What did you do to your bike today?
- Thread starter edd1e
- Start date
Indeed, and if there's a problem with that frequency of use then there would certainly be something wrong. But mine have always happily sat there over winter, just with the engine being turned over a couple of times, and there's never been an issue.
My Aprilia's used to keep the alarm on permanently and never ran down, but I think my current BMW turns the alarm off after a week of inactivity. I just don't see why a bike would run down the battery so quickly as is being experienced by some riders.
Well Karma must be dictating all the bad luck you haven't had with your batteries has been transferred to me!
I rode for over 20 years without a single battery failure. Like you, I used some of my bikes daily, abused others at weekends and let yet others stand around idle for months, or in bits. If one was dead, I'd just hook her up and 12 hours later we'd be off.
Over the last few years pretty much every one of my bikes has had battery issues.... Bikes used every day, bike sat still for a few weeks. Every one!
Over the last year I've been using Motobatt batteries. More expensive, but they get rave reviews, and they are definitely an improvement, but even they've given me hassle- recently my VFR was off the road so I kept the battery topped up off the bike with an optimate. Re-fitted it, bike failed the MOT for a fork seal. Left the bike for 10 days until I could sort it..... dead battery! Completely, utterly unrecoverably, unchargeably lifeless!
And the VFR has a new reg/rec, newly wound stator etc etc. Either I live in the Battery Bermuda Triangle, or marketing forces are at work to make sure we buy more batteries
Also just a note- my Optimate has never recovered a single battery. I've done a lot of reading into lead acid batteries, and desulphating is a complex topic, and there's a lot of snake oil out there. A welder directly connected to the terminals is a pretty effective way to desulphate though
I rode for over 20 years without a single battery failure. Like you, I used some of my bikes daily, abused others at weekends and let yet others stand around idle for months, or in bits. If one was dead, I'd just hook her up and 12 hours later we'd be off.
Over the last few years pretty much every one of my bikes has had battery issues.... Bikes used every day, bike sat still for a few weeks. Every one!
Over the last year I've been using Motobatt batteries. More expensive, but they get rave reviews, and they are definitely an improvement, but even they've given me hassle- recently my VFR was off the road so I kept the battery topped up off the bike with an optimate. Re-fitted it, bike failed the MOT for a fork seal. Left the bike for 10 days until I could sort it..... dead battery! Completely, utterly unrecoverably, unchargeably lifeless!
And the VFR has a new reg/rec, newly wound stator etc etc. Either I live in the Battery Bermuda Triangle, or marketing forces are at work to make sure we buy more batteries
Also just a note- my Optimate has never recovered a single battery. I've done a lot of reading into lead acid batteries, and desulphating is a complex topic, and there's a lot of snake oil out there. A welder directly connected to the terminals is a pretty effective way to desulphate though
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went for a longish ride today,and my bikes still missing/stumbling at idle/low loads
seems to bog down sometimes when pulling away aswell,fine when its cold and high revs/speed
I think its either valve check time or carb balance time or both,i hope its nothing more serious
seems to bog down sometimes when pulling away aswell,fine when its cold and high revs/speedI think its either valve check time or carb balance time or both,i hope its nothing more serious
went for a longish ride today,and my bikes still missing/stumbling at idle/low loads
I think its either valve check time or carb balance time or both,i hope its nothing more serious
If it helps I think mine is doing a similar thing at about 2K. Pretty sure I need to balance my carbs by the way idle jumps around about 0.5k revs. I suspect the end can was changed and the carbs were not touched.
went for a longish ride today,and my bikes still missing/stumbling at idle/low loads
I think its either valve check time or carb balance time or both,i hope its nothing more serious
Check you spark plugs first before balancing carbs. They may need a clean....
tbh there are so many things that I can check as I havnt been through half the bike since having it
What mileage is the bike on? Maybe reg/rec failure?
Only had the bike a week lol, I've messaged the guy I bought it from but haven't had any response, he's probably thinking **** him lol
it would only be the rec if you've been on a ride and it conked out,the bike wont be putting any charge back into the battery,if you charged up the battery the night before it shouldn't be flat unless the battery is kaput or you have an earth on the bike that's draining it overnight
when the rectifier has failed it just lets you go so far off the battery's power till its flat then your left stranded
when the rectifier has failed it just lets you go so far off the battery's power till its flat then your left stranded
Have you had to replace yours since owning the bike?
No, but since running it flat by leaving my TomTom on it doesn't hold it's charge properly so I really should replace it.
The garage mechanic says he's not surprised.
Changed the clutch cable and what a ball ache! Sheered 3 fairing bolts and had to take off the rear fairing, seat, petrol tank and lower right fairing. feeding the thing past the air box was a PITA as well. Done now at least....