[Jimnibob]

Hi,

I thought my bike (XSR900) had been on trickle charge over the winter, however, on inspection the trickle charger connection was faulty. Consequently, the battery had in fact not been on trickle charge and was flat when I cam to try and start it.

I managed to jump-start my bike using a portable battery jump starter but the bike stops running a couple of seconds after disconnecting the portable battery jump starter. I thought the bike should stay running once I have managed to start it.

Is this not the case?

Might there be another issue?

 

[aGeckoInTheGarage]

assuming this is a stock ytz10s battery, the battery is probably totally flat, a jump starter isnt going to allow it to hold a charge. put it back on a trickle charger, below 2amps and allow it to charge for 6ish hours. then run the bike and assess the battery.

 

[Jimnibob]

assuming this is a stock ytz10s battery, the battery is probably totally flat, a jump starter isnt going to allow it to hold a charge. put it back on a trickle charger, below 2amps and allow it to charge for 6ish hours. then run the bike and assess the battery.

Does there need to be anything in the battery to keep the bike running once I’ve started it?

 

[OldSchlPunk]

If dead enough, your charging system is likely not going to be able to charge the battery and keep the bike running at the same time.

 

[aGeckoInTheGarage]

no, your battery just needs be charged. ideally fully. should be showing 12.8v or more. any less and I would replace it.

 

[Moto26]

Sometimes, batteries just die...

 

[Annihilator]

A trickle charger is not capable of putting a real charge on a battery once its flat. You get a superficial charge that reads charged for a moment but then will not work. You need to buy a full size battery charger or just jump the battery to your car and let it run for 30 minutes and that ought to charge it. Takes 30 minutes to fully charge a motorcycle battery on a 10amp battery charger.

 

[shamrock]

A trickle charger is not capable of putting a real charge on a battery once its flat. You get a superficial charge that reads charged for a moment but then will not work. You need to buy a full size battery charger or just jump the battery to your car and let it run for 30 minutes and that ought to charge it. Takes 30 minutes to fully charge a motorcycle battery on a 10amp battery charger.

I would be a bit cautious here. Sealed batteries can't vent fast enough when you put in a lot of current and 10amps is a bunch.

 

[OldSchlPunk]

I would be a bit cautious here. Sealed batteries can't vent fast enough when you put in a lot of current and 10amps is a bunch.

I was thinking the same thing, you would have to monitor the situation. 10A is a lot of current and may just be what the battery needs but internal resistance of a battery that was in poor "health" to begin with will generate too much heat and internal pressure. Proceed with caution.

 

[GreatHolio]

put it back on a trickle charger, below 2amps and allow it to charge for 6ish hours. then run the bike and assess the battery.

Do what Gecko said. If you have a quality trickle charger, it may have a function to "recover" a completely flat battery. This, of course, depends on the age of the battery and damage done to it while going fully flat. YMMV! But the key here is having a quality trickle charger. After it's fully charged, get your voltmeter out and check: Should be and stay above 12.8ish volts. If it quickly goes below 11ish volts... Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of a door stop battery... aka bricked!

I left my bike on all night. Put the cover on it and couldn't see the headlights fully engaged. Needless to say, in the AM, it was flat. I didn't measure the voltage left on the battery, but absolutely no sign of life on the bike. No priming of fuel, no indications on the display... nothing. My battery was about a year old.

I have the NOCO GENIUS5. I let mine connected for around ~24h and boom. It has been a year since this incident and my battery is just fine.

Does there need to be anything in the battery to keep the bike running once I’ve started it?

your charging system is likely not going to be able to charge the battery and keep the bike running at the same time.

I second what OldSchlPunk says. The charging system on a bike is different than on a vehicle. It does not work the same as an alternator and does not produce as much juice. Hell, most small cars now a days, even their puny alternators can't keep their car on by themselves.

 

[OldSchlPunk]

Most bikes don't even charge @ idle, you have to be running 2k or higher in many cases.

 

[Metallion]

I recently bought a Tecmate Optimate 3 battery charger/maintainer for the sole purpose of winter storage. It supposedly has the capability to recover a "dead flat" battery to life. I did test it on an old battery from my girlfriend's Suzuki. It was not able to save that battery but it has been sitting dead for a few years so i was not very optimistic. It's possible that it may work on a battery like yours that has not been a long term brick though. The optimate has various lights on it indicating what it's doing or what stages of charging process it's in.

