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Battery died after 3 years.

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tlippy

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Had a bad battery day. Bike started in AM -rode 50 miles - stopped to visit Sahalie Falls - bike wouldn't start. Had to get a tow truck for a charge of $485. I did leave my key on overnight a month ago and the battery was dead the next AM. That's what fried my battery (By Sierra BMW in Sparks over the phone). Sierra also told me that this scoot is not like a car, in that it takes an hour of riding for the battery to get even with the starting effort. Much of my riding is 20 to 30 mile runs to the store. Sierra told me that the battery will never stay charged under those circumstances. I think (me the novice) allowing the battery to totally discharge is what killed it. I've been doing the short runs for 2 years and never any problem. I do intend to - every day - attach the battery tender. The really big thing is that now my windshield won't move. Anyone know if it's fused and I might have blown it?
 
tlippy said:
Had a bad battery day. Bike started in AM -rode 50 miles - stopped to visit Sahalie Falls - bike wouldn't start. Had to get a tow truck for a charge of $485. I did leave my key on overnight a month ago and the battery was dead the next AM. That's what fried my battery (By Sierra BMW in Sparks over the phone). Sierra also told me that this scoot is not like a car, in that it takes an hour of riding for the battery to get even with the starting effort. Much of my riding is 20 to 30 mile runs to the store. Sierra told me that the battery will never stay charged under those circumstances. I think (me the novice) allowing the battery to totally discharge is what killed it. I've been doing the short runs for 2 years and never any problem. I do intend to - every day - attach the battery tender. The really big thing is that now my windshield won't move. Anyone know if it's fused and I might have blown it?
Click to expand...


I use a tender (Battery Tender Jr., to be specific) if I don't ride for a few days because there's some parasitic draw that kills mine after a few days of non-use. That said, three years on a battery seems about right. You could always take some voltage measurements for a few days to confirm/rebuke the dealers comments; 20-30 miles should be more than enough to get it back to full voltage.
 
I don't buy the dealer's claim either. The only time I've had my bike on a tender is during the winter when I might not ride for a coupleweeks or so. The cold in my garage saps the battery's charge somewhat. I do a lot of short errand type rides during most of the year but haven't had a battery problem to date. The battery is the original 2013 OEM. It is true that it takes about 3000-3500rpm for the alternator to develop high enough voltage to begin charging the battery. That's pretty much the same for most motorcycles as well.
 
When does it rev below 4000
My battery is the original from October 2012 when I got the scooter.

exavid said:
The only time I've had my bike on a tender is during the winter when I might not ride for a coupleweeks or so.The battery is the original 2013 OEM. It is true that it takes about 3000-3500rpm for the alternator to develop high enough voltage to begin charging the battery.
Click to expand...
 
Got it figured !!!!

I got the battery figured out.
Full charge with BMW charger after 24 hours: 13.65V
Charge V after 2hr run: 13.80
After 24 hrs sitting, no charger: 13.05V
After 50 mile run -4 stops: 13.42V
After 24 hrs sitting, no charger: 13.13V
Real info: Battery charges at a pretty constant 14.6 while bike is running






0921161500_HDRresized.webp0921161500a_HDRresized.webp
 
tlippy said:
I got the battery figured out.
Full charge with BMW charger after 24 hours: 13.65V
Charge V after 2hr run: 13.80
After 24 hrs sitting, no charger: 13.05V
After 50 mile run -4 stops: 13.42V
After 24 hrs sitting, no charger: 13.13V
Real info: Battery charges at a pretty constant 14.6 while bike is running






View attachment 1744View attachment 1745
Click to expand...
Love the voltmeter!

Sent from my X9079 using Tapatalk
 
Killing an "old" lead-acid battery is usually a Kiss of Death - they usually don't come back. What "old" actually means depends on battery quality or sometimes just dumb luck. I've seen crappy batteries that won't die.

From the comments it seems like 3 years is about the time stuff starts happening "more often" with our batteries. Since we are stuck with a tow when the battery goes south its a special concern.

When I started seeing more comments about these problems a year or so ago I got the Tender Jr., routed the bike connector cable so it comes out where my GPS is, and then made it easy to connect my Tender when I park at home. My OCD has me plugging it in whenever its in the garage "whether it needs it or not." I watch the pretty Tender lights and it only takes a few minutes to cycle through to "maintenance mode."

My 2013 battery seems to start with no hesitation but I'm always "listening" for it. My working theory is when I start to hear the starter "complaining" I'll order a new battery.
 
Keep the battery on a "Tender" year round whenever you aren't riding, and your battery will last for a lot longer.
Three years isn't really that bad.My last Honda, I got ten years on the battery by keeping it on the tender.
Also, make sure your battery terminals are staying clean.
 
It would be unlikely that one deep discharge would kill a battery, age is a factor as would repeated deep discharges. I would not consider 20-30 mile rides a problem unless the battery was already damaged or discharged. Sulfation occurs when the batteries lead plates become too coated function properly and this can occur for several reasons - deep cycling the battery too many times, battery sitting too long without a charge, low electrolyte levels and improper charging methods are some reasons. Relying on the alternator to properly recharge a deeply discharged battery can cause problems, that is why there are Smart chargers that charge a battery intelligently and the proper way. A battery is like a bank, you can only take so much out before you need to put more in and your overdraft protection only goes so far before you can't use it anymore. I don't see the need to use a battery tender unless you are not going to be riding for over a week or if you know you have some sort of parasitic draw on the battery.

Here is a pretty good link with some good basic battery information:

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/battery-basics.html

As for the windscreen, I know there was some discussion on here about re calibrating the windscreen after power loss, I know there is something on a screen with the Wi-Fi GS-911 tool that may allow for this or it may require a visit to the dealer. Search teh forum for more info on this.

tlippy said:
Had a bad battery day. Bike started in AM -rode 50 miles - stopped to visit Sahalie Falls - bike wouldn't start. Had to get a tow truck for a charge of $485. I did leave my key on overnight a month ago and the battery was dead the next AM. That's what fried my battery (By Sierra BMW in Sparks over the phone). Sierra also told me that this scoot is not like a car, in that it takes an hour of riding for the battery to get even with the starting effort. Much of my riding is 20 to 30 mile runs to the store. Sierra told me that the battery will never stay charged under those circumstances. I think (me the novice) allowing the battery to totally discharge is what killed it. I've been doing the short runs for 2 years and never any problem. I do intend to - every day - attach the battery tender. The really big thing is that now my windshield won't move. Anyone know if it's fused and I might have blown it?
Click to expand...
 
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