trucks or "Leisure" batteries used in caravans/boats etc) are constructed differently.

What really kills lead-acid batteries is being left fully discharged for any length of time, hence the value of trickle chargers like Optimisers which keep them fully charged. Lead-acid batteries should always be stored fully charged and kept topped up, which in reality means putting on charge at least once a month.

On the SV battery front, there's an alternative I've found, don't know the relative costs though. I have a SVS and a Hond@ Deauville, the batteries are identical size physically but the SV spec is a much higher cold cranking current.
On a Deauville forum we were discussing batteries so I checked they would actually swap over (to use the "better" SV battery on the DV), only to discover that the Dealer had fitted (from new) a totally different battery in the DV. It's a Yuasa YTZ-10S used in CBR600/900/1000 etc
http://www.yuasabatteries.com/batter...on=showListing
http://www.yuasabatteries.com/batter...=B177&vID=1869

It's the same length+width but a few mm shorter height than the SV one, slightly lower charge capacity, but has even higher cranking current capacity. It explains why my DV always spins over smartly from cold