John Lockwood Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 How long does your bike stand before the battery has trouble starting? I have a R1150R. Link to comment
Boffin Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 How long does your bike stand before the battery has trouble starting? I have a R1150R. Very temperature dependant. Where in the world are you? - a few more details in your profile would be helpful. Cya, Andy Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Very temperature dependant. Where in the world are you? - a few more details in your profile would be helpful.And not just temperature but how well you keep it charged, if it sits for longish periods and loses charge it will fail sooner. Also depends how good you are about maintaining the electrolytee level if that applies to your battery. Mine lasted 3 years 7 months, it was generally charged and the electrolyte level only topped up once (it needed it!) Then it sat outside discharging for 3 months at the dealer and died. Link to comment
philbytx Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 John, My battery is over 3 1/2 years old and working great. I keep it on a Battery Tender when not riding Link to comment
myshkin Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 The older BMW batteries did not last long. I got one year out of mine on my 1999 RT. I am on my third battery now. The gels last longer especially since it such a hassle serviceing the battery. BTW my bike is ridden year round as main transportation but letting the battery discharge is a killer no matter what your driving habits. Leaving the parking lights on inadvertently is a big no no. Link to comment
John Lockwood Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 I'm in Australia. I've actually been a member for about 3 years. I meant when the bike is left standing, does it last 2-3 weeks as mine does or much longer. I'm trying to work out if the battery is on its way out? Temperature is 30* C Link to comment
Boffin Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I have left mine for about 2 months without problems at lower temps - this is England That is with no load apart from the clock - ie no alarms. My experience is that batteries last about 2-3 years with intermittent use. 4-5 years with constant use. Cya, Andy Link to comment
Global_Rider Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 How long does your bike stand before the battery has trouble starting? I have a R1150R. I don't know. But it has started when left standing for well over a month. I mean, how much power can the BMW LCD digital clock and Motronic consume? As for how long they last, I got 8 full years out of my factory original BMW Mareg battery and a bit less on another BMW Mareg battery with little care. My factory original car battery is just over 15 years old now and it cranks and starts that engine even at -20ºC quite easily (yes, that engine still has like new compression). If you look after them, they'll last. Link to comment
Global_Rider Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I'm trying to work out if the battery is on its way out? To do that, perform a load and capacity test. Link to comment
Frank Cloud Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 The older BMW batteries did not last long. I got one year out of mine on my 1999 RT. I am on my third battery now. The gels last longer especially since it such a hassle serviceing the battery. BTW my bike is ridden year round as main transportation but letting the battery discharge is a killer no matter what your driving habits. Leaving the parking lights on inadvertently is a big no no. Actually, the stock battery on my '99 was replaced in 2005. It still had some juice, I just didn't want to get stranded. Never used a battery tender, I just tried to ride at least every two weeks in the winter. Link to comment
No_Twilight Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 My factory original car battery is just over 15 years old now and it cranks and starts that engine even at -20ºC quite easily (yes, that engine still has like new compression). If you look after them, they'll last. Ok, I'll bite. What do you feed a battery to make it last 15 years? --Jerry Link to comment
Pictou Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 A friend of mine has a 99 VFR with its original battery. He doesn't use a battery tender and his bike often sits for weeks at a time. Sometimes I think you just get lucky. My factory original car battery is just over 15 years old now and it cranks and starts that engine even at -20ºC quite easily (yes, that engine still has like new compression). If you look after them, they'll last. Ok, I'll bite. What do you feed a battery to make it last 15 years? --Jerry Link to comment
Global_Rider Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Ok, I'll bite. What do you feed a battery to make it last 15 years? --Jerry Luck has nothing to do with it. Start off with a quality battery made by a company that has QA and then give it some TLC twice a year. All I do is... - Never drain your battery and let it sit in that condition. - Anytime the OC voltage drops to about 12.5V, I charge it at no more than 10% of the Ah rating of the battery. I use a manual 1A charger on my flooded lead acid batteries and a YUASA Hot Shot 12V/900mA Battery Maintainer on my oilhead gel batteries. - Keep the exterior of the battery clean. - Top the battery up as required with distilled water. - I place a closed cell neoprene foam pad under the battery in the battery tray on the bike. Closed cell neoprene doesn't absorb water. - Make sure your alternator and voltage regulator is operating properly. I have a LCD voltmeter that is connected directly to the battery on my oilhead. When I am off idle with no extra electrical loads, it reads 14.4V. Same on my cars. Another thing I do, whenever possible, I buy my batteries dry and fill them with the proper acid and give it its initial charge. As for my car batteries, they just get removed every two years, the exterior gets cleaned and then topped up as required with distilled water. Yes, maintenance free (MF) batteries can be topped up unless they are welded shut. Actually most so called MF batteries are really "minimum maintenance" batteries. And my 15+ year old factory original battery in the Toyota is a Panasonic. Same in my Honda CR-V. Panasonia knows something about batteries...of course a bit of care helps too. I bet you that one will make it to 20 years. None of this is rocket science. It is all right here... YUASA Technical Manual (PDF) Battery University Link to comment
Global_Rider Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 A friend of mine has a 99 VFR with its original battery. He doesn't use a battery tender and his bike often sits for weeks at a time. Sometimes I think you just get lucky. Well "lucky" with a little bit of help from the manufacturers. YUASA (and so do other manufacturers, MAREG for example) use a chemical additive to prevent sulphation of the battery due to a lack of attention on the part of the owner. YUASA calls it Sulphate Stop. Sulphation is the "Number One" killer of batteries and happens when batteries are left sitting discharged or not fully charged. If you are like me and buy your batteries dry, you'll notice a sand-like substance in each of the cells. Well that chemical is there to prevent the plates of the battery from having a layer formed on them that reduces the capacity of the battery. I think this may be the chemical product that the battery manufacturers use. Check out this article on Rejuvenating Lead Acid Batteries - EDTA Link to comment
Pictou Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I still say lucky. I rode VFRs for a number of years as did a lot of my friends. For most of us the batteries didn't last nearly that long even if we did properly maintain them with battery tenders etc. This guy abuses his battery and 7 years later his bike is still firing up with out complaint. Maybe his has an extra dose of the magic powder. It just isn't fair. A friend of mine has a 99 VFR with its original battery. He doesn't use a battery tender and his bike often sits for weeks at a time. Sometimes I think you just get lucky. Well "lucky" with a little bit of help from the manufacturers. YUASA (and so do other manufacturers, MAREG for example) use a chemical additive to prevent sulphation of the battery due to a lack of attention on the part of the owner. YUASA calls it Sulphate Stop. Sulphation is the "Number One" killer of batteries and happens when batteries are left sitting discharged or not fully charged. If you are like me and buy your batteries dry, you'll notice a sand-like substance in each of the cells. Well that chemical is there to prevent the plates of the battery from having a layer formed on them that reduces the capacity of the battery. I think this may be the chemical product that the battery manufacturers use. Check out this article on Rejuvenating Lead Acid Batteries - EDTA Link to comment
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