Battery, battery tenders, and perhaps a new battery

[Rockhopper]

So I haven't been riding much, maybe about a month since I last took her out. Tried to start her this morning and it wouldn't go.

Plugged in the battery tender (the Junior version which is quite slow to charge) and in about half an hour I had a solid green light, which I found odd given that the battery was almost empty.

Tried to start the bike and it did, but with great difficulty. Ran it for a while, shut her down and plugged in the tender. Again, after 30 minutes I had a solid green.

Am I doing something wrong here? Why is the tender indicating green when clearly the battery is not fully charged?

Lastly, thinking about those Shorai batteries. What is the specific model everyone is using? Website recommends LFX19A4-BS12, just looking to confirm.

Thanks!

 

[Dogdaze]

Assuming that you do not leave it parked in extreme conditions, cold or heat, which is a killer for battery life. How old is the bike, if it's over 4 years old, likely need changing, but no always the case, the trickle charger is not the same as a normal chargers, so leaving it on for 30 mins is unlikely to yield a decent charge, even though the light turns green, does not mean that the battery has reached optimum charge, just means that it is accepting a charge. If you are really in doubt change he battery, but read up on the Lithium type (long thread a few ago) to make that call, I personally would go again with AGM, maybe the 14s version.

 

[Rockhopper]

I've had it for a year and a half or so.

Battery tender says a solid green means charge complete. Solid red is charging.

 

[WJBertrand]

Sounds normal to me. My old ST1300 will sit for a couple of months and my battery tender goes to solid green with 30 minutes or so too.


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[Checkswrecks]

Your first post said that you bought a 2014, which was likely built in 2013, so the battery is probably going on 4 years old. While that's kind of just mid-life for modern OEM AGM batteries, depending on how the battery's life has been, it may be getting tired. fwiw, my Battery Tender brand maintenance charger does the same. My guess is that the voltage it considers to be fully charged starts a lot lower than how much the battery can be at.

Personally, I recommend that people stay with the AGM batteries in these bikes. The lithium batteries cost more up front, will still be drawn down by the clock and other parasitic "sleeping" current drains, need a different trickle charger or more attention to how trickle chargers are used (depends on model), and you'll need to buy another sooner if you don't give the battery the extra attention it requires.


When you do replace the battery, there is an AGM in the right size that has more cold cranking amps that the stock one does.

 

[Rockhopper]

Good point about the battery being almost 4 years old. I bought a leftover 14 in 15, so it makes sense.

Seems somewhat misleading that the charger marks a solid green if the battery is actually empty enough not to start the bike.

I'm not sure about why everyone is recommending the agm battery. Seems a lot heavier than the oem one and the price difference is only about $20. I have a buddy who has the shorai on his bike and it has been solid for years, even after letting her sit for 6 months or so, and he's a step away from running a full blown cirque du soleil with all the lighting he has.

 

[Checkswrecks]

The OEM battery is an AGM, so I'm not sure what you are asking about with that.


The lithium may save you a few pounds, but our battery is mounted low and this is a 560 pound bike, so there's not much benefit to the weight savings. The benefit of the lithium is that the discharge curve is very flat when compared to lead in a flooded or AGM cell. In the AGM you can hear the starter slow as the battery discharges. With a lithium the starter will remain spinning fast till it just suddenly quits.


I just looked at my Battery Tender, which is the usual little trickle charger that is so popular, and it is only .75 amps. A quick look on Google finds that the green light comes on at 12.84 volts. With your half hour charger session, the battery was definitely not really recharged.

 

[HeliMark]

Even though it sounds like a new battery is the fix, you can always pull it and have it load tested at your local Autozone/Pep Boys. That way you can confirm it.

Mark

 

[Brick]

Just ordered a new Battery Tender Jr. Old one lasted 9 years.


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[RonH]

The battery is probably bad. Common battery failure is a dead battery that charges up in little time. All chargers care is the voltage has risen to 13v or so. Battery can still be bad, the battery tender doesn't know, all it knows is battery is 13v. A 13V battery is not what matters, it's the CCA. A bad battery can easily be 13v, butdrop significantly during start.

 

[RIDEMYST]

I had a similar question.
I was at AIM Expo last week and got to speak to the people in the know from Yuasa.
My battery is 1.5 years old and shows signs of an occasional weak start. I explained I live in South Florida, I ride between 25-30k miles/year, I deal with heat (especially in my garage) and my batteries seem to last about 2 years.
They said their battery should be good for around 4 years and to ALWAYS keep it on a (at least) 1 AMP charger when not riding.
I'm putting mine on a charger from now on....we shall see if that gets me my 4 years. -JEP-

 

[jbrown]

I don't know for sure, but I assume the dealer supplies the battery on a new bike. My 2012 came new with the YTZ14S battery. It's over 4 years old now and the only problem I've had is being paranoid about the "hard start" problem so often discussed here. I've had no hint of the problem, and the bike has always cranked and started just fine. I wouldn't even give it a moment's thought if it weren't for this forum.
The battery shows no sign of quitting yet. I occasionally hook up a battery tender if the bike's going to sit for a few weeks. Maybe twice a year.

 

[burnoil]

Prefer "Le Reve" over Cirque


But, yeah...I have a light how. Shorai has always worked for me from LA to Big Bear to Death Valley.

Good point about the battery being almost 4 years old. I bought a leftover 14 in 15, so it makes sense.

Seems somewhat misleading that the charger marks a solid green if the battery is actually empty enough not to start the bike.

I'm not sure about why everyone is recommending the agm battery. Seems a lot heavier than the oem one and the price difference is only about $20. I have a buddy who has the shorai on his bike and it has been solid for years, even after letting her sit for 6 months or so, and he's a step away from running a full blown cirque du soleil with all the lighting he has.

 

[Rockhopper]

Agreed. Le Revê is a much better show

 

[Jono49]

I don't know for sure, but I assume the dealer supplies the battery on a new bike. My 2012 came new with the YTZ14S battery. It's over 4 years old now and the only problem I've had is being paranoid about the "hard start" problem so often discussed here. I've had no hint of the problem, and the bike has always cranked and started just fine. I wouldn't even give it a moment's thought if it weren't for this forum.
The battery shows no sign of quitting yet. I occasionally hook up a battery tender if the bike's going to sit for a few weeks. Maybe twice a year.

Did Yamaha change to YTZ14S..... 2012 onwards?????

 

[Rockhopper]

Ended up going with shorai. Difference in size and weight is noticeable and burnoil has had his for a while without issues. Let's see what happens.

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[WJBertrand]

What are the CCAs on that Shorai?


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[RonH]

What are the CCAs on that Shorai?


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Shorai claims 285cca. If truly 75cca higher than the stock YTZ12S that would be a good improvement.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Thought I would tag onto this thread instead of starting a new one.

Anyone have experience with Power Source batteries? http://powersportbatteries.com/yamaha-super-tenere-motorcycle-batteries/23266-yamaha-2014-super-tenere-xtz-1200-xtz12ecl-motorcycle-battery-agm.html -OR- Do you have a suggestion for a good place to get a batterie?

 

[RUSTINPEACE]

I think I'm having a similar issue and need a new battery. So my question is does anyone know what local auto parts stores keep new batteries in stock that will work in a 2015 S10 ES and are open on Sundays? P.S. Thanks in advance.