Dead Battery

737Captain · Dec 16, 2014

For a variety of reasons I haven't been able to ride my ST for a few months, since March actually. During that time it has been kept on a battery tender which I considered to be "life support". I came to start it yesterday and nothing, nada.

Is that normal? I have had it on charge overnight and I'm going to see if it will take and keep a charge.

Thanks in advance.

Tony

970mike · Dec 16, 2014

Sounds like you have a bad battery or a bad tender, load test the battery first after charging and make sure you do not drop below 10 volts when starting.

ST1100Y · Dec 16, 2014

737Captain said:
...I haven't been able to ride my ST for a few months, since March actually...

<phew!> those are like 9 months... :shock: Not even my car battery would last that long...
Any other un-switched consumers/accessories besides the clock?

737Captain · Dec 16, 2014

Thanks Mike.

No nothing else, pretty stock really, certainly nothing that is u switched.

737Captain · Dec 16, 2014

Can I test a battery tender? how?

v8-7 · Dec 16, 2014

One way would be to measure the batt voltage without the tender , then connect the tender .

Or you could stick an ammeter in line ..

jmcarruth · Dec 16, 2014

737Captain said:
For a variety of reasons I haven't been able to ride my ST for a few months, since March actually. During that time it has been kept on a battery tender which I considered to be "life support". I came to start it yesterday and nothing, nada.

Is that normal? I have had it on charge overnight and I'm going to see if it will take and keep a charge.

Thanks in advance.

Tony

Take the battery out of the bike, charge it, do a load test. If it passes, which it probably will not, charge again and put it back in the bike making sure all connections are clean and tight. Why take it out? You need to check the connections anyway, you are in there, and the battery is probably bad anyway. If it is over four years old I would replace it in any case. Why? ST1300s are hard on batteries and "under batteryed".

If it does not pass the load test, get this:

http://www.batteryweb.com/motorcycle-batteries-detail.cfm?model=PTZ14S

This is the best AGM battery I have found for the ST1300.

Or you could go with Lithium, but more $.

SupraSabre · Dec 16, 2014

My brother had the same issue...they really need to be ridden to extend battery life.

You might want to try a Shorai battery. I think they would probably last longer sitting. Just make sure you purchase their battery charger too.

SteveST1300 · Dec 16, 2014

SupraSabre said:
You might want to try a Shorai battery. I think they would probably last longer sitting. Just make sure you purchase their battery charger too.

Tony I agree with Bob the Shorai charger brings the battery down to 80% when you use their storage mode and maintains that charge level. If you want to ride you can just start it up or if you have the time put it in charge mode and wait umtil its up to 100% but it will start just fine at 80% and the ride should charge it up anyway.

737Captain · Dec 16, 2014

Thanks everyone. Its sitting at 12.8v now, been off the charger for about 2 hours, it was 13-2 then.

jmcarruth · Dec 16, 2014

737Captain said:
Thanks everyone. Its sitting at 12.8v now, been off the charger for about 2 hours, it was 13-2 then.

That 12.8v number is good to indicate a 100% resting charge. Unfortunately, it does not tell you much re: the condition of the battery. Do a load test or have one done. That will tell the tale. Better to find out in your garage than out on the road in the dark in a cold rain.
If there were any doubt in my mind, I would replace it. I have been stranded, twice, with a dead or inadequate battery on my ST. They were both Scorpions AGMs.

737Captain · Dec 16, 2014

Well I feel a bit of a dummy. (Maybe more than a bit) I came to reinstall the battery and found I'd left one of the leads off the battery tender. Ooops

All seems to be well, hope I didn't do anything bad to the battery letting it get so low.

Don B · Dec 16, 2014

Bingo! 8-9 months off the life support system will definitely leave the battery dead.

737Captain · Dec 16, 2014

I'm embarrassed to admit it. What a plonker.

I did ride around this afternoon and I'm noticing between 25-35 mph a fairly severe up/down movement, it feels like I would imagine a flat spot would feel but only at those speeds. Could it be wheel balance?

v8-7 · Dec 16, 2014

If it was a car, I'd suspect a flat spot on the tire ..
Don't know if bikes are heavy enough to induce that though.

CYYJ · Dec 16, 2014

737Captain said:
I came to start it yesterday and nothing, nada.

Tony:

Sounds like you need to add the "APU Farkle" to your ST.

Or bid shorter routes.

Michael

ST1100Y · Dec 17, 2014

CYYJ said:
"APU Farkle"

LOL!

(just picturing an ST taxiing into the driveway/hangar, stop, blocks on, shut-down, trolley with a (Honda!) genny mounted rolling in, etc... :lol: )

CYYJ · Dec 17, 2014

ST1100Y said:
...trolley with a (Honda!) genny mounted rolling in, etc...

Uh, that would be the GPU farkle (Ground Power Unit), rather than the on-board APU farkle (Auxiliary Power Unit).

ST1100Y · Dec 17, 2014

Yeah, but how would you stuff that into the tail-cone?! ;-)

(in the workshop we sometimes joked about using the engine of a Monkey as "start-motor"... ;-))

737Captain · Dec 17, 2014

Michael,

You're right, why didn't I think of it before?

Do you think this would fit somehow?

Dead Battery

737Captain

Heavy Equipment Operator

970mike

Mike Brown

ST1100Y

737Captain

Heavy Equipment Operator

737Captain

Heavy Equipment Operator

v8-7

jmcarruth

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired

SteveST1300

737Captain

Heavy Equipment Operator

jmcarruth

737Captain

Heavy Equipment Operator

Don B

737Captain

Heavy Equipment Operator

v8-7

CYYJ

Michael

ST1100Y

CYYJ

Michael

ST1100Y

737Captain

Heavy Equipment Operator