Replace or recharge battery | GTAMotorcycle.com

Replace or recharge battery

alzaeem

Member
I got my first bike, which is an 09 Yamaha FZ6R earlier this summer. Last weekend the bike didn't start up after I parked it outside overnight (I figure the temperature drop did it). I push started the bike and rode it home, and haven't ridden since. Now I was expecting to have to replace the battery soon, but I thought it would make it to the end of the season.

With that said, I see a lot of people mention battery recharging, and even my owner's manual mentions that as well. So is that a viable option at this point, or is it only meant to maintain the battery and avoid this situation? Otherwise I wouldn't mind replacing the battery, but I need to order it and have it charged somewhere.
 
With lead acid starter batteries (not deep cycle ones), every time it gets too low in voltage (dead battery) it takes damage, and even if you can recharge it, it will never return to full capacity. That said, you could try charging it, if this is the first time it happened, but if it has done it before and you gave it a good long ride last night and it failed to start the next morning, get a new battery.

End of day, it is up to you what to try. Personally I'd hate being stranded, so I'd get a new battery as they aren't that expensive. That said, I would also get a charger/maintainer, and if you aren't going to be riding for a while, plug it in and keep the battery at 100%. If you live in a condo and don't have access to power where you park, then if you aren't going to ride/don't ride for 3-4 weeks, definitely pull the battery and bring it up to your unit to charge.
 
Does the bike start from the battery now that you have ridden it home? If so battery is likely O.K. If not then likely gone. Would imagine if you don't plan on riding it this is something you could wait until the spring to deal with.

If you want it in rideable condition buy a battery and battery tender for winter storage. The battery tender will keep the battery in good working order over the winter months.

Just my opinion maybe others will chime in.
 
Have a look at the battery. There should be a sticker showing the date it was installed or put into service. If it's the original battery you should be replacing it regardless if you want trouble free riding.
 
I would first try trickle charging with a computerized charger, like a Battery Tender or CTek. Charge <= 1 amp. Also check your charging system to ensure at 5k rpm you're putting out 14 volts. The test is easy, quick and only needs a voltmeter. If your battery has individual cells with fluid/acid, check them individually to ensure they are topped up and between the lines. If not, top up with distilled water. If they go below the lines, irreversible damage has already been done.

Just FYI If you buy a new MC battery at this time of the year, ensure that the warranty will extend a calendar year. Yuasa is a good brand name. The cheaper batteries have a 3-6 mo warranty, which will put you in the middle/end of winter before they expire. Some new batteries do come defective, don't ask me how I know. Come spring your bike does not start, the battery is defective but beyond warranty. This sucks.
 
If you have a friend with a good mid-high end battery charger check and see if it has a "reactivation" feature - I thought it was all smoke and mirrors until I bought a charger with the feature (not because of it, I liked everything else, it just happened to have the reactivation feature as well) and tried it one day on one of our Jetskis this past spring. The battery had been problematic late last summer and sure enough when I went to de-winterize them in the spring it was showing signs of impending failure.

With nothing to loose I hooked up my charger and hit the reactivate feature which took a few hours to do it's thing, then I trickle charged it on 2 amps for the night. The battery ended up lasting the rest of the summer with no issues at all.

Reading about it after my success...it seems that chargers with this feature zap the battery with microsecond hits of high voltage which knocks sulphation (one of the biggest reasons for battery failure or weakness) off the plates and restores some life in them. No, they're not going to perform like new, but I was nothing short of amazed at how well it worked..and I've used it on a few other batteries since with equally good results.

At the very least it'll probably get you through the next few weeks and then replace the battery in the spring. I agree with others that it's silly replacing it this time of year and using up months of warranty sitting for the winter.
 
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If you don't enjoy push starting it, then replace. Nothing is worse than if you need to make a left at the lights & your bike cut off in the middle of an intersection
 
Fully charge it bd bring it to crappy tire. I believe they could test the life of your battery not base on the date but with a device


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