I'm not so sure it's the battery ...

hoowasat

hoowasat

Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
991
Location
Newport News, VA
Bike
2006 ST1300A
I have an '06 in which I replaced the original battery with a new Yuasa about 18 months ago. During a 3-day ride last weekend, I went to start the bike, and the battery seemed like it was weak ... slow cranking, and my tripometer & MPG readings zeroed out, too. The bike did start, and has been starting OK since then ... well, that is until this afternoon.

After about an 8 mile commute from work in 85-degree humidity, I stopped for about 40 minutes to get a haircut. The bike started fine when leaving there (I would say I was leaving the barber shop, but it was a beauty salon ... the same gal has been cutting my hair since 1986 & she now cuts my wife's too), and I rode another 3 miles in stop-n-go traffic to my favorite Ace Hardware store. I was in there for 5 minutes tops. When I came out, I got the WHIR-whir-clik-clik-clik-clik ...

Everything is flat here along the right coast of VA, so there's no place to attempt a downhill push-start. Besides, it's hot and humid today. I'm only a couple miles from home, so I walk there to get my SUV. I get back to Ace ... hook up the jumper cables ... starts right up ... reinstall the right-side panel, sidecase & seats (yes, I have extra bike keys) ... lock up the loose stuff inside my SUV ... ride the bike home. Mrs. Hoowasat took me back to Ace later to pick up my SUV.

Back home again, and try the starter ... several times. Starts right up each time ... cranking faster than any other time today. So I'm wondering if I have a loose connection (I know I have a screw loose in my noggin) ... and other than checking the cable st the starter motor, I'm wondering if others have found another common location where I might find something not up to par. The battery connections are already confirmed as secure.

I'll dig into getting at the starter this weekend. The service manual says I need to remove the rear sub-frame (seat rail) and lower fuel tank to gain access. If all I want to do is check the cable connection, I hope that can be accomplished without disassembling half of the bike.

So, have any of y'all found a common loose connection somewhere? And do any of you know if snugging the starter motor electrical cable connection can be done without major disassembly?

Thanks in advance! <Ken>
 
I would check all the fasteners in the system. Starting with battery cables, take apart, clean them and gel them with dielectric grease and work on through the main fuse wiring. With the humidity in your area, I was constantly having battery problems with my bikes and cars. Once I discovered dilectric grease the problems went a bit farther away. Have the battery checked when you disconnect also.
 
The path to the starter motor is pretty short: battery, main fuse, relay, motor.

Don't rule a flaky battery out, either. Stranger things have happened.

--Mark
 
Agreed, get the battery load tested, it could have a bad cell. The connections at the battery may be tight, but make sure they are corrosion free. Dielectic grease is a good thing to have on hand.
 
If it is not your battery, it sounds like a high power consuming device is on without you knowing it. Fork lights, maybe? What accessories have you added, and which of those do not go through the ignition switch?

Marshal
 
Marshal_Mercer said:
If it is not your battery, it sounds like a high power consuming device is on without you knowing it. Fork lights, maybe? What accessories have you added, and which of those do not go through the ignition switch?
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That is one area of which I am certain because everything I've added is routed through a keyed connection. Nothing runs without the key in the "run" position ... everything except the cigarette-lighter style plug in the right glovebox, and it is activated only when the key is in the "run" or "accessory" position. Furthermore, I've wired in a bank of toggle switches I use to keep the headlights, fog lights, and driving lights from burning until after the engine has started. All headlights are off while the fuel injection system pressurizes.

I bought some di-electric grease this afternoon, and will be servicing my bike over the weekend. Thanks!
 
OK ... I've pretty much gotten the signals from the battery which are telling me, "Hey, dummy! I can't hold a charge long anymore!" I'll give it credit in that it gave me a couple warnings before crapping out entirely. 18 months on a Yuasa is kind of disappointing.

I called Cameron Hunter at Huntington Beach Honda today ( 714-842-5531 ) and ordered their custom mounting bracket so I can install an Odyssey PC545 battery. I'll post some a couple pix of the installation because the battery is suppoed to mount vertically.
 
