Another battery due?

[Doggy]

When I bought my 796 I had it about a year and then one day went to start it and just got a click click noise . So I got a new Yuasa battery from Halfords and it was perfect until last Friday .
Battery is only a year and eight months old .
Bike turned over a couple of times, but didn't start . Neighbour pushed me 20ft up the rode and I pressed the button and she fired up . It's always on the optimate, apart from this time when it hadn't been for a week . Went for a ride, stopped for fuel and it fired up like normal .
This Friday I was going out on it and same again not starting . The mrs pushed me this time and it started but was revving at 3500 revs and wouldn't calm down . I was taking it for a service so jumped on and rode out of my estate still revving madly with the engine management light going on and off . After a few miles had to stop at a roundabout and it ticked over like normal
. Dropped the bike off at Pro Team, turned it off and then started it perfectly, was showing 14.2 volts on the dash so charging properly .
Do I need another battery so soon? or is it likely to be something else?
The battery on my Triumph is three years old, never been on a charger and might not be started for months over winter and starts first time!.

[rollo22]

Could be a cable on its way out in the headstock area.
If fails to start try wiggling the handle bars with finger on button.

[Doggy]

I'll see if pro team find anything a miss , but will bear this in mind . It's having a service, valve check and new belts!. Not going to be cheap, but she deserves it!

[Albie]

My 1100s battery never missed a beat in 5 .5 years I owned it never charged on it's own.
My scrambler sadly is not the same. New one in just over a year. Bought a german one.

[Luddite]

Sorry you're having problems, Doggy.

The only starting problems I've had with my Evo stemmed from the injector relay working it's way loose. It was intermittent for a couple of weeks until the relay ceased to make contact at all, when it failed to start completely.

Initially, I didn't see any error log messages but, when it failed completely a message like 0008 r.SW and/or 0005 r.SW appeared but disappeared almost instantly making it hard to record what it actually said. Did you check the dash for any error codes?

If you look at this thread, you'll see the relay that I'm talking about (post #3).

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=57594

Hope you sort it quickly (and cheaply!).

Let us know how you get on.

[Doggy]

I did see 0005.rsw flash up. Can't remember if that flashed up when the last battery went AWOL, something definitely popped up though.
Hopefully a new battery will sort it, will find out when I get the call to collect the bike after its service. If we are allowed out.

[Doggy]

I did see 0005.rsw flash up. Can't remember if that flashed up when the last battery went AWOL, something definitely popped up though.
Hopefully a new battery will sort it, will find out when I get the call to collect the bike after its service. If we are allowed out.

[TimDW]

Hey Doggy,

Your battery is dead because you leave it on the optimate constantly. Batteries don't like that. It is better to have the battery on the charger for like a weekend and then of for like 2 a 3 weeks.

The problem is that the battery has enough voltage, but the amperehours get low. You need the voltage to run the electrics/ECU and you need the aH to start your bike.

Don't search too far for the problem. Just keep the optimate of the bike during the riding season and replace the battery.

A good battery last +/- 5 years. Depending on how good you service it. Sometimes more, sometimes a bit less.

Tim.

[Mr Gazza]

I have never used an optimate and I never will as I think they are pants and kill batteries whilst wasting your electricity.
My Motobatt is now 6 years and 8 months old and has still never been on a charger. I just put it on the bike out of the box and it's still good and strong. I could build a garden wall with all the Yuasa batteries I have bought over the years.

[Doggy]

Originally Posted by Mr Gazza

I have never used an optimate and I never will as I think they are pants and kill batteries whilst wasting your electricity.
My Motobatt is now 6 years and 8 months old and has still never been on a charger. I just put it on the bike out of the box and it's still good and strong. I could build a garden wall with all the Yuasa batteries I have bought over the years.

Sounds like Motobatt, is the way to go . They have a two year warranty , where as the Yuasa one I have is only a year .

[Luddite]

Originally Posted by Doggy

I did see 0005.rsw flash up. Can't remember if that flashed up when the last battery went AWOL, something definitely popped up though.

Did the dash reset itself when this happened (i.e. clock, trip and TC/ABS settings)?

As I understand it, the r.SW part of the message refers to "reset software" and is triggered when the ECU detects a voltage lower than a predetermined "safe" level. It then disconnects the ECU and dash to protect them, which is why the dash resets.

The low voltage could be a tired battery, poor or loose battery/earth connections or, as in my case, an unplugged relay. As you say, hopefully, your new battery will sort it.

Like Mr G, I'm also running a Motobatt, which has performed faultlessly.

[Goofle]

I'm also looking for a new battery for the Monster. The previous one (admittedly not a very expensive one) I bought just before the Weekender last year so it's less than 12 months old. It's been removed from the bike over winter but left in the garage. It's now scrap. Would it be worth returning this? It hasn't been on a Optimate through winter however so I'd guess I'm at fault? I thought that left to its own devices it shouldn't be goosed now?
Regarding the Optimate question my Panigale has to live connected up. It's got a tracker so would get the battery flattened in a week or two otherwise.

[Doggy]

The bike has a clean bill of health.
Valves checked and no adjustment needed.
New belts and oil/filters.
A new battery also, everything was charging as it should but the battery was reading very low.
Happy days.

[Darren69]

Sorry for the thread hi-jack but I think there is something decidedly fishy going on with batteries on our bikes that we've not got a handle on quite yet. Maybe it's a model specific thing or a maintenance thing or something else? I was always a dyed in the wool Yuasa wet battery guy, they were good and had good service from them on 750SS, 900SS and 748 but wet batteries are not great if they spill or run flat. I had a couple of years use out of the Yuasa AGM dry battery on my S4 and then everyone was saying how much better the Motobatt ones were so I made the switch. Truth is I don't know how old the original Yuasa was that came with the bike.

I had maybe 2 years max use out of the first Motobatt I fitted and not that many miles before it would not even spin the bike over fast enough to start it.

I have an old style Optimate but don't keep it hooked up all the while, I generally tend to use it for a few hours at a time just as a top up charge over the weekend if I plan to start the bike.

The current Motobatt seems to be holding up ok even after a couple of years, so maybe I had a duff one before? It just seems that so much variability that some can keep them good for 5-6 years while from my own experience 2-3 years max (Yuasa or Motobatt). I just don't know if just I've been unlucky or doing something wrong? I know the S4 is notoriously hard on batteries, perhaps more so than the carb bikes, but how are other IE bikes fairing?

[Mr Gazza]

Glad you're sorted Doggy.. I bet you went the long way home?
Did they fit a Motobatt?

Darren I have a 2V ie bike and the Motobatt is still going great guns. I think the batteries are failing due to optimates. This is not a scientific answer, it's just based on my loathing of the things from received information, mainly the short phrase.. " I've had it on an optimate, but..."
In the (g)olden days I would reckon on buying a new battery for a new bike, just because there was a very good chance it would be no good. I would go with Yuasa as that was the premium battery at the time. I generally replaced the batteries in the Spring when I serviced whatever bike for the new season. I only expected to get a year out of them. I would often take the battery off and start the Winter with a full charge, checking it occasionally if I remembered and even less occasionally giving it a trickle charge for a day if needed. This would sometimes massage another year out of them.
Another reason that they die over Winter is that they just don't like cold and definitely not freezing. Maybe AGM or Gel batteries are less prone to this? (they are not really dry.) I work in my bike shed in the Winter, so I spent a lot of time insulating it, I run a little electric/oil rad on tick over all Winter to make it comfortable for me and also preserve various tender materials. It also prevents condensation forming on stuff, so maybe that helps with little leaks of current that might happen on a damp bike?.. Again this is not science, just experience.