Time for a new battery? [ST1300]

[Capital]

I've noticed this behavior a couple times after winter - riding in autumn was fine.

A couple times, when I switch ignition on and push starter button immediately (not waiting for dash to load and fuel pump finish priming), the bike starts and clock/tripometer resets themselves. It happened twice already this spring. Usually I wait for the bike to "boot" itself, but sometimes I simply forget . Overall bike starts fine with all lights/aux/phone charging switched on. The charging current is good in the range of 14.1V (idling) to 14.3-14.4 on revs.

What also happened during winter, after sitting for about 6-7 weeks, the battery gets drained (lowest was 8.5V). I charged it back with CTEK charger (it has battery testing built-in), and all was fine. It rides good, if it sits only for a week or so, then it starts no problem. I have the version with HISS (I guess it has some passive draining).

Are these symptoms of a battery going dead? I have no history on the battery age, as I purchased the bike last autumn.
And if yes - any experience with YTZ14S Yuasa vs. Varta? Yuasa is 2 times more expensive, is it also 2 times better?

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[pmatulew]

If you think it's marginal you can take it down to your local autozone or battery shop and they will load test it. From personal experience it's an awkward situation when you stop for gas 3 hours from home and it won't restart. Better to change it preemptively from the convenience of home base.

 

[Upt' North]

If you're asking, you know the answer. Get it changed. Although of course it may not be the battery, but for £70.00 it's a good cheap fix if it works.
I'm a Yuasa kind of guy. They've never left me stranded.
But of course, it's your choice.
Upt'North.

 

[970mike]

Sounds like your battery is at the end of its life. I would replace it. You can test it with a multi-meter after charging the battery. When starting the bike if it drop below 10 volts your battery is toast.

 

[SMSW]

I recently read a little about battery chemistry. All (yes, all) lead acid batteries deposit lead sulfate on the plates as they discharge. Recharging the battery gets rid of the lead sulfate, unless you let it sit in the discharged state. Then the lead sulfate forms crystals which are more permanent, block the flow of electrons and reduce your battery's capacity by making some of the area of the plates unusable for storing and converting chemical energy into electrical energy. That's my crude understanding of what goes on inside batteries. I also read that failure to charge a battery to 100% after a partial discharge can knock off 10% of your battery's capacity - permanently, and this affects its overall life. Do a google search for 'Practical Sailor, batteries' and read their test of deep cycle batteries. DC batteries are not very much different than what we use in cars and bikes so what they say is applicable to our situation.

 

[Al st1100]

electronics are voltage sensitive. I have seen strange things happen to vehicles that owners let a bad battery go for as long as possible.

 

[Al st1100]

I've noticed this behavior a couple times after winter - riding in autumn was fine.

A couple times, when I switch ignition on and push starter button immediately (not waiting for dash to load and fuel pump finish priming), the bike starts and clock/tripometer resets themselves. It happened twice already this spring. Usually I wait for the bike to "boot" itself, but sometimes I simply forget . Overall bike starts fine with all lights/aux/phone charging switched on. The charging current is good in the range of 14.1V (idling) to 14.3-14.4 on revs.

What also happened during winter, after sitting for about 6-7 weeks, the battery gets drained (lowest was 8.5V). I charged it back with CTEK charger (it has battery testing built-in), and all was fine. It rides good, if it sits only for a week or so, then it starts no problem. I have the version with HISS (I guess it has some passive draining).

Are these symptoms of a battery going dead? I have no history on the battery age, as I purchased the bike last autumn.
And if yes - any experience with YTZ14S Yuasa vs. Varta? Yuasa is 2 times more expensive, is it also 2 times better?

Thanks in advance for your input.

IMO no

 

[Andrew Shadow]

the bike starts and clock/tripometer resets themselves.

This is the classic ST1300 first warning sign that the battery is at the end of its life. If there is no constant drain, and the charging system is functioning properly, your battery is on its way out.

Yuasa is 2 times more expensive, is it also 2 times better?

Probably not but, I personally pay for the higher priced Yuasa because I have never had a problem with any Yuasa battery. I put them in and use them for six years or more without issue, so that is worth it to me.
If you do buy another brand of battery, make sure that you are getting at least 230 CCA. There are several that have lower CCA. 230 is about the minimum that you need to crank over an ST1300.
There are also several with a CCA significantly higher, which is beneficial.

 

[ST-Traveler]

any experience with YTZ14S Yuasa vs. Varta? Yuasa is 2 times more expensive, is it also 2 times better?

That's a great question.
I believe the YTZ14S is the OEM? Yes- I would stick with the OEM as they last around 5-7 years for me. Yours may be that old -I don't know.
Maybe you already do this but a good option to consider is battery tender hook up and start the bike every 2 weeks minimum {winter, spring,summer} ( weekly if you can) and let it run to 3 bars on the temp gauge, check what your voltmeter is reading ( if you have one on the bike) after starting and checking all these things -mark it on the calendar and repeat religiously, Your ST will thank you.

Check all the electronics such as turn signals - brake lights- high-beam- 4 way flashers , and hopefully no FI codes etc.. This will indicate any problems - such as hungry mice etc.. These bikes don't like to sit un-started for long periods-- DAMHIK. If you do this consistently you should have a good spring start up, or at least not be surprised.

Slightly off topic here:
This may sound funny- but I actually purchased a baby monitor and put it beside the ST during the winter. Once I actually heard mice chewing on something.
When I went out to check the bike I couldn't find the little rascals, but I knew they were there chewing on something. Finally I found them in the tail section of the bike having lunch on my ECU plastic cover- Thankfully, no permanent damage was done...But it did alert me to start putting the cat in the garage over night and set some mouse traps and I did catch the varmints.

 

[SMSW]

And if yes - any experience with YTZ14S Yuasa vs. Varta? Yuasa is 2 times more expensive, is it also 2 times better?

A lot of us are price sensitive, and I'll throw my $.02 into this discussion. There are a lot of reasons why one widget costs more than another and it seems as if many of us forget the why's for items that look alike, act alike but have widely differing prices. Some manufacturers have higher material costs, because of sourcing or requiring the materials to meet more rigid specifications. Let's not forget politics, too. Then there is your labor cost, and that includes supervisory cost. Apple's products are made in China but they insist, no demand, that quality control meets APPLE's standards, not the host country's. (We should be happy Apple does not make lead acid batteries.) Cheaper products reflect lower labor and material costs and perhaps, relaxed quality control standards. Of course that $40 battery will start your bike as well as a $140 Yuasa, but compare the service history of 1000 of them in an impartial test. Don't forget that products like light bulbs and batteries have no predictable life span and the only meaningful measure is an average life of many individual examples. You cannot compare Joe's 10 year old Varta to Jim's two year old Yuasa that just failed.

I'm leading up to my point that there is really no answer to your question. For some of us retired folks, the cheaper item might not present any issues and it's life might be long enough, but for someone using his bike to commute to work who needs reliable transportation, the more expensive battery might be cheaper in the end. Only you can answer this question...or as we say, YMMV.

 

[Brett]

This is the battery I just put in my 1300. It was less money and higher cranking amps than the Yuasa here in Ontario Canada. https://antigravitybatteries.com/products/starter-batteries/restart-oem/atz10-rs/

 

[Larry Fine]

I recommend an AGM battery,.