Weak Battery After 2 Years?

Just replace it... and ride on.

 

The bikes we ride today are not what we had 30yrs+ and are far more problematic with electrical issues but at the other end of the spectrum now. It’s summat we have to live with. Buy a
‘premium’ battery

 

Thing is, the battery supplied as new is specced to be just about capable of coping with the loads of the bike and nothing more, for a short time. There’s no reserve capacity as such, obviously for financial reasons.
You’ve also got to think, there’s likely to be other systems energised when you leave the dash and lights powered up, using electrical power, and headlights are a large load. Plus the battery isn’t at its peak of performance being a couple of years old.
Best thing would be to replace the battery with one with a higher capacity and keep it on an Optimate ...........or stop leaving your lights on!

 

Mine failed to start the bike once after just filling up, before the first service. Dealer claimed nothing was wrong with it, but It was not holding a full charge. Got progressively worse.
There was always a nagging doubt it would not start even after a 50 mile trip for a cup of tea - always lethargic on the starter.
Got no help from dealer, and this weekend I bought and fitted a new one. Mine is an S with no alarm BTW...
Immediately noticed a difference.
I replaced with same and hope it lasts.

 

Am I right vn thinking it'll also leave your ignition circuits including coils energised?
As a lad I was told this is a bad idea as it risked burning out components.
Again it could just be a myth.

 

In modern vehicles the coil has an ignition feed (+12v) and is earthed by the ECM. With no input to the ECM from a crankshaft position sensor the ECM will open circuit the path to ground for the coil. No current flowing so no heat generated within the coil.

Alfie

 

There is an issue with "hot starting". If you'd have waited another 10-15 mins after filling up, it probably wudda started. Mine does it. My local filling station is a mile away, and I work 10 miles away, so I fill up ont way to work, rather than ont way home from work, as t'engine isn't hot.

 

On old vehicles with traditional coils then yes it could, but as @alfie has mentioned new vehicles are different

 

I too had replaced my stock Yuasa battery during its second yr, due to no longer holding a charge. I then tried a Ballistic Lithium battery, had nothing but problems. Replaced that, with a Motobatt AGM type.
The Motobatt was replaced after 2.5yrs of usage, free of charge under warranty.The replacement has been working just fine to date.

 

You can check the Amp-Hour rating on the battery to determine how long it should last with a constant current draw. Most ratings are calculated over a 10 hour period at 1/10 amp draw. So a 14 AH battery should produce 1.4 amps for 10 hours, staying above 10.5 volts. Remember, with the ignition on, the bike is drawing current for the headlight and fuel pump, probably the highest draws. If it was hot, you can include the radiator fan. Most battery manufacturers figure their run-of-the-mill bricks will croak in 48 months. The battery recommended for your bike has 10.5 AH. That would mean a rated battery would be discharging about 63 amps for the 10 minutes. Unlikely on any bike. Sounds like the battery is near death.

 

Another factor (maybe) is how long the bike stood in the showroom without being charged before being sold. Prolonged periods of storage at a low voltage will degrade the battery.

 

After doing a small modification to my circuit on my 2013 bonneville I can always start it now even on an old battery. I currently run a Bmw F800gt too that wouldn’t start if left for a week on its own. This caught me out a few weeks ago as the battery was a few years old so simple solution was to swap the two around. The now ‘lazy’ battery starts the bonneville at a touch of the button but not the Bmw.

 

Battery tenders (smart ones that don't boil your battery dry) are the way to go IMO. The battery on my Aprilia Tuono failed when it was just two years old, I replaced it with a Lithium one, which to date (the bike is now 4 years old) hasn't given me any problems and is a hell of a lot lighter than the lead/acid one it replaced. Choas, you mentioned you'd had issues with a Lithium replacement? What went wrong?

 

2/3 years seems pretty standard. i think every new bike i have purchased has needed new battery at around that age. typically just go like for like when replacing, perhaps will take at look at lithium next time.

 

After no more than 2 days of sitting idle.The Lithium battery could not handle the parasitic draw of my alarm system. Had it replaced under warranty.The replacement unit melted, possibly due to my daft Yuasa charger.
Gave up on the idea of using lithium batteries again. Purchased an Optimate 3 and went the Motobatt AGM route.
I have a Yuasa YTX14H-BS on standby if need be.

 

One thing you need to factor in with Lithium batteries is your standard lead/acid charger shouldn't be used

I can see why you went off the Lithium idea, but I was told the same as you . Don't use a 'conventional' charger on a Lithium as it will f**k it up.

 

Some people need to learn the hard way.