How long did your ST1300 Battery last?

[LandRover]

The original lasted past the one-year-warranty (barely), but the replacement is still going strong.

I believe that the original was not charged correctly by the dealer, leaving it in a semi-charged state. Even at close to 12K per year, that wasn't enough to carry it through.

I charged the replacement myself, and it's still going strong three years and 60K-plus miles later. I'm in Florida, and ride daily, 30 miles one-way to work, five days per week. I also ride on the weekends, and while on holiday. I do not use a Tender.

Cheers!
Bill

 

[1999purple]

Hi, My 03 still has the original battery 30,000 miles. I have used a battery tender from day one. Bike goes on tender as soon as I get into garage.

 

[Bones]

Since I first posted on this thread I replaced my stock 03 battery. It died while I was at a dealership getting a state inspection. The tech turned the power on for maybe a minute to check the headlights, brake lights, and turn signals. I was standing right there. When I tried to turn it over, it struggled a couple times and then quit. The tech jumped it with one of those hand-held juicers. I rode home and ordered a new battery.

 

[Kempo-STer]

Almost 3.5 years and 65,000 miles.
replaced about a month ago...A couple of iffy starts where it was 'trying' too hard (one on the Dragon this summer) and I did not want to take anymore chances....

 

[steve3b3]

Mine is the one that came with the bike in July of '04.
I've not put it on a tender or anything, and store the bike over the winter in an unheated shed.
To tell the truth, I thought I was going to need a new battery after the end of last year's riding. When I put it away in December, it didn't crank well on the colder days, but it's been working fine this year so far.
I'm planning on pulling the battery at the end of this year and ordering a new one for next year's riding.

Steve

 

[Texas]

I just bought an 06 that was purchased new in Jan of 08. The battery had died on me twice. Is that normal?

Mel

My 06 Stock Battery didn't even make it a year. I replaced it with a $29.95 eBay special, and now, over a year later, it is still going strong.

Texas

 

[turbocity tom]

I guess that I have not been lucky with the battery. My 04 is on it's 3rd one from Honda.

I ride daily and have 65K on it now.

The original started cranking slow when it was about 2 years old when the temp got below 40 deg in the morning. Replaced with a new unit from Honda.

It lasted until May of this year. When I had my crash this year , the battery went dead. I thought the tow company had left the key on and killed it, but it ended up being broken internally. Replaced with another unit for Honda.

Starts every day.

Thanks Tom

 

[ST13Fred]

Just remember when a motorcycle battery goes, it goes all at once. It's not like your car where you get some warning. So you could be in the middle of nowhere USA and shut the bike down for some reason and if it chooses that moment to fail it will not even click!

So for those of us that do a lot of touring a new battery is simply good insurance. I replace them every three years regardless of how it is starting.

My 04, with 42K has the OEM battery. Its' been sitting more than normal in the last 9 months (since buying a CRF230L as my commuter/beater bike). It does not hold full charge as well and will labor on start up; sometimes needing a 8+ hour Battery Tender boost to start. I suspect I'm getting close to due for a new battery. Batteries that suddenly short circuit 2 cells die immediately, but mine appears to be dieing a slow death.

The Sv Honda price was 117.04, but now has climbed to 133.00 for the OEM unit. I've found an aftermarket unit for 54.00. It looks like they all arrive charged, ready for install. In that case, one would not buy until their unit has failed, or are the units sitting in warehouses already serviced, ready to go? In that case, I would go ahead and buy?, putting it in at a later date. Another question! I also wonder if the Yuasa OEM is twice as good as aftermarket (2x the price). Thoughts???

 

[dsprague]

I have an 06 and that battery is going as of 11/09

 

[Imrubicon]

Fist one stopped all of a sudden about 15 months in the life of bike . I ride it less and the second on is going on 2 years and strong .
I agree if mine was threee years old I would have to get a new one if going on a long trip . Thwey just stop now and give little or no warning . really beats staying in a hotel for three days waiting for a new one .
JMHO

 

[TPadden]

...... really beats staying in a hotel for three days waiting for a new one .
JMHO

Never, ever been stranded for a battery in 40 years; they invented jumper cables long ago :bow1:. Just make sure the other vehicle isn't running .

 

[Phartz]

I have an 06 and that battery is going as of 11/09

Me too! Comin' up on 40k miles - no tender.

