Author |
Message |
Dre99gsx
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 07:32 pm: |
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Anyone here having battery issues yet? Bike is kept in a garage, about 60degF in there. 2 days old and the battery is dead. I didn't know these things needed to be tended immediately (unless it wasn't being charged on my trip home from the dealer). This normal on new bikes? |
Bueller_bjorn
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 07:39 pm: |
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Just checked mine and its fine, ive had mine since Saturday and didn't even ride it yet its only idled a few times. but that doesn't seem normal, my XB sat all winter with no tender and cranked right up in the spring time. |
Dre99gsx
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 07:53 pm: |
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Unless the generator isn't charging the battery... I'm charging it now, we'll see what goes. Planning on taking it to work tomorrow. If its dead before I start it on the trip back home tomorrow, I'll have a chat with the dealer. |
Tq_freak
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 08:02 pm: |
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also possible you just got a bad battery |
Spatten1
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 08:07 pm: |
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Before driving, I'd throw a volt meter on the battery and observe while the bike is off, and then when running. If you don't have an increase in voltage when the bike is running, you are not charging. You can also do an in-line amperage draw test when the bike is not running to see if something is draining the power. If you are not into doing this stuff yourself, go to the dealer, as it is really their responsibility at this point. |
Tpoppa
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 08:19 pm: |
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My XB9S arrived with a dead battery, dealer swapped it out. 4 years later I am still using the same battery with no problems. |
Bigdaddy
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 08:32 pm: |
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Bad battery is the likely culprit. I rarely put any of mine on a tender -- ride year round -- and it's not an issue. |
Dre99gsx
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 08:44 pm: |
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Ok. Thanks for the advice. I have no problems doing current draw and all the other nonsense on the bike. Good to know someone else had a new bike delivered with a bad battery. |
Josh_
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 08:51 pm: |
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My S3 battery died after just a couple months, next one lasted 4+ years. Least the Buell batteries are easier to get to than the FJR's "in-dash" one |
Dre99gsx
| Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 10:39 pm: |
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Did a quick current draw test. After the initial hookup, ecu/alarm/display clicks and I get about 180mA draw for 3 seconds. Then, it all goes silent, down to <10mA. To measure down to mA, I need to switch the DVM to a different probe location, which breaks the current. Regardless, in its state, doesn't seem to be that large of a draw. I'll check for charging voltage in the morning when I start it up. Its looking more like a bad battery, but we will see. BTW, I just realize the rear passenger cover plastic hides a soft seat inside! Nice touch ;) |
Court
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 09:40 am: |
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Bear in mind that the first 1125r to arrive at dealerships is having the key tuned on and off about 50 times an hours . . . so folks can see the display cycle. |
Bearly
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 09:55 am: |
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Just fyi... My buddy's Uly was delivered last year with a battery that was not toped off. It was winter and he wan't able to ride much right off. He battery was dead the first time he tried to ride it after getting it home. Once charged, it was ok this past year. |
Chrisb
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 10:07 am: |
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Remember HD buys a huge amount of batterys at one time. Who knows how long your battery has been sitting on a pallet in a warehouse. My Uly battery was almost dead when I got it home from the dealer. I suggest you buy a deltran battery tender and use it every day. |
Reepicheep
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 10:24 am: |
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Also worth spending 5 minutes removing, cleaning, and replacing the battery connectors. Its easy to have what looks like a good connection not be so good, and even easier to pull, clean, and reinstall to fix it. |
Teeps
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 11:11 am: |
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+1 to Chrisb's recommendation. |
Darkice19
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 11:28 am: |
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For the long winters you can use a solar battery tender. Bought at harbor freight for only 10 bucks. Comes with a small solar panel you can mount on the sunny side of your house. I have one for my Blast one for my 1125r and one on my lawn mower. And they work great. Cheapest battery tender i could find. |
Pwnzor
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 03:53 pm: |
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My buddy's Uly was delivered last year with a battery that was not toped off. How do you top off a sealed gel-cell battery? You mean it wasn't charged? |
Dave_bogue
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 04:51 pm: |
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My 2003 SV1000 (bought new in early 2004) at first had an intermittant starting problem. I cleaned the battery connections; problem solved! It now has 21,000 trouble free miles with the original battery. Dave |
Just_ziptab
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 07:11 pm: |
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I'm with Court on that. Who knows what has gone on with that bike since it arrived at the dealership? How many times was it started just so somebody could hear it run. What you take out of a battery, you have to put back. If it was started a few times on a green battery and never ran long enuf to put some juice back in the battery............well, it ain't gonna start sooner or later |
Blake
| Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 11:52 pm: |
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The thread author reports that he rode the bike, so apparently the issue is resolved? |
Bearly
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 03:15 am: |
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Pwnzor, Sorry, I meant what I said. Top charge would be similar. Maybe it's an aviation thing. |
Dre99gsx
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 09:09 am: |
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12 hours later, Battery voltage was the same 12.86v as last night. So there was no drop in voltage alone. She started right up in the morning. Definately a possibility that the battery needed a good long charge (long 1 hour drive each way). Thanks for the tips everyone. |
Dbird29
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 09:29 am: |
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Battery Tender = no problems |
Mutation_racer
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 10:22 am: |
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DRE, thats great to here, being I sold the bikes to you. As for starting it up fifty time that does not happen with our dealers sold bike not even a 1125R. it just needed a good charge. |
Btt
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 11:09 am: |
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In case this happens to you. Try this little trick... http://break.com/index/car-battery-hack.html |
Spatten1
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 12:36 pm: |
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Great to hear you don't have any real problems! |
Jammin_joules
| Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 12:41 pm: |
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The dealership initial set up produced a dead battery on the first 1125r here too. This dealer knows the first 50 mile break-in mapping on XB Buells is one that require thorough warm up each start. They do not start a Buell on the sales floor to let someone hear it run. They will walk over to a used or demo model and start it though. With the 1125r, my guess is many of these bikes were planned to be shipped months ago, batteries were marginally charged. Then they have been moved several times, possibly including at the dealerships recently, without the batteries getting a full charge. I have heard on a big twin, which charge at a relatively low rpm, it takes 6 miles down the road before the battery is charged back to where it was before cranking it over. In any event, once the battery was given a good deep charge, all is well. Now I am playing with the on-board security and other creature features. All winter the dealership moves a web of battery tenders between grouped bikes on the sales floor to maintain charge. Any good dealership will do that. |
Andella
| Posted on Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 01:39 pm: |
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My battery was dead today also. It was the first time I went to ride since I took delivery Wednesday. Jumped it and it started right up. I bought a battery tender today so hopefully that does the trick. |
Firstbuell
| Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 08:56 pm: |
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Tuono Joice's Aprilia would turn the Rotax engine over nicely and still not fire [on a NEW battery!] after 8 years of listening to the M2 crank & fire immediately, what did I know? an Aprilia dealership master mechanic who was walking by my garage [no kidding] said, "lo battery" further, "these fuel injections require full voltage to work" so FastEd unzipped my Kragen's M/C jumper cable bag & connected the Tuono & M2 - bingo !! ya gotta think the 1125R's mill would act more like an Aprilia than a tuber..... file this anecdote away for troubled 1125R starting moments [AFTER you pop for those tidy cables] |