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Battery issues

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Lost and Found

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Hey all, quick question about the yuasa battery in the 81 suzuki GS i bought last month. When I brought it home there was enough juice to turn on the instrument panel and lights and to get a little crank before it died. I topped it up, put it on a charger overnight (now reads "full") but wont even turn on panel lights (let alone crank). Does this mean the battery is totally pooched?:mad:
 
T.P.
 
THE BASICS
First things first. A 12-volt battery is not a 12-volt battery. Twelve volts is just a nominal, convenient term used to distinguish one battery from another. A fully-charged 12-volt battery, allowed to "rest" for a few hours (or days) with no load being drawn from it (or charge going to it), will balance out its charge and measure about 12.6 volts between terminals.

When a battery reads only 12 volts under the above conditions, it's almost fully depleted. Actually, if a battery's resting voltage is only 12.0 to 12.1 it means only 20 to 25% of its useful energy remains. It's either a goner or it has been deep cycled, and a battery can only be deep-cycled a limited number of times before it is indeed dead.

12-volt batteries supply useful energy only through a limited range -- from over 14 volts (when fully charged and unrested) down to 10.5 volts in use/under load (when lights dim, your motorcycle is hard to start). No 12-volt battery will remain at over 14 volts for more than seconds unless it's being charged. The lowest limit is 10.5 volts (used in testing) and obviously unsatisfactory in practical use.

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DemonPig said:
Check it with a voltmeter. 12.7 is good, if it only holds around 12.3-12.0 it's toast. 1981 bike also means potential electrical issues. I hope this is not your first bike and that your are mechanically inclined.
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This is my first bike but I am mechanically inclined...think I'm in trouble??
 
Lost and Found said:
Hey all, quick question about the yuasa battery in the 81 suzuki GS i bought last month. When I brought it home there was enough juice to turn on the instrument panel and lights and to get a little crank before it died. I topped it up, put it on a charger overnight (now reads "full") but wont even turn on panel lights (let alone crank). Does this mean the battery is totally pooched?:mad:
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Make sure choke is on too before you try to start it. GS are known to have issues to starting sometimes. Especially in the winter or cold weather :(
 
I can't find much info online about how much CCAs I should be looking for in a new battery, any ideas? Is 190 sufficient?
 
Lost and Found said:
I can't find much info online about how much CCAs I should be looking for in a new battery, any ideas? Is 190 sufficient?
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I got this one for my GS750 and my FZ picked it up from Glen at Flying Squirrel

it has 210CCA, so far no issues

http://www.yuasabatteries.com/vehicle_search.php?action=showListing

Battery Family: High Performance, Maintenance Free
Battery Type: YTX14AHL-BS
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See Battery Cross Reference Chart below.
YTX14AHL-BS.jpg
Voltage: 12
Capacity: 12
Dimensions: 5.3125" x 3.5" x 6.5625"
Weight: 7.7 lbs.
Metric Dimensions: 134mm x 89mm x 166mm
Metric Weight: 3.5 kg
Polarity:
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Acid Volume: 0.66
Amps: 1.2
C.C.A.: 210

 
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Lost and Found said:
Hey all, quick question about the yuasa battery in the 81 suzuki GS i bought last month. When I brought it home there was enough juice to turn on the instrument panel and lights and to get a little crank before it died. I topped it up, put it on a charger overnight (now reads "full") but wont even turn on panel lights (let alone crank). Does this mean the battery is totally pooched?:mad:
Click to expand...

I would be checking the terminal wires. If it lit up the panel and lights before you removed it (assuming) to charge my guess would be the connections to the battery if you get nothing after reinstalling it.
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