After 13 years of service, Red Battery retires

[red one]

My original OEM battery lasted 8 years. 2nd lasted 10. I'm on #3 now which I bought last spring.

 

[st1300doug]

Going on it's 5th. year. A BIG $45 from Amazon. Ill stay w/this way before paying over $130 for a Yuasa or a lithium.

 

[red one]

Going on it's 5th. year. A BIG $45 from Amazon. Ill stay w/this way before paying over $130 for a Yuasa or a lithium.

I paid $75.00 at my Honda dealer for my Yuasa. Since I buy my parts from him he gives me a 15% discount.

 

[bdalameda]

Just a friendly word of caution...do not use dielectric grease on your battery terminals. Dielectric grease is non conductive and when you put it on your terminal the heat generated as the current passes thru the battery cable ends will soften the dielectric grease and it will run down between the battery cables ends and the battery posts. All will be good until you get home and things cool down overnight and the grease gets thick again. Once it gets thick it will stop the flow of current from the battery to the battery cables. Then when you get ready to ride again your bike will not start or will crank really slow. You would immediately think new battery is defective but it fact it will be the dielectric grease the is insulating the current so it cannot flow from the battery to the battery cables.

I experienced this first hand and it took me a while to figure out what happened. It doesn't happen over night, in my case it was about two months after I replaced the battery. Things were fine one day and the next day the bike wouldn't even crank! I couldn't figure out how things went south so quickly, so I did the usual troubleshooting check list checked starter relay and starter fuses the battery etc the whole list and found nothing,

I never in a million years suspected the dielectric grease but that is what it was...Cleaned all of the dielectric grease off the battery posts and the battery cable ends and everything was back to normal. I never would have believed it if it hadn't happened to me!

By the way...you don't need to protect battery cables with the modern AGM batteries like your Odyssey or your lithium battery that is your replacement because they are sealed and do not vent the internal gasses, which is where your corroded cables ends came from. Just trying to save you a headache and a hassle from someone who has been there done that but didn't get a t-shirt, just a very miserable hands on education. thanks

It's Okay to use dielectric grease but don't put it between the connector and battery terminal. It is quite okay to cover the battery terminals in grease after connecting the cables. This seals the metal connections and prevents oxidation from exposure to air.

 

[Al st1100]

I disagree. Corrosion on battery terminals results from accumulated dirt on top of the battery surface, which allows leakage of voltage across that surface between the posts.

seals do leak. I have seen many a "sealed battery" leaking around the post

 

[Bush]

Top off the rear brake fluid while im here.

Even through the very yellowed brake fluid container, it looks more like it needs changing than topping up. It appears quite dark inside that container.

 

[dwalby]

Even through the very yellowed brake fluid container, it looks more like it needs changing than topping up. It appears quite dark inside that container.

yeah, wouldn't hurt to change it, and regarding topping it off I would leave the level where it is. Unless you have a leak somewhere, you don't "use" brake fluid, it gets lower as the pads wear. Then when you put new pads in you retract the caliper pistons to accept the new, thicker pads, and the level goes back up to the top again (assuming it was there when the pads were last changed). If you top it off now, then when you change the pads and retract the pistons, you'll potentially overflow the reservoir and have to take some excess brake fluid out.

 

[ST Gui]

It's Okay to use dielectric grease but don't put it between the connector and battery terminal. It is quite okay to cover the battery terminals in grease after connecting the cables. This seals the metal connections and prevents oxidation from exposure to air.

'...but don't put it between the connector and battery terminals'. Words to live by. I've never seen anybody apply grease or petroleum jelly to battery terminals before connecting battery cables. Only after. What commonly used greases are conductive enough that they'd pass enough current to start a bike where dielectric grease would not if applied in an identical manner.

With decent connections (clean/squared/tight) I find it difficult to believe grease- any grease (short of some very specific use highly conductive grease) by way of gravity and even capillary action could result in a failure to start drill. Engine heat alone is probably higher in temp than the battery terminals unless there is a bad mechanical connection which means a poor electrical connection. Maybe thermal paste?

