2005 Triumph Speed Triple 1050. Factory fitted datatool. Mottobat battery is only 8 months old. Recently if I leave it unused for over 2 days it feels like a 50/50 chance it'll have enough juice to start up. Without a day use you can hear it struggling, but it gets there. I'm now packing my trickle charger on journeys to charge it at the other end which fires up straight on the button by the time I'm leaving. I don't leave it on charge overnight because I don't have a garage and I'm concerned about leaving this oxford trickle charger out in frosty, foggy and sub-zero weather unattended. I've ran a few voltage tests on the battery, all comes back fine. I'm assuming it's weather related? I've also tried wrapping up all exposed connectors up in electrical tape incase the frost gathering on my seat/bike melts in the early morning and drips through to the electrics. I'm seriously stomped, as I've had bikes over winter periods before that didn't have this sort of problem.. the triple used to last a week and a half without use in the past with enough charge to fire up. Any suggestions?
Hi roadie, Boil the kettle ! Pour the hot water over the battery ! It will stir up the cells/acid and it should start up much easier. Cheers capt.
I'm having this with my tiger, I even bought a solar charger but that can't cope. Seems it's a cold, alarm kinda thing @capt I've never thought of that one, kettles are for tea here, love the outside of the box thinking!
Good thought Capt. Only trouble being is that you don't always have a kettle or electricity to hand. It's the main headlamp being on that pisses me off when my Bonnie won't start. I still plan to fit a headlamp switch and fit a little push button to override the starter armature as posted previously.
Hi crispey, That outside the box stuff is the norm here in OZ. I saw a show about 3 yrs ago "Bush Mechanics". It was about how the NT Aborigines get about and keep their cars going ! In one episode they started a car with a dead battery ! They put it in the fire !!! Well the Coals in their early morning breakfast fire ! Let it sit in the coals stirring them about so it didn't catch fire , put it in the car and it cranked up slowly but it started !!! Boiling the kettle would be white mans equivalent ?? Cheers capt.
I put a small push/pull switch in my headlight nacelle, using the earth wire as the switching wire. Cheers capt.
It's warming up here too crispey ! Just had three days in a row where it topped 42c had an overnight low of 26c last night, now it's 21:17 hrs and its still 34c, have the reverse cycle air-conditioning going flat out, had thunder storm and just under 1/2 inch of rain about 18:00 hrs, still humid 75% now, so no problems starting it's just the will power to keep going that got up and went - days ago - last gasp here ###. Cheers capt.
Crisp, think you're right about that.. glad you mentioned about the solar charger, had one in my checkout on eBay for a couple of days toying with the idea. Capt, would of never of thought about pouring hot water on a battery... it doesn't sound like it should work but might be on the last resort plan!
Heat releases energy, which stirs up the battery acid (lead acid batteries work best in the 20 degree Celsius range) and the battery works again !.!.!.!..
No one said anything about heat over here, it's just not as cold! It's going to be a while before my battery is at its best working temp then.
The oxford one says it maintains a healthy battery, guess that means it doesn't help a flattish battery! The optimate one might be better..well, it is more expensive!
A lot of people used to use little paraffin heaters in their garages and sheds. I don't know how you would go on with your insurance nowadays.
