Battery issue 2015 48
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Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 37
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From: Manhattan
Battery issue 2015 48
I bought a used 48 a few months ago. Several mods were made so I'm not sure on exactly what I have.
2200 miles
The coils have been relocated, gas tank is lifted, new exhaust and handlebars.
It always seemed to have a week start. I thought this was just how the this bike worked.
I have 2 other bikes. 92 Shadow and 2016 KTM 500 exc. I never have this problem.
When I put a trickle charge on all them the HD goes green very quickly. A few minutes.
It still won't always start. Using an Anti gravity micro start to jump it if fires up strong.
Is the battery just gone or should I be looking at something else?
If I take the bike out it will sometimes start if I make a quick stop somewhere.
2200 miles
The coils have been relocated, gas tank is lifted, new exhaust and handlebars.
It always seemed to have a week start. I thought this was just how the this bike worked.
I have 2 other bikes. 92 Shadow and 2016 KTM 500 exc. I never have this problem.
When I put a trickle charge on all them the HD goes green very quickly. A few minutes.
It still won't always start. Using an Anti gravity micro start to jump it if fires up strong.
Is the battery just gone or should I be looking at something else?
If I take the bike out it will sometimes start if I make a quick stop somewhere.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,774
Likes: 105
From: Houston, Texas
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 297
Likes: 19
From: Central CA
If the battery was not placed on a single stage battery maintenance charger like Deltran junior or 3 stage charger/ maintenance charger like a Deltran battery tender plus and not ridden on a regular bases, chances are the battery has lost current output capacity.
First thing to check is corrosion on the battery terminals.
First thing to check is corrosion on the battery terminals.
Last edited by Almond farmer; Nov 28, 2016 at 06:32 AM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 27,097
Likes: 4,676
From: Frozelandia, Minnysota
I had a battery just stop producing, even though it would charge to "full" in about 10 seconds, and decided to play with it, thought I'd have to replace it anyway. What eventually brought it back (still working fine, over a year later) was draining it down to near 11.5V (in a few minutes with no load, it'll bounce back to around 12 or more if it's any good) and putting my Noco Genius "smart" tender on it. It got a few grunts out of the starter then (no improvement charging it before draining it down). Repeated for 3 cycles like this, and it was full up, spun the starter like normal. I have no explanation for what happened, but last month my 1200 sat a bit too long, or had a parasitic drain for some reason, and just clattered the solenoid even after a "full" tender charge. 3 drain and charge cycles, and it's working fine again, so the procedure has worked for me twice.
The negative about this - when drained down like that, both my car charger and Deltran battery tender plus just indicated a bad battery for the first drain cycle. Unless you have a newer technology tender like a Noco or CTek with restore/desulfate mode, you could end up with a battery you can't charge. Batteries do seem prone to failure with long slow discharges without charging, or frequent charge cycles that don't fully charge the battery; I wonder if this might be a way to recover some of them.
The negative about this - when drained down like that, both my car charger and Deltran battery tender plus just indicated a bad battery for the first drain cycle. Unless you have a newer technology tender like a Noco or CTek with restore/desulfate mode, you could end up with a battery you can't charge. Batteries do seem prone to failure with long slow discharges without charging, or frequent charge cycles that don't fully charge the battery; I wonder if this might be a way to recover some of them.
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 117
Likes: 2
From: NYC
From those symptoms, and especially from this : " using an antigravity micro to start...." I am pretty sure your battery is bad.
Are you connecting Antigravity helper to battery posts ?
Or + to + post and negative to metal/frame on bike ? I would also check the battery ground strap, just in case.
I have read here, the batterycables on some bikes become loose.
Edit: Have the battery checked by a specialist. So new bike ? Covered by warranty ?
Are you connecting Antigravity helper to battery posts ?
Or + to + post and negative to metal/frame on bike ? I would also check the battery ground strap, just in case.
I have read here, the batterycables on some bikes become loose.
Edit: Have the battery checked by a specialist. So new bike ? Covered by warranty ?
Last edited by eki912; Nov 28, 2016 at 06:11 AM.
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 297
Likes: 19
From: Central CA
Once the lead acid starting type battery is discharged several times without a quick recovery charge the sulfate salt builds up in the bottom of the case and partially or fuilly shorts out adjacent cells.
If the sulfate salt is still adhered to the cell plates without having gravity fallen to the case bottom , the battery can be recovered.
If the sulfate salt is still adhered to the cell plates without having gravity fallen to the case bottom , the battery can be recovered.
Last edited by Almond farmer; Nov 28, 2016 at 03:41 PM.
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Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Before you do anything else, do some simple checks. Electrical problems are often actually mechanical ones and easy to check and put right. Disconnect, clean and retighten the connectors at both ends of both main battery cables. Use some dialectric grease when reassembling. Only then follow up on the advice given by Guzzi above. You will need a multi-meter. In fact there are a couple of Stickies in the Tech Electrical section on checking your charging circuit which give concise advice on checking your bike. Let us know what you find.
It is not impossible that you have a dodgy battery, also that your bike had a dodgy PO! Check for unusual looking wiring or other mods. Non-stock handlebars are a classic source of electrical problems, especially internal wired ones. A multi-meter is essential for checking them, if you don't find an easy solution.
It is not impossible that you have a dodgy battery, also that your bike had a dodgy PO! Check for unusual looking wiring or other mods. Non-stock handlebars are a classic source of electrical problems, especially internal wired ones. A multi-meter is essential for checking them, if you don't find an easy solution.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 27,097
Likes: 4,676
From: Frozelandia, Minnysota
Once the lead acid starting type. Battery is discharged several times without a quick recovery charge the sulfate salt builds up in the bottom of the case and partially fully shorts out adjacent cells.
If the sulfate salt is still adhered to the cell plates without having gravity fallen to the case bottom , the battery can be recovered.
If the sulfate salt is still adhered to the cell plates without having gravity fallen to the case bottom , the battery can be recovered.
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 297
Likes: 19
From: Central CA
May have recharged in time before any sulfate salt build up in bottom of case.
Remember deep cycle batteries have additional space between the case bottom surface and lower end of the plates, therefore
have less CCA than a startng type battery, because of less surface area on the plates.
Remember deep cycle batteries have additional space between the case bottom surface and lower end of the plates, therefore
have less CCA than a startng type battery, because of less surface area on the plates.