ABS faults in cold weather?

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

I am running with a BMW gel battery that I installed in July 2003. Recently I have been getting repeated, predictable ABS faults. Here's the scenario: My ride to work takes 25 minutes and I'll run between 3-4000 RPM. Then the bike sits outside all day and when I go to start it up I'll get the ABS alternate flash. After a few tries I'll get ABS back or I might have to do a rolling start in 2nd to get it right. Lately there has been an inversion keeping the cold air down on the ground...upper 30s most days.

 

When I get home I usually put it on a trickle charger. I just put a meter on it and got 12.77 volts. I don't know what it is after work...maybe I'll pack my meter for tomorrow.

 

Is it time to switch to an Odyssey?

[squints]

I had that happen and the dealer said it was most likely due to the battery voltage dropping in the cold weather. since then I always start the bike and let it idle and warm up for a few minutes and haven't had any more trouble.

[eakins]

yes switch. best battery in the world.

http://search.ebay.com//search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=PC-680

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

A fellow sent this email to me rather than reply here and I'm posting it because I wonder if it merits discussion?

Steve, it is the gel battery that is giving you the problems. They simply are not as strong in their ability to hold/maintain/ or deliver power.

 

This is not my opinion, but observation of years of watching,

mostly for past 4 years. My friends who switch to the sealed bateries are constantly complainting of the same fault that you are seeing. This can be dangerous as with my friends bikes, the fault does not go away for up to 12 minutes of constant riding.

 

I would recomend swithching to the much more potent

add fluit type that the bike came with (19 AH?), do not remember exactly, but that is the problem.

[Ken H.]

Well first off it sounds like he's lumping gel and "sealed" batteries all in one category. They are not. There are acid, gelled acid, and AGM design batteries, all that are sealed. So he looses the most points right there indicating he doesn't know battery technologies.

 

The Odyssey battery that is generally raved about is a sealed AGM design. I doubt if we would be hearing years of praise of this battery if an old style lead/acid vented battery was the only answer.

[SC_Jack]

Steve-M:

Re. the message that you received:

"He who knoweth not that he knoweth not...................KNOWETH NOT"

 

The sender is obviously not aware of the differences between a Gel battery and the Absorbed Glass Mat battery.

 

The Odyssesy will out-perform a lead acid battery in year round use. I've been using them in several bikes for several years with zero problems. I wish I could say the same for the many lead acid batteries in motorcycles that I went through in the last 36+ years.

 

Buy the Odyssey (if the battery is the problem) and your problem will be (and stay) solved.