My 2016 black edition didn’t want to start yesterday despite it having been on the optimiser since it was last out a week ago. The dash all lit up correctly and it did catch eventually but the starter turn over seamed sluggish. It fired up fine both times later on in the day after having brews out and about. It started fine first thing this morning but after a steady tootle across town it didn’t want to restart after 20 minutes but again did catch fand then when I stopped for petrol a bit later I really thought it wasn’t going to fire up. It’s put to bed now for the winter (plugged in the optimiser) but I suspect it’ll need a new battery in the spring. Don’t think its the alternator as yesterday after a more vigorous leg stretch down the motorway it fired up fine on both occasions as I said, and don’t think its the optimiser as it fired okay this morning (possibly yesterday morning the connector lead hadn’t been pushed in far enough the last time I put it away). I’ve checked the optimiser lead connections on to the battery and all was tight.
If you have a multimeter test the battery voltage , should be about 12.65v , I had one once on charge and it had good voltage but no staying power . Turned out it had no electrolyte left in it .evaporated over time with constant trickle charge .now I have a timer that charges for an hour a day , had no problem since, life span of batterys can vary
Thanks for the info - I’ll have a measure with my multimeter. Have heard from somewhere else that constant trickle isn’t good for them but I thought the optimisers were supposed to switch the charge off and on over time
I have a Ctek charger and they say you can leave them on all the time but I'm not convinced , I swap it from bike to bike on the plug timer and have had no trouble . Just my luck to have a flat battery come spring
I’ll do some checking over the winter @Selmer50mark but suspect I’ll need a n ew battery for spring - any suggestions?
I've always used Yuasa batterys but there are a lot of lite wieght batts out there now . I'm sure there are some member's on here who can recommend some brands
Lithium batteries seem the crank a bit harder. Might just be placebo... Weight difference is worth the price. Think I paid £60 for a shido.
What you’ve described does sound like the battery is on its way out. I just disconnect the battery if it’s not being used for prolonged periods. BTW I’ve had 2 Motobat batteries leak in the past so would probably steer clear of them.
Hi Boothy. Not suggesting you're made of money, but try to go this option. It really is the best. Maybe the dealer you purchased the bike from (which I recall was recently) might offer you some concession because of the battery failing so soon after purchase? Certainly not a warranty item, but if they value 'customer service' they might come to the party. And remember, the Lithium charger (I use and recommend: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/mo...Js0Uo9pyDdZGmak5_nz6BrIxosQ0NGRxoCAzEQAvD_BwE ) will always be an asset.
Hi @nigelrb Will be calling the dealer, but expect that even if they offer a discount for what they sell these at will be more expensive than sportbikeshop. And the link you gave to the charger is the one I have on my wish list with them. Do they do Black Friday sales
In my experience they dont discharge like conventional batteries, you wont believe how much lighter they are
I expected the OEM battery to last a good 2 maybe 3 years. In my experience, volts don't mean much in terms of battery capacity. But on mine, anything below 12.4 will make the engine slow to start. I recommentd fulbat as a lead battery; same spec as OEM but around £25 Don't start me on LiFe batteries
the one on mine is FTZ7S rated at 130A which is higher than yuasa. currently £23 at BBL. They are also fresher as they are made in belgium and spend less time in transit & storage https://fulbat.com/moto-scooter/
Thanks for that certainly a lot cheaper than the Yuasa, though it looks like they both show 130 CCA in the specs
consumer rights say,it has to be fit for purpose, If a bat has only lasted 2 years I would not class that as fit for purpose, challenge the dealer with consumer rights
I hear what your saying but as with any manufacturer the battery isn’t covered as soon as you drive a brand new one out of the showroom, so as second owner on a bike that’s just over two years old I havent a chance. I called the dealer and in their defence they offered a sizeable discount on a replacement as a good will gesture but its a 3 hour round trip and I can get one a lot cheaper delivered for free off the amazon (be that a Fulbat or a Yuasa).
I had an issue with my car, the manufacturer told me it was out of warranty as it was over 3 years old, I told them about consumer rights and the fault started before the 3 years. in the end they sorted and paid,but you have to fight, If you can get a bat cheap it might not be worth the hassle, mine was a big issue
with car batteries, you get anything between 2 to 5 years guaranty for faults due to manufacturing. on bikes I believe it is 6 months to a maximum of 1 year for lead acid depending on the brand
