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Impotency issue

2K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  V-Strom Ry 
#1 ·
My 08 wee has 13,500 miles and the battery has impotetency problems, It won't keep it up! When totally disconnected from the bike you can watch the charge drop by .01V every 10-15 seconds.:(
Started being slow to start a week ago and had to jump it once. Went 110 miles yesterday and today it wouldn't start. Starts fine if I charge it up just won't stay up! I think it needs some battery Viagra!
Of course today is a holiday and everything is closed!

Thanks for listening.
gene
 
#4 ·
Walmart?

Warhammer,

Do they sell the maintence free battery? How much? It's 40 miles to Walmart from my house. I tried to find out from the Walmart website but all it would come up with was a battery operated Ducati for kids. Do you have to precharge the maintence free ones? My wee is my primary vehicle, so that makes things more difficult.

Thanks for the replies!
 
#5 ·
My 05 still has the stock battery with 19,000 miles:confused: Sorry you'[re having probs, you can take care of it tomorrow, yes?
 
#6 ·
#12 ·
...and any new rechargeable battery needs to be charged before use for maximum life.
Does that just apply to Wal-Mart batteries? If I go to my local starter/alternator/battery shop for a new battery for "X" application, they will walk to a shelf, draw down the correct size and rating of battery and install it directly and immediately in my auto, truck, ag tractor or lawn/garden tractor. I have no experience with their installation of motorcycle batteries...

Do you think their method will cause my new batteries to have reduced life? "Interstate" is one of their common brands, although I've also seen what appear to be Chinese and Korean names on displayed batteries.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Apex

Greywolf,

Thanks for the link, I've never seen the Apex site before. Interesting note that it is listed as @ $69 at the top of page and @$67 at the bottom. Perhaps something to do with shipping, but orders over $50 are free.....

my bad that's the acid battery at the bottom
 
#9 ·
When totally disconnected from the bike you can watch the charge drop by .01V every 10-15 seconds.:(
Down to what?

The surface charge may be over 14v right off the charger, but that will dissipate pretty quickly. It should settle in around 12v. If it keeps dropping beyond 11.5 or so, that's bad; replace it. You can also take it just about anywhere that sells automotive batteries and have it load tested.

I don't know of anyone that makes an AGM battery that'll fit this bike; I'd love one ... lots of SLA options, though.
 
#10 ·
Load tests aren't always accurate. I'm going through that with my boat right now, 2 dealers telling my batteries are fine, but they discharge overnight. I had a Honda Civic that the battery kept dying. It load tested 4 times as good. I got fed up and bought a new battery, no more problems. The salesman said, hey your battery is good, I told him to put in his car then:rolleyes:
 
#11 ·
update

Well I phoned the closest Walmart and they do not carry that battery. So I called the next one, it is about the same distance only East instead of South. They had it in stock for $50. So I took my bike off the trickle charger and went over and got one. It is on the charger now, I should be good to go in the morning. I will check the old battery in the morning and see what kind of charge it has sitting out of the bike all night.
 
#14 ·
Semper V,
I'm glad you found your battery. I was out working on my wife's car all day, so I didn't get to read your question until it had already been answered.

Dancer,
It is always best to fully charge ANY rechargeable battery before use, even if the battery claims to be "pre-charged." The motorcycle batteries that WalMart come dry in the box with a vial of battery acid included. You have to do the final assembly yourself. After adding the acid and letting it stand the proper amount of time (usually about 30 minutes), you have to charge the battery for the prescribed amount of time at the proper rate. Using the a charger set to the wrong charge rate, over-charging the battery, or under-charging it can damage the brand new battery and reduce its service life. This is where a good trickle charger really comes into it's own, as it will not over-charge.
 
#15 ·
update

OK, old battery was at 12.21 this am 42F. New battery was holding steady at 13.41. I installed it and went off to DMV to register my "new" 1960 Land Rover. Everything started up just fine every time as I ran my errands.

Thanks to those who helped out!
gene
 
#17 ·
Get a Battery Tender and plug it in after every ride. It will make your battery last a lots longer says the rider of an 06 Wee with 13,000 miles on it and the original battery. Also have one for my riding lawnmower to keep going after sitting all winter. Also use Stabil in your gas for any gas engine that sits for any length of time without being run. It keeps injecters and carburators from gumming up. No supprises when the weather turns good!
 
#18 ·
Maybe I'm just lucky, but I'm still on the original battery in my '02 Strom with 66,000 km on it. It's even been deep-discharged and then resurrected with a couple of hours on a car battery charger a couple of times. Maintenance has been limited to throwing the trickle charger on it once or twice a winter while it sits in the bike, in the cold garage.
 
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