​

 

[SupraSabre]

I decided to replace mine ('05) after 4yrs and 70K miles. The old one was still starting the bike just fine, but I was having issues with it stumbuling when it was cold, so I decided to replace it, then I also replaced my sparkplugs after 35K. Seems to be happier! :biker:

 

[Barnyard]

Bought the bike new in October of 2006 and it's a 2005. Still have the original in it and still working good except when I can't ride it for a few weeks then it gets kinda slow till I go out and recharge it again. No tender on it. but have thought about it.

 

[YR]

It is not the mileage or the years of usage but a combination of many operational conditions. In fact, highway mileage is the best battery tender. Cracking conditions, temperature, humidity, number of times of critical discharges, age, and the quality of the charging system are probably the most important factors (but I am sure that many will tempt to extend this partial list).

At high temperatures the battery will give higher CCA (which is good) but will also self-discharge faster. At lower temperatures the battery will give lower CCA but will also self-discharge slower (which is good for winter storage). Cracking close to the battery limits strains the battery more and likely to shorten its life. Cranking the same engine at lower temperatures also requires more power due to the higher viscosity of the cold oil (one of the few cases where old oil is better).

While each battery has its own characteristics, here are some numbers dug out from Exide's specs sheets. It can be approximated that the available battery power at 32F is about 65% of its available power at 80F. Likewise, the available battery power at 0F is about 40% of its available power at 80F. At the same time, the power required to crank an engine at 32F is about 150% of the power required at 80F. The power required to crank an engine at 0F is more than 200% of the power required at 80F. This means that testing the battery and the charging system in a heated garage is no grantee for future (winter) performance.

When you get to the limits, the difference between being stranded and riding home at the end of the day is whether the engine picked up in first try, which turns to be priceless at that stage.

 

[TPadden]

When you get to the limits, the difference between being stranded and riding home at the end of the day is whether the engine picked up in first try, which turns to be priceless at that stage.

:bsflag::bsflag::bsflag:

What, you didn't read my previous post ?

A charging system problem, which a new battery won't help for long, is the only thing that should leave you stranded. Priceless is as priceless does ....

 

[Tor]

Since August 2005. Battery still going strong. On battery tender every night and day, winter and summer, except when riding on long trips.

 

[YR]

When you get to the limits, the difference between being stranded and riding home at the end of the day is whether the engine picked up in first try, which turns to be priceless at that stage.

:bsflag::bsflag::bsflag:

What, you didn't read my previous post ?

A charging system problem, which a new battery won't help for long, is the only thing that should leave you stranded. Priceless is as priceless does ....

The quoted sentence should not be taken out of the context of my entire message. A significant part of it was about increasing the safety margins with the decreasing temperature.

Here is one scenario: You have tested a used battery at 60F in your heated garage, which turns out to be fine (enough safety margins according to specs). You ride to work and park your motorcycle at 25F for the rest of the day. Can you tell if your tested battery will perform as needed at the end of that day? (The available battery power dropped down with the temperature, and the power needed to crank the engine went up due to elevated viscosity). Now let's say that, despite the decreased temperature, it had just enough juice for a short crank but you lifted your finger from the switch a millisecond too early (or whatever other excuse you have for engine to not pick up during this first try). Can it drain the remaining energy below the critical threshold? Could a new battery perform better? How is a charging system related to a naturally aging battery? While an aging battery may perform adequately at higher temperatures, I would be more careful when taking it down to lower temperatures--this is a significant part of my message.

(Another part was about the sense in comparing how long batteries with different histories have lasted.)

Let me emphasize: Even when temperature is not a part of the equation, the ability of the battery to store electrical energy will always deteriorate to some level, which allows one cranking cycle but not more.

Nice flags but if you blame the charging system for all your engine cranking problems, do not replace your aging battery. My best wishes.

 

[TPadden]

Nice flags but if you blame the charging system for all your engine cranking problems, do not replace your aging battery. My best wishes.

I understood your point better than you did mine . If you can't start your bike with an aging battery and jumpers you deserve to be stranded .

 

[YR]

I understood your point better than you did mine . If you can't start your bike with an aging battery and jumpers you deserve to be stranded .

Sometimes it takes me some extra effort to understand, but I get there more often than not.

Now that I better understand, let me be more specific with the last sentence: My best wishes with your jumper cables