If you end up having to buy a new battery let us know what you bought. On the FJ,Tracer900.net forum i remember mention of a larger /cheaper battery that would fit if the foam spacer block was removed. Possibly a YTZ-12S?

 

[aGeckoInTheGarage]

it does appear you can fit a ytz12s inplace of a ytz10s looking at the specs. I don't see any real advantage to doing that, personally.

 

[shamrock]

I agree with Gecko, there's zero advantage to installing a larger battery. Amps add capacity not power.
I also subscribe to the idea that fooling around with a suspect battery is an invitation to experience problems. Like tires and spark plugs batteries need to be replaced at some point.
I've been using these Mighty Max batteries from walmart.com for several years in both my BMW and FZ09 without any problems. I even keep one charged up on my workbench for a spare and to test stuff.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/YTZ10S-12V-8-6AH-Battery-Replacement-for-BTZ10S-FAYTZ10S-PSB10SBS/364122550

 

[Screan29]

I agree with Gecko, there's zero advantage to installing a larger battery. Amps add capacity not power.
I also subscribe to the idea that fooling around with a suspect battery is an invitation to experience problems. Like tires and spark plugs batteries need to be replaced at some point.
I've been using these Mighty Max batteries from walmart.com for several years in both my BMW and FZ09 without any problems. I even keep one charged up on my workbench for a spare and to test stuff.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/YTZ10S-12V-8-6AH-Battery-Replacement-for-BTZ10S-FAYTZ10S-PSB10SBS/364122550

That little battery starts your car? Lol

 

[aGeckoInTheGarage]

I agree with Gecko, there's zero advantage to installing a larger battery. Amps add capacity not power.
I also subscribe to the idea that fooling around with a suspect battery is an invitation to experience problems. Like tires and spark plugs batteries need to be replaced at some point.
I've been using these Mighty Max batteries from walmart.com for several years in both my BMW and FZ09 without any problems. I even keep one charged up on my workbench for a spare and to test stuff.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/YTZ10S-12V-8-6AH-Battery-Replacement-for-BTZ10S-FAYTZ10S-PSB10SBS/364122550

my only warning for people using walmart batteries, is be aware of how long they've been sitting. these ytz's dont like to be drained flat from storage. I've warrantied many of them over the years, and very few people go to walmart for a powersports battery.

 

[shamrock]

my only warning for people using walmart batteries, is be aware of how long they've been sitting. these ytz's dont like to be drained flat from storage. I've warrantied many of them over the years, and very few people go to walmart for a powersports battery.

I buy the batteries on walmart.com but they come from a third party vendor so they never see a Walmart shelf.

 

[outdoorvtguy]

I had a similar issue when a dealership pulled the battery to do some recall work and then reconnected the battery charge leads backwards. The Battery tender/charger/minder didn't make it obvious that it wasn't charging and, in the spring, the battery was dead. I just corrected the problem, hooked the battery tender back up and waited a few days. All was well and that battery is still working 4 years later. I would alsoassume that battery tenders are a bit smarter than the old battery charger I used in my younger days.

 

[RichBinAZ]

I buy the batteries on walmart.com but they come from a third party vendor so they never see a Walmart shelf.

How long do the walmart batteries last for you?
I see they claim the battery can be installed in any position as it is an AGM battery. I'm not convinced about that. Perhaps with a Gel battery, but I have to believe that over time the electrolyte will seep out of the glass mat and pool away from the plates.
The LiFePO4 battery I put in is now 5 years old and still working like new. The OEM Yausa lasted 2 years.
Just wondering as buying batteries in a hot climate (Phoenix) is a cost benefit/warrantee exercise as the heat kills them quickly.

 

[W. Greg]

Hi,

I thought my bike (XSR900) had been on trickle charge over the winter, however, on inspection the trickle charger connection was faulty. Consequently, the battery had in fact not been on trickle charge and was flat when I cam to try and start it.

I managed to jump-start my bike using a portable battery jump starter but the bike stops running a couple of seconds after disconnecting the portable battery jump starter. I thought the bike should stay running once I have managed to start it.

Is this not the case?

Might there be another issue?

Once the bike starts the lights turn on, probably causing it to stall. Charge and or load test the battery, replace as needed, and try again. Jumping that small starter is not a real good idea.