Battery & charger - recommendations

[The Spider]

So I got a ride on the new bike last Sunday (100k) ...and by Tuesday night she didn't want to start...now she's at the point where she's getting weaker still. I suspect battery - but I know nothing....so is there an Australian battery that is recommended by you folks? The tanks seem to like the Yuasa which are produced by Century here I believe.

when it comes to starting:

kill switch off, in neutral, sidestand is up
tacho / speedo come on, sensor lights flash
immobiliser light is off (so no key/antenna issues)
all signals, horn, light, highbeam work
hum of fuel pump is audible, half tank of fuel
checked the generator/stator fuse (40 amps)
checked the fuse box - all possible fuses
when starter button is pressed, the 'klik,klik' of the starter is audible - but then nothing.

I've gotten most of this through searching the forums and LT Snyder's maintanence....up until Wednesday I didn't even know how the seat came off so I'm learning!

When the starter button is pressed the headlight dims momentarily and the battery is stock on a 2003 model (which is the GS model, I cn't tell if it's the 'leaking model' or the fixed version) - so I think I should buy a new battery or a charger - and the fact it seems to be getting weaker over the past 3 days...but as previously stated - I'm a complete rookie - but at least it means I could eliminate the source and then promptly give up and ship it to a mechanics!

Thanks in advance

Spider

[alifecoach]

Hi Spider,
If the Battery is 5 yo, that's a good run. Only through experiences, sounds like battery is U/S. It will run everything else that draws stuff all power, BUT, the starter requires a solid 'belt'. There's some techo guys on here who could explain it better ;D

[s4grrr]

i would definitely look at the battery, your symptoms sound right and it's easy to replace, get a decent one though, big v-twins draw big amps when cranking and cheapies just don't last, in my experience a YUASA is the only option, and they are available despite the fibs that some bike shops may tell you. ODYSSEY make a corker of a battery too, but they seem to be an odd size and fitting might be an issue.
just on the subject of amps drawn too, i damaged my starter by not riding mine often enough and the battery was low causing current across the brushes to be too long, and i needed to have my starter rebuilt. so in short, use a battery tender if you don't ride it at least twice a week!! getting the starter out/repaired/reinstalled is expensive from a mechanic and involved if you do it yourself.


cheers,
paul.

[The Spider]

Thanks Paul, it seems some guys get the YTZ7s (which is the smallest lightest) as a performance mod, I was thinking the YTZ12b-bs would be the one for the bigger engines.

Can you tell me which terminal (when looking at your battery) is on the left and right - the yanks have huge problems because they are back to front (and the leads aren't long enough to cross over)....which may not be the case down here!

saw a 851 tri-colour this morning - or heard it first, then stood up and saw it - and thought of your machine.

Cheers

Spider

[s4grrr]

mine is a YT12B-S, the positive terminal is on the left so when laid in the battery cradle the pos is nearest the airbox. i also run the same battery in my 888 though it sits round the other way in that bike.

paul.

[monstermick58]

Buy yourself a cheap multimeter, about $12 at dick smiths, you'll need about 12.7 to 13.5 volts to turn over your starter, and the positive is on the right as you sit on the bike, yeah, get a trickle charger like looney said, got mine fron super cheap and it has the neat little plug so you can hide it away when not in use.







Mmick

[brimo]

Yep, have had a lot to do with batteries over the years and your symptoms sound right, 5 years is a good run out of an automotive battery.
The part number on the battery is important as the last couple of letters usually tells you the orientation of the pos and neg terminals, quite easy to connect em arse about if you get the wrong one. Look for a mark on the battery (though you might need a magnifying glass) stamped on the terminal, marked on the side of the case or it may have a red plastic doovy around the positive terminal and a blue one around the neg. The YUASA are marked clearly on the side of the case.
More info.
http://www.gsyuasabatteries.com.au/a...pe=56&type=608

[The Spider]

thanks guys...I'll grab a battery charger at the same time

Brimo, I only wanted to know which way there are on the battery for cable length - last thing I want is a new battery that need to extend the power cables for!