Triumphrat

Tipsi

Beginning to think it was only me that was going mad with this issue, fine all year put the aux lights on, click ! 2010 America on its second battery, was thinking about getting one of those new fancy lithium batteries, heard they hold the charge a little better, any thoughts ?


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huggy39

Lets finish the tests and we can decide

huggy39

So it doesn't damage the ECU and the connections

DEcosse

Because low voltage will fundamentally cause poor starting but will also cause failure of the the Sprag clutch.

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Severeign

Will post voltage findings tomorrow.

Learning much here people, thanks for your time. This site has always struck me as the online equivalent of pulling over to make sure a biker by the road side is okay. Good people looking out for each other and the help is genuinely appreciated.

huggy39

Most major battery manufacturers make more than one type of battery for our use, basic(budget)-premium-super premium.
The basic battery is not suitable for our bikes with modern electronics, and only carries a one year warranty, the premium and super premium carry a two or more years warranty. So a good way of knowing which battery is suitable (stores have been known to sell basic as premium) is to ask what warranty is on the battery when purchased. If it's one year it's most likely a basic battery.

Forchetto

Some years ago I went to a auto electrical specialist shop to purchase a new battery for a car.

The man behind the counter showed me 3 batteries that were suitable in terms of Amp hours and overall dimensions. They had three very different prices and, thinking I was about to be conned, asked what the difference was.

He just invited me to pick them up and feel the weight difference. The best and most expensive was the heaviest one.

Nowadays I use 1000's of AGM VRLA batteries in my business and I find the same thing. You can get two apparently same batteries but the weight difference is just one way to determine performance and life expectancy.

See this 6 volt 4 Ah battery from a dubious unknown maker?, it weighs 580 grams:



Yet this genuine Yuasa, with the same specs, weighs 31% more at 763 grams:

Severeign

Okay, the results are as follows:

Ignition Off: 12.68 V

Ignition On (Lights): 12.20 V (Dropping to 12.14 V over 30 secs)

At Idle: 13.60 V

All of which looks okay to my untrained eye. I'll be carrying the multimeter around with me over the next few days to do spot checks dependent upon temperature, length of time the bike is left standing and should the dreaded 'click' occur.

(On the plus side we hit about -1 here last night which has usually been the sign to grab the jump leads, it groaned a little bit did start).

Tipsi

I'm not sure what voltage the ECU shuts the ignition circuit down (does anybody ?) but 12.14 volts can't be far away, if I had my running lights and heated grips on to.....?


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huggy39

The voltage tests you have done so far look OK, but they would even on a Basic Battery.Get in touch with your mechanic who fitted your battery and he may be able to return it to his supplier in exchange for a Premium Battery.