No water in Battery | GTAMotorcycle.com

No water in Battery

jcarboni

jcarboni

Well-known member
I have a new 2010 GS500F and the dealership forgot to put water in the battery when they gave it to me .

I have put 800KM on it and the battery died is there anything else that might be affected ?

I'm new to riding 1st bike .

I let the dealership know and they said they might cover it but they don't cover batteries and would get back to me on Tuesday (NOT HAPPY)

I even had the bike in a 600km for a back fire problem and they told me all was good
 
jcarboni said:
I have a new 2010 GS500F and the dealership forgot to put water in the battery when they gave it to me .

I have put 800KM on it and the battery died is there anything else that might be affected ?

I'm new to riding 1st bike .

I let the dealership know and they said they might cover it but they don't cover batteries and would get back to me on Tuesday (NOT HAPPY)

I even had the bike in a 600km for a back fire problem and they told me all was good
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You say the dealer did not put water in the battery before they gave it to you. I am going to assume the battery is completely dry then. The battery when it arrives in the crate will be half full, it will either be empty, or full.
If there is no water in the battery from day one you would not have made it this far. How long have you had the bike? Were you using a battery tender or charger when not riding the bike? Not saying you should have, just asking if you did. There are only about two reasons for a battery to not have any water in it. Either it was never in there, or the battery was overcharged for a long time. I guess it could also have a hole in it, but it would have to have a hole in all 6 cells at the bottom for that to happen. Sorry to say, but you are responsible to maintain the bike from day one. You should be checking the bike before you ride it. And checking stuff like battery fluid levels at least after every couple of rides. Motocycle charging systems are about the worst working charging systems in existance. Checking battery water should be done before every ride.
What you should have done was fill the battery, then take it in to the dealer because the battery would not hold a charge. Fine time to tell you, but, now you know how to do it next time.
 
The bike is brand new I have had the bike since the end of April .

I did not do anything to it .They told me the battery would be fine for the 1st 1000km and to bring it back in to get the service .

I'm new to riding and I trusted the dealership

I have also called 2 other dealers and they said the battery should have never died and that they would replace it .
 
jcarboni said:
I have a new 2010 GS500F and the dealership forgot to put water in the battery when they gave it to me .

I have put 800KM on it and the battery died is there anything else that might be affected ?

I'm new to riding 1st bike .

I let the dealership know and they said they might cover it but they don't cover batteries and would get back to me on Tuesday (NOT HAPPY)

I even had the bike in a 600km for a back fire problem and they told me all was good
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If there is only water and not acid in the battery you have a bigger problem
 
Wouldn't a new bike come with an OEM battery which are usually sealed and maintenance free?
 
Wouldn't a new bike come with an OEM battery which are usually sealed and maintenance free?
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Yes. Most are Yuasa MF which are like car batteries - there are no 6 little screws and no drain hose, they're sealed.
They come with their electrolyte packaged (in plastic) beside them.
You fill them, then seal them up.
If they forgot to fill it, I think you could tell right away. No power!
And no 800km.
 
Unless they've changed in the last few years, the gs500 comes with a non-sealed battery, which comes without its own acid, and must be filled from a bulk container of acid by the dealer. It comes in a clearish plastic "cube", much like a 5 gallon collapsible water jug, and is obtained from auto parts suppliers. What is supposed to happen is that the battery is filled, then left to settle for at least a couple of hours so that the acid can work its way through the battery, and then refilled to top it up. In a rush to get a bike ready, or if the person doing it doesn't know any better, the refill may not happen, resulting in a battery being installed in the bike which ends up being only half full. This is probably what happened. Ideally, for maximum service life the battery should also be trickle charged for about 12 hours before being used.
 
No question, they should replace the battery with one that has been prepared properly. Their mistake, they are responsible to correct it.
 
djltoronto said:
That seems overly excessive to me...
I check mine about twice a year.
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Had the OP checked it at least once, he would have seen that.

Maybe I am different, but when I buy something like a car or bike, I read the manual in the garage with the bike right there. I compare what the manual says to what is actually on the bike. Have done this from the very first vehicle I ever owned (and that one actually ended up owning me). But too late for the OP now.

Not saying the dealership is right or wrong in this case, but, if the dealership takes the stand that the OP should have checked the level of the battery, I would be asking the dealership to replace the complete charging system, or replace the battery with the hole in it. There is no way a normal battery, running in a completely properly operating charging system, will ever lose that much water unless there is a hole in it. The only way it can do that (other than the bike being upside down, with the caps off the battery) it is it is overcharging and boiling the water out. Ask the dealer to make a diagnosis of where the water went since it must have been full when you picked the bike up in the first place.
 
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There is no water involved, nor a hole. Water is not put into to a new battery, it is filled with acid from the start. It sounds like the dealership did not properly fill and service the battery from the start. Although there is the possibility of a defective regulator/rectifier overcharging the battery, there should be signs of the acid boiling off.
 
PeterTrocewicz said:
There is no water involved, nor a hole. Water is not put into to a new battery, it is filled with acid from the start. It sounds like the dealership did not properly fill and service the battery from the start. Although there is the possibility of a defective regulator/rectifier overcharging the battery, there should be signs of the acid boiling off.
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This looks like the best answer so far. What about the bike itself have you had the bike fall over since you have had it? Your battery is a wet battery with a vent. If the bike spends any time on its side the acid will leak out. When the bike arrived at the dealership from the factory it would have been empty. You cant ship this style of battery with any acid in it. To start the bike they would have filled the battery with acid and charged it. The bike would have never started if this was never done. Now if the battery level is low now you can fill it with distilled water and try charging it but I would wait till you show the battery to the dealer. If you ask them to test your bikes charging system expect them to charge you an hour labor if there is nothing wrong with the bike. If there is something mechanicaly wrong warranty should cover it. If you want a second opinion after talking to them I will test and charge the battery for free just give me a call

Cheers Glen
 
Hey Glen

The bike has never been tip over .

I bought the bike last winter and they put it together for me in April .

I will get in touch with you if the dealer gives me a hard time .

Thanks
 
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