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Question on battery

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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 12:05 PM
  #1  
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Default Question on battery

Been riding an Ultra for about two years. Previously none of my bikes had a voltage meter. When the battery went dead it just died. Until recently the meter read over 14. Now when I turn on the ignition it reads about 11. After starting the bike it gets back up over 14, but back to 11 when engine is off. Is the battery getting ready to die on me??? On my previous bikes I guess ignorance was bliss.
 
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 12:36 PM
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Guages on the bikes are not the most accurate. If you have a digital volt meter check the battery and it should be about 12.8v with surface charge removed. Start the bike and tach it some and it should read around 13.5v to 14.5v. Finally I would put a load test on the battery. If all checks out your are good to go.
 

Last edited by tibadoe; Mar 30, 2012 at 12:43 PM.
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Old Mar 30, 2012 | 01:16 PM
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The best thing to do is have the battery load tested. This will take the guess work out of it. But before you do that or replace the battery make sure the terminals have been disconnected and cleaned and then charge the battery.
 
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