Left the bike for 3 weeks, now the battery is dead

[HondaInTheSun]

I’ve been traveling for work for the last 3 weeks, finally made it home pining for a ride on the ST1300...went to it this morning. DEAD.

Had a few jump start attempts on a flat road with my teenager giving it a half hearted effort at pushing me. No luck.

Any advice on my best bet? I have a big trip coming up on the bike starting Tuesday. ‍

 

[dwalby]

how old is the battery? Check the voltage with a meter, its probably low. If the battery is relatively new then put it on a charger for a few hours and see if it recovers. Otherwise, buy a new battery.

 

[Upt' North]

If I was going on a big trip I would definitely be thinking about putting a new battery in there and then in the future connect it up to a conditioner when it's being left.
If the battery was good and electrics in order it shouldn't have gone flat in three weeks, how old is the battery?
Upt'North.

 

[v8-7]

Battery charger, jumper cables to you car, one of those small power pack batteries, I carry one of the small battery packs under my seat when I travel,, especially with a marginal battery.

A healthy battery should be ok after 3 weeks.. check for excessive current drain. Do you have a gps or other accessory draining current ?

 

[migresch]

If it were me and I had a big trip coming up in a few days, I'd get a new battery. I also have a a small jump starter that I carry on the bike if I will be on the bike away from home for a few days (Micro-Start XP-3 Jump Starter by Antigravity Batteries): https://shop.antigravitybatteries.com/products/micro-starts/xp-3/

 

[diferg]

take battery with or without bike to advance auto parts and have them do a load test on the battery. if the voltage recovers quickly, replace the battery (I use Walmart battery, they last 3-4 years). if voltage recovers slowly battery is still ok. check battery connections for corrosion and tightness. the testing is free. to be really sure follow fnmag advice.

 

[SMSW]

When a battery is discharged below a certain point (60% or 40% - I forget which) the plates expand and flake off some sponge lead. Less so in AGM batteries, but I don't think these are immune if you completely discharge it. The flaked SL will reduce the capacity of the battery and might short out that cell. If you are going on a long trip, buy a new un. I usually preemptively buy a new batt at the 5 year mark anyway.

 

[ST Gui]

Load test the battery and check the current drain with the IGN off. It should be somewhere around 2mA or so (from the clock's draw). Anything above that and you should be looking for excessive parasitic drain.

 

[Jethro]

Nothing like a bad battery to Ruin a good alternator just saying