Yeah, it is disappointing that batteries don't last long in ST's. Used to be that way in the older Wings, but they went to the no maintenance ones in the 1800's and when I can keep one together long enough, they last over 4 years. Glad you found your problem.
 
hoowasat said:
OK ... I've pretty much gotten the signals from the battery which are telling me, "Hey, dummy! I can't hold a charge long anymore!" I'll give it credit in that it gave me a couple warnings before crapping out entirely. 18 months on a Yuasa is kind of disappointing.

I called Cameron Hunter at Huntington Beach Honda today ( 714-842-5531 ) and ordered their custom mounting bracket so I can install an Odyssey PC545 battery. I'll post some a couple pix of the installation because the battery is suppoed to mount vertically.
Click to expand...


Thanks. I'd be interested in seeing that!
 
Hope it's not the battery, I have an '03 with the original battery (starting to go now), got a lot of life from it and I used to ride all year long in Tennessee (or at least down in the 20s *F)
 
You're darn lucky to still have the original in your '03. This is the second battery for my '06. I can understand the original '06 battery giving up because the bike sat on the dealer's floor awhile, and the original buyer only put about 2,400 miles on it over a 17-month period (only 141 miles/month ... and I've averaged 700 miles/month). Ordered an Odyssey PC545 today ... $142 with sales tax.
 
I believe the Odyssey battery uses the same technology as the OEM Yuasa--they are both factory sealed AGM-type batteries. So, whether they work better/longer could depend on materials and workmanship differences. I'm pretty sure Odysseys cost more than Yuasas, so if they are actually better made, they should also have a better warranty... Do they?

(The Odyssey may also have better performance specs, but that could be at the expense of additional weight...) :shrug2:

Ciao,
 
Motorcycle battries are not as good as car batts.
Up north they lasted about a season or maybe two if you were lucky( no trickle chage)
My first battery lasted just over a year and the second one is going a year and a half and still ticking
 
+1 on that first preparation charge for the new battery. But, I would undo all the battery connections, clean them, grease, etc. and especially all the connections to the starter relay. Put the battery on a nice slow charge 1.2 amp max, and leave it for a day.
 
UNTMatt said:
From the video I've seen on the Yuasa AGM battery, the acid comes seperate from the cell. You fill it first, then seal it permanently, followed by charging. At that point it is a sealed AGM battery.
Click to expand...
The Yuasa I bought 18 months ago arrived already full and charged. I did nothing but install it and start riding.
 
UNTMatt said:
From the video I've seen on the Yuasa AGM battery, the acid comes seperate from the cell. You fill it first, then seal it permanently, followed by charging. At that point it is a sealed AGM battery.

Battery Setup Video

If that's inaccurate, let me know (video posted on Honda Directline).
Click to expand...
This is the reason that Honda Directline no longer sells batteries to the general public: transporting acids and strong bases through common carriers is now a no-no; or so they told me three months ago. What one now has to do is find a retailer, who then orders and prepares the battery (as you have described), then sells the ready-to-go battery to the customer. I have no idea how well the battery is charged, nor how long it sits on the shelf prior to the customer taking possession.

Marshal
 
Marshal_Mercer said:
...transporting acids and strong bases through common carriers is now a no-no; or so they told me three months ago.
Click to expand...

That's nonsense. FedEx and UPS still ship Class 8 materials (corrosives) as long as they're properly packaged and marked. USPS should, too, as long as the battery casing is dry and the acid meets their limits on concentration.

--Mark
 
Blrfl said:
That's nonsense. FedEx and UPS still ship Class 8 materials (corrosives) as long as they're properly packaged and marked. USPS should, too, as long as the battery casing is dry and the acid meets their limits on concentration.

--Mark
Click to expand...
That may be nonsense, but it was told to me the way that I recounted. You might want to give Honda Directline a call to confirm or deny this. I did not buy a battery from HDline because they no longer offered one for sale. Oddly, one appears on their website. When selected, an error message appears.

Marshal
 
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