is it new battery time

[formula400]

right went to start the street triple today, was taking it to have new chain and sprockets fitted, went to start it and no, not having it. I've not ridden it since the 5th june, so quite a while, and no before you ask i did't have it on charge,

right question is do i need a new battery??? this has happened a few times (you'd think id learn) is it normal for them to lose charge after 3 weeks or less???

if needed ill get a new one and learn.

[formula400]

It’s reading 11.98, it should be 13 right??? I’ve just tried and the bike starts. What should it be when running???

Also if I keep the batter on charge today with it rise to 13 volts???

[formula400]

This was 20 mins ago, not running or anything, it been on charge for 2 hrs, bike now starts

Untitled by lewis wilson, on Flickr

And this is the reading whilst running, so assume the charging system is working???

Untitled by lewis wilson, on Flickr

[A_morti]

14v while running confirms the charging system is fine.

Normal at rest should be around 12.8v. Anything less than 12v is bad news.
Usually you find a cell has gone dry and/or the plates in it have warped, and then it won't take/hold a charge, plus the voltage will drop a lot when you try and start it. The reduced voltage can mean higher amps (I think?) which is bad news for various components.



Your battery is indeed goosed. Get it changed before it upsets anything else in the charging system and pulls it under with it.

[formula400]

ray local halfords have one,

now my question is would my battery read 11.98 at rest as its not been on charge for the last 3 weeks and was dead this morning, its only been on charge 2 hours, or does that not make a difference??? I've no real idea of this???

[A_morti]

It's got down to <12v either because you left something on (or there's a parasitic draw such as a faulty alarm or accessory), or because the battery has simply had enough. They don't usually do >3 years, anyway.

[formula400]

It's got down to <12v either because you left something on (or there's a parasitic draw such as a faulty alarm or accessory), or because the battery has simply had enough. They don't usually do >3 years, anyway.

right it has a factory fitted immobiliser, but they all have that, accessory wise i have a USB charger plug on the battery for my phone, the only time the phone plugged in is when i ride. could that be it??? the battery is a few years old and when i first got it the battery run down a few time as there was no where to plug it in where it was kept before.

[Skub]

It's got down to <12v either because you left something on (or there's a parasitic draw such as a faulty alarm or accessory), or because the battery has simply had enough. They don't usually do >3 years, anyway.

I've had the same Yuasa battery in my bike for at least 13 years.

[A_morti]

right it has a factory fitted immobiliser, but they all have that, accessory wise i have a USB charger plug on the battery for my phone, the only time the phone plugged in is when i ride. could that be it??? the battery is a few years old and when i first got it the battery run down a few time as there was no where to plug it in where it was kept before.

I would not be surprised if the battery is just old and had its time. However, you have a multi-meter, you can go YouTube search how to measure for a parasitic draw. I've found any non-OEM accessory is usually the culprit. For example, potentially the USB plug has some corrosion in it that's allowing a very small amount of power to leak across a circuit board. Small enough that you wouldn't notice unless the bike was left to its own devices for a while without a battery tender. Alarms of any sort will also use a very small amount of power when they're armed, no idea on your model specifically.

I've had the same Yuasa battery in my bike for at least 13 years.

That's very good going. Garage and optimate?
I should qualify my statement that it's based on bikes living in the street and charging themselves only.

[Skub]

That's very good going. Garage and optimate?
I should qualify my statement that it's based on bikes living in the street and charging themselves only.

Yeah to both.

I can't quite believe it myself,it's certainly not typical!

[formula400]

right thanks you 2, ill go and grab a battery and learn to leave it on my charge when its in the garage.

[A_morti]

It would still be worth checking for a parasitic draw. If there is one such as due to an internally corroded USB port, it won't fix itself and may develop into a worse problem. I assume the USB plug is fused? I guess you didn't set it to only power up through a relay?

[formula400]

right the USB charger seems ok, no corrosion or marks along the wires, yes it has a fuse box on it. there are no there USB ports on it, its the only thing I've added to the bike.

and follow these steps??? http://www.ktm950.info/how/Electrical%2 ... _draw.html

todays the first time I've used my multi meter.

[David]

Did you fit the usb port on a fused ignition live? They are transformers (well...step down diody things) so they will use power when supplied with it, even without a load connected.

[formula400]

what do you mean??? this is what i have connected to my battery

[G.P]

I've just replaced the factory battery on my 9 year old 52k mile Triumph Tiger.
The immobiliser is a very small draw on the battery and in normal conditions I could leave it 6 weeks without any problems. Once the battery starts giving up, it looses charge pretty quick.
Anything else that you've connected needs to be checked out because a 3yr old battery should be fine and dandy. an optimiser will keep it sorted but if you have a constant leak, fix that instead.

[A_morti]

what do you mean??? this is what i have connected to my battery

As above.

Point is, this will constantly drain power, just a little, even if nothing is plugged into it.

It should be wired not direct to the battery, but into a circuit which only has power when the key is on. For example, attach it to your headlight's sidelight (assuming it has one). Better still, run a relay switched from the headlight, which gives power from the battery.

If you leave your bike on an optimate it'll start fine, because the optimate makes up for the "leak". But it's better to fix the leak.

[formula400]

Right with you.

Next question, how do I even go about wiring it to the headlights???

[David]

Access the back of the switch or the headlamp unit. Using your meter find the live line when the headlight is off with the ignition on. This is an ignition live. Connect to this.
Or go to the back of the ignition switch and repeat above.
You are looking for a line that is live with the ignition on or if your bike always has the headlight on with ignition, a live to the light.