Out of laziness I've never applied any kind of protective agent to battery terminals but I'm not recommending that practice either. I would routinely remove and square away the terminals and cables. And whenever adding an electrical farkle I'd wiggle the cable end back and forth a little before tightening the screw(s) for a light burnishing. Bottom line: I think the contraindications for dielectric grease over any other grease in electro-mechanical situations are rare. (No I wouldn't put it one the back of brake pads. Same with white lithium grease or Vaseline. )

 

[SMSW]

Just a friendly word of caution...do not use dielectric grease on your battery terminals. Dielectric grease is non conductive and when you put it on your terminal the heat generated as the current passes thru the battery cable ends will soften the dielectric grease and it will run down between the battery cables ends and the battery posts. All will be good until you get home and things cool down overnight and the grease gets thick again. Once it gets thick it will stop the flow of current from the battery to the battery cables. Then when you get ready to ride again your bike will not start or will crank really slow. You would immediately think new battery is defective but it fact it will be the dielectric grease the is insulating the current so it cannot flow from the battery to the battery cables.

I experienced this first hand and it took me a while to figure out what happened. It doesn't happen over night, in my case it was about two months after I replaced the battery. Things were fine one day and the next day the bike wouldn't even crank! I couldn't figure out how things went south so quickly, so I did the usual troubleshooting check list checked starter relay and starter fuses the battery etc the whole list and found nothing,

I never in a million years suspected the dielectric grease but that is what it was...Cleaned all of the dielectric grease off the battery posts and the battery cable ends and everything was back to normal. I never would have believed it if it hadn't happened to me!

By the way...you don't need to protect battery cables with the modern AGM batteries like your Odyssey or your lithium battery that is your replacement because they are sealed and do not vent the internal gasses, which is where your corroded cables ends came from. Just trying to save you a headache and a hassle from someone who has been there done that but didn't get a t-shirt, just a very miserable hands on education. thanks

At last, another breath of fresh air! There seems to be a misconception about dielectric grease. It is an insulator and works as a sealant around a connection and permits electricity to flow only when scraped off the mating surfaces of the connector - usually by mechanical action as we push the halves together. It is not, however, a good lubricant for switches.
I disagree with you on AGM batteries not venting. These are often referred to as VRLA - valve regulated lead acid. There is an over pressure valve that vents if internal pressure (due to high current charging) builds up. This will prevent case rupture. As Bush said, dirt and moisture on the top of the battery will promote corrosion. Its probably best to use those spray cans of paint on battery terminals. Me? During my annual down time in the winter, while the fairing is off, I wipe off the top of the battery.

 

[ST Gui]

It's Okay to use dielectric grease but don't put it between the connector and battery terminal. It is quite okay to cover the battery terminals in grease after connecting the cables. This seals the metal connections and prevents oxidation from exposure to air.

'...but don't put it between the connector and battery terminals'. Words to live by. I've never seen anybody apply grease or petroleum jelly to battery terminals before connecting battery cables. Only after. What commonly used greases are conductive enough that they'd pass enough current to start a bike where dielectric grease would not if applied in an identical manner.

With decent connections (clean/squared/tight) I find it difficult to believe grease- any grease (short of some very specific use highly conductive grease) by way of gravity and even capillary action could result in a failure to start drill. Engine heat alone is probably higher in temp than the battery terminals unless there is a bad mechanical connection which means a poor electrical connection. Maybe thermal paste?

Out of laziness I've never applied any kind of protective agent to battery terminals but I'm not recommending that practice either. I would routinely remove and square away the terminals and cables. And whenever adding an electrical farkle I'd wiggle the cable end back and forth a little before tightening the screw(s).

 

[fnmag]

'...Out of laziness I've never applied any kind of protective agent to battery terminals but I'm not recommending that practice either. I would routinely remove and square away the terminals and cables. And whenever adding an electrical farkle I'd wiggle the cable end back and forth a little before tightening the screw(s) for a light burnishing. Bottom line: I think the contraindications for dielectric grease over any other grease in electro-mechanical situations are rare. (No I wouldn't put it one the back of brake pads. Same with white lithium grease or Vaseline. )

Yeah, but what kind of moly would you use?

 

[wjbertrand]

I just bought the same exact battery for my Super Tenere. Turns out it uses the same case size as the ST1300, except the OEM is a YTZ12s instead of the ST13's YTZ14s. It's a popular mod to install the 14s in the Tenere but it only provides 230CCA vs. 210CCA for the OEM battery. Yamaha has fitted a barely adequate battery in this bike and stories of hard starting are common. The only way to get a significant boost in CCAs that fits in there is to go with a LiFePO4 battery.

 

[ST Gui]

There's also that Huntington Beach Honda kit used in the 1300Ps to install a larger battery, so maybe a bigger LiFePO4 in it.

 

[st1300doug]

I paid $75.00 at my Honda dealer for my Yuasa. Since I buy my parts from him he gives me a 15% discount.

I'd buy a OEM Yuasa for $75 in a heartbeat. I did buy one here....from this Forum....from a Member that was selling them years ago out of I believe- Portable Generators that they were hardwiring. No such price here. Even on Amazon....none less than $120. Naw.......$45 is fiine w/me.

 

[Larry Fine]

I'd buy a OEM Yuasa for $75 in a heartbeat.

I got my AGM from Walmart for around that price.

 

[fnmag]

I'd buy a OEM Yuasa for $75 in a heartbeat. I did buy one here....from this Forum....from a Member that was selling them years ago out of I believe- Portable Generators that they were hardwiring. No such price here. Even on Amazon....none less than $120. Naw.......$45 is fiine w/me.

I also bought one of those Yuasa batteries and it was the best deal ever.
Price was great and they work/last like an actual OEM battery.

 

[AV8R]

There's also that Huntington Beach Honda kit used in the 1300Ps to install a larger battery, so maybe a bigger LiFePO4 in it.

My bike is both a HBPD bike and it was outfitted by HBHonda.
So are you saying the battery bay on my bike is modded to a bigger sized battery? (Like ole Red that was removed just now by me?)

Ive noticed how much faster and crisper the bike starts now.

 

[Brant]

At last, another breath of fresh air! There seems to be a misconception about dielectric grease. It is an insulator and works as a sealant around a connection and permits electricity to flow only when scraped off the mating surfaces of the connector - usually by mechanical action as we push the halves together. It is not, however, a good lubricant for switches.
I disagree with you on AGM batteries not venting. These are often referred to as VRLA - valve regulated lead acid. There is an over pressure valve that vents if internal pressure (due to high current charging) builds up. This will prevent case rupture. As Bush said, dirt and moisture on the top of the battery will promote corrosion. Its probably best to use those spray cans of paint on battery terminals. Me? During my annual down time in the winter, while the fairing is off, I wipe off the top of the battery.

May be thought of as a 'safe' idea using spray paint after attachment of cables, but unfortunately, have seen several negative results from this method. The paint will liquidfy a bit from heat and run in between the connections causing loss of contact. Have seen this happen a number of times over the decades.

 

[drrod]

I'd buy a OEM Yuasa for $75 in a heartbeat. I did buy one here....from this Forum....from a Member that was selling them years ago out of I believe- Portable Generators that they were hardwiring. No such price here. Even on Amazon....none less than $120. Naw.......$45 is fiine w/me.

Well I guess my experience was different. I find the "OEM" batteries that are being sold OTC do not last as long. I too bought one of these batteries. 3 years (always on a tender) was all I got out of it.

 

[ST Gui]

So are you saying the battery bay on my bike is modded to a bigger sized

That's not what I'm saying but it may be the case given you've got a PC545 battery installed. Here's everything I know about the 'HBH' battery mod. From this article the mod was only done on ABS-quipped ST1300Ps. Would those be ST1300PA bikes? I don't know. Unfortunately whoowasat's excellent pics of his work didn't make it through the site update.