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About 5 mins into my commute this morning the bike starts cutting out with the speedometer bouncing around. Pull over, take the battery cover off, tighten the connections down again with a socket, and away I go. No issues after that. This happens to me about every couple months/3-4k miles.
I torque the bolts down really really ****ing tight (I put my weight into it). Should I go really really really ****ing tight? How many reallys can I go before I really screw myself by stripping something? I feel like I'm at that threshold now and the amount of torque I'm putting in is already excessive.
Connections are clean, battery is new (it did this on the previous battery too), bolts are new, no signs of corrosion. I guess I'll put some electric grease in there and see if that helps. Blue lock tight? Is that even conductive or need to be?
Not a huge deal, but annoying, and even potentially dangerous. I carry with me a screw driver and a socket just for this.
Is there something else I can do besides the same thing over and over again? Know it's going to happen and just re-torque the bolts once/month as a preventive maintenance?
Did you use the lock washers that came with the battery? You could always use a drop of Blue Loctite
I did use washers & bolts that came with the battery. I can't remember if they were lock washers or not. Wasn't sure about the lock tight because of conductivity, but if that's no issue, then I'll add some.
+1 on lock washers... Easy fix. But also, depending what brand battery it is, make sure the cable ends sit completely flat and flush with the terminals. Some non-OEM batteries require a small spacer between the terminal and the cable to allow for a snug connection. Without the spacer, the cable end may be slightly angled due to interference with the case (the battery terminal is actually slightly recessed from the battery case on some batteries). If so, I could certainly see them coming loose periodically.
The reason I prefer lock washers to Loctite is that it's easier to remove and reinstall the cables if needed, since you don't need to clean off the old thread locker and reapply...
This is the most common issue that I see in many of the bikes I work on. People say the bike either shut down,or started acting funny. First thing I always check is the connections!
+1 on lock washers... Easy fix. But also, depending what brand battery it is, make sure the cable ends sit completely flat and flush with the terminals. Some non-OEM batteries require a small spacer between the terminal and the cable to allow for a snug connection. Without the spacer, the cable end may be slightly angled due to interference with the case (the battery terminal is actually slightly recessed from the battery case on some batteries). If so, I could certainly see them coming loose periodically.
The reason I prefer lock washers to Loctite is that it's easier to remove and reinstall the cables if needed, since you don't need to clean off the old thread locker and reapply...
+1
Check for the brass spacers.
Wasn't any on my bike when I got it so I didn't know. It made the connections not flat. Melted the lead posts.
+1 on lock washers... Easy fix. But also, depending what brand battery it is, make sure the cable ends sit completely flat and flush with the terminals. Some non-OEM batteries require a small spacer between the terminal and the cable to allow for a snug connection. Without the spacer, the cable end may be slightly angled due to interference with the case (the battery terminal is actually slightly recessed from the battery case on some batteries). If so, I could certainly see them coming loose periodically.
The reason I prefer lock washers to Loctite is that it's easier to remove and reinstall the cables if needed, since you don't need to clean off the old thread locker and reapply...
the blue Loctite prevents most hardware from backing out/off but can be removed with normal hand tools. When applying it just use it on the threads and keep the lugs/eyes clean. Of course you can use the split washer if that works for you.
+1 on lock washers... Easy fix. But also, depending what brand battery it is, make sure the cable ends sit completely flat and flush with the terminals. Some non-OEM batteries require a small spacer between the terminal and the cable to allow for a snug connection. Without the spacer, the cable end may be slightly angled due to interference with the case (the battery terminal is actually slightly recessed from the battery case on some batteries). If so, I could certainly see them coming loose periodically.
The reason I prefer lock washers to Loctite is that it's easier to remove and reinstall the cables if needed, since you don't need to clean off the old thread locker and reapply...
Previous battery was a Dekka which also had this issue and the new one is Duracell, which looks exactly like the Dekka in every way except the label. OEM never had this problem (I thought was re-branded Dekka?). Recessed terminal is an interesting theory I'll look into. Maybe that's the reason why I have to torque the thing down to about a 1,000,000/lb ft just to get a good enough connection. When I re-torque, the bolts don't even move a noticeable amount, but works every time.
This is a generic picture, but illustrates the issue. You can see what would happen without the brass spacers... The cable wouldn't be flat on the terminal, which can cause many issues. Needing to tighten occasionally would be the "good" outcome... Melting/frying stuff often happens. This is actually a very common issue, that's easily overlooked if not thinking about it. I'm honestly not sure why any battery would be designed with a recessed terminal, but many are. I may be wrong, but I think even non-OEM Dekkas may be like this! And I'm pretty sure I've seen people call out Duracell for the same issue, although I may be wrong.
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Eff'n Battery Connections
