Bad Battery?...Opinions?

CanteenBoy · 01-09-2013, 05:27 PM

Ok guys, I need some opinions on an electrical problem I had today....fairly sure my battery has just checked out, but wanted to get some feedback.

The back story- My bike is a 1988 R100gs and I have a complete motorrad elektrik charging and ignition system (coil too). Battery is a sealed variety, probably at least 3.5-4 years old. I rode the last two days no problems, bike started and ran just fine...Rode home from work today (30min) and stopped at the top of my drive to get mail and cut the bike off. Went to start it again and....nothing but a click. Driveway is down hill so I tried to roll it off and still no joy despite good turn over. I could start the bike with a jump but as soon as I disconnected the jumper cables it died. Tightened up my throttle friction screw to hold a higher idle and then it would continue to run. Gen light functions as normal.

So....is there any reason to suspect this is anything more than just a worn out battery? Thanks in advance, