Battery failed...hoping to hear from Scorpion...

[nhdiesel]

The battery I purchased in March already failed the test half way through the summer, unfortunately my ST was my only transportation, so I couldn't afford the down time while I sent the battery back. Fast forward to last week. My bike had been sitting about a week since the last time it was run- which was for about 45 minutes when I let it warm up and moved it around the yard. I tried cranking it- very slow, turned over about 3 times and stopped. Boosted it, let it warm up and run idling for about 45 minutes, then rode to town and back- about 20 miles round trip. I put the battery tender on it then and left it charging the rest of the day. Went back out around 10:30 and the bike was no better than in the morning- just a half-hearted crank and that was it. I pulled the battery, brought it in the house and tested it- 12.9 volts. Hmmmm. Put the Battery Tender on it and within a minute it went to full green light- "Charged". I left it on for 3 days anyway.

I just put the battery in the ST to test it again. Turned key on for about 20 seconds, then off. Tested battery with key off: 12.8 volts. Turned key on- 11 volts. Voltage while cranking- 9.8 volts. Keep in mind this was right after 3 days on the Tender. It did at least take a charge- the bike cranked and started. I plan to ride the bike a couple times this week, I'll see how it performs then.

I did e-mail Scorpion a couple days ago with the symptoms and asking their procedure to test the battery before sending it back- I want to follow their approved procedure- but didn't hear back Thursday or Friday. Hopefully this week.

 

[the Ferret]

Wow, I don't know anything about Scorpion batteries but that sucks. Personally I only use Yuasas but I get a minimum of 5 years and sometimes up to 7 years out of them. They are on a tender jr whenever they are parked. I just pull in and plug them in. ( all 5 bikes). The prices for Yuasas have gone out of sight though. Ridiculously high.

 

[nhdiesel]

If I can keep the bike I hope to get the money to take advantage of the current offering of the OEM Yuasas and get an actual original equipment battery. I would have jumped on that this past spring! I haven't heard anything bad about Scorpion until this issue, so I don't think its a widespread problem. I'm just hoping they cover it. I'm even tempted not to even bother...if the battery is over 30 days old, I have to pay for the shipping of the replacement battery. Honestly, I'd rather put the money toward one of the Yuasa's.

I'll decide when I hear from Scorpion.

 

[Uncle Phil]

I ride all three of my ST1100s regularly and so far I've got Yuasas dying about every 2 years. Right now one died, one is dying, and one is still working. Just bought a MotoBatt (AGM) to see how they work. My Yuasas used to last 5-7 years but I guess Yuasa got the ST1100 and Boeing 787 mixed up ... ;-)

 

[nhdiesel]

I ride all three of my ST1100s regularly and so far I've got Yuasas dying about every 2 years. Right now one died, one is dying, and one is still working. Just bought a MotoBatt (AGM) to see how they work. My Yuasas used to last 5-7 years but I guess Yuasa got the ST1100 and Boeing 787 mixed up ... ;-)

UP- that would be due to what I (and some others) suspect is a difference between the true OEM Yuasa and the "replacement" Yuasa. My original was still starting the bike just fine- 6 years old- when I played it safe by putting in a new Scorpion. The 6 year old one started it better than the brand new one I put in! I, too, saw lots of people only getting 2-3 years out of the replacements.

 

[Blrfl]

My OEM lasted from the day the bike was delivered (June, 2004) to last year, when it started showing signs of weakness. During that time, it was run down far enough to need a jump exactly once and could be left for a week or two without needing to be put on the tender. It cranked strongly until a few months before I decided it was time for a new one (early 2012). Can't complain about eight years.

I replaced it with an off-the-shelf YTZ-14S and have been less than impressed. With most of its life on the tender and no change in electrical farkles since, it can't go for a week without being recharged and doesn't crank nearly as strongly as the OEM did. So it's looking like this might be a two-seasons-and-out battery.

With the battery from Honda parts being only slightly more expensive than the Yuasa replacement, I think I'm going to try one of those and see if I get the same kind of service I got from the original. The markings on my OEM were different than those on the Yuasa, so I suspect Honda might be buying better units than Yuasa sells at retail.

If not, maybe I could swipe one from that 787 that's parked on the ramp at Dulles.

--Mark

 

[klaproth]

When I bought my '06 in April of 2011, the PO pulled a fast one on me...had the battery fully charged for the test ride...by the time I got it home,(on a trailer) it would not crank at all. I still got a great deal on it, so just ordered a fresh Scorpion for it. I got the battery in a few days, and installed it. I admit, with being a bit busy, I don't use a Tender (or clone) on it too often, and I don't ride as much as I'd like, but it still cranks the bike over nicely, even though I am less than careful about leaving the power on whilst farkling. Sometimes, due to work, etc., (or falling in love again with one of my other bikes!) I don't ride it for 2-3 weeks at a time, but never a problem. It may be inconsistent quality that's the problem!

 

[nhdiesel]

I am less than careful about leaving the power on whilst farkling.

I was a bit slow writing down the odometer reading during last year's Moonsshine SS1K while gassing up in Kansas, and was rewarded with a no-start. Did you know Kansas doesn't have hills? I would say maybe just over a minute with the key on, and no start. The battery was less than a month old then, was 600 miles into the ride, with another 3000+ miles ridden the 5 days before that. Definitely should have been charged. I'm kicking myself that I didn't put the original back in as soon as I suspected the replacement was defective and send it back right then.

 

[Uncle Phil]

I have the option (with the police switches installed) to have the headlight off. I seldom ever start one of the ST1100s with the headlight turned on so I would think that would put less strain on the battery. I have to believe indeed that the 'replacement' ones are less quality than the original ones - maybe planned obsolesce! I have friend that has used the MotoBatt AGMs for a while with great success. They also have 'dual' terminals for hooking extra stuff on them.

 

[nhdiesel]

I have the option (with the police switches installed) to have the headlight off. I seldom ever start one of the ST1100s with the headlight turned on so I would think that would put less straing on the battery.

If I can keep the ST, one of the mods I have planned is a parallel headlight wiring harness that will only use one headlight plug to trigger separate relays and wiring to power the headlights right from my aux. fuse block. I could easily install an override switch in the ground circuit- power them off whether on high or low beam any time I want. I could conceivably wire it up so that the lights are only triggered when the engine is running...that would buy a lot of time being able to have the key on and engine off.

Lots of possibilities.

 

[Uncle Phil]

That's what I like about the police switch on the ST1100s - not to mention the 'extra' weatherproof, Honda quality switches you get in the deal. I can turn off all lights, or turn off the headlight and leave the parking lights on. It does make it handy when working on the bike or at a stop for a while.

 

[hoowasat]

I seldom ever start one of the ST1100s with the headlight turned on so I would think that would put less strain on the battery.

+1, except I wired in a toggle switch to disable the lo-beam relay, then switch lights on after starting. FWIW, I now have had my Odyssey PC545 battery for 39 months, and the Battery Bug says it has "46% life remaining" ... time will tell.

 

[Ron]

I replace my 1100 batteries as needed. Usually from the first place that has one in stock (auto parts store, Walmart, Batteries Plus, etc.). Mine usually last 5-7 years. I ride the ST at least 25 miles at least 4 times a week. Usually more. 2 years ago it failed with no warning when I stopped for gas on the way to the BRG. Towed to a Honda dealer about 5 miles away. They checked the charging system and the battery. 3 price level batteries were available.

 

[nhdiesel]

I'm really losing any warm, fuzzy feeling I had left for Scorpion. Although I had lost faith in the battery, I still gave it the benefit of the doubt...there is always the chance of getting a defective item, I gauge a company by how they handle it. Well I e-mailed Scorpion directly through their site, as their customer service instructions suggest, last week. Still no response. I was very nice in my message, but did say my bike is used on a regular basis and can't have much down time- which is why I didn't contact them back in March when I first knew the battery was bad. No response yet. I'll give a few more days, then call them. If I don't get anywhere, I guess I'll end up having to scrape up the money to get one of the Yuasa's from our new vendor.

 

[ST Gui]

maybe I could swipe one from that 787 that's parked on the ramp at Dulles.

And get a feature most batteries don't have - the Early Smoke Warning.

What are the "replacement" Yuasas? Is this referring to an off the shelf Yuasa as opposed to one that ships with the bike?

I don't know if I want to tackle putting police-ST controls on the bike, but it could simply some farkle wiring. And the ability to turn on just position and tail lights is very tempting.

 

[ST Gui]

. . . it failed with no warning when I stopped for gas . . . Towed to a Honda dealer about 5 miles away.

This is why I prefer to replace a battery before I need to.

 

[nhdiesel]

What are the "replacement" Yuasas? Is this referring to an off the shelf Yuasa as opposed to one that ships with the bike?

Replacement Yuasas, such as those purchased aftermarket or from a dealer, seem to have a much shorter lifespan than the actual OEM battery the factory put in. Evidence pointing toward this theory is that the replacement Yuasa batteries don't even look identical to the original. It is not uncommon for the factories to get different quality parts than what is available through the dealer, so that is most likely what happened here. I know I wasn't about to pay nearly $200 including shipping for a battery that only averages 2-3 years. I would have paid that for an actual OEM though, with mine having lasted 6+ years, and many other reports of similar lifespans.

This is why I prefer to replace a battery before I need to.

That was my thinking when I bought the Scorpion. My original never gave me trouble, even at 6 years old, unless I left the key on excessively, but I wanted to "play it safe" before the longest trip I ever took- 9 days and 6000 miles. Well I had to push start the bike more than once on that trip, and lots of times since. I wish I still had that OEM.

 

[st1300r]

That one is completely different in it's marking iirc the replacement here is branded ytz.
This is interesting LOL...

• Manufacturer: YUASA
• Battery type number: TTZ14S-BS
• Battery type: Sealed maintenance-free battery
• Filling kit included: Yes
• Dimensions: 150mm x 87mm x 110mm
• Capacity rating: 11.2Ah
• Cold-start performance: n/a
• Maximum charging rate: 1.5 Amp
• Weight (filled): 3.9kg
• Terminal layout: Left: + Right: - (With the terminals on the edge nearest to you)

 

[Uncle Phil]

This is why I prefer to replace a battery before I need to.

I've had two Yuasas fail with no warning at all in different ST1100s. One started fine, rode to breakfast, came back out to the bike and it was deader than a hammer. It appeared to have shorted out the plates when I put the ST1100 on the center stand. The second one I started the bike with no problem, let it warm up, then cut it off when I had to go back in the house to get something. Came out and hit the starter and it would not even put out a grunt. Voltage was around 10 volts. Both of these batteries were in bikes that get ridden regularly (I commute on a daily basis on them besides a 'few' little rides here and there) and the batteries were 2 years old or less. I would have been glad to replace them before I needed to if I knew they were going to fail... ;-)

 

[ST Gui]

Replacement Yuasas, such as those purchased aftermarket or from a dealer, seem to have a much shorter lifespan than the actual OEM battery the factory put in. Evidence pointing toward this theory is that the replacement Yuasa batteries don't even look identical to the original.

That sucks.

It is not uncommon for the factories to get different quality parts than what is available through the dealer, so that is most likely what happened here.

I wonder if that's a matter of the factory wanting a higher standard so as not to reflect poorly on the vehicle, and the retail side getting a lesser product for more frequent repeat customers.

•Cold-start performance: n/a

Talk about a red flag. That would certainly give me pause.

I've had two Yuasas fail with no warning at all in different ST1100s.

I've never had that happen on any of my bikes but it did happen once to my car battery. Still, at any sign of weakness I watch battery performance and have it load tested. Maybe I misinterpreted Ron, but it seemed like he was saying "I run it 'till it dies on me, they I look for a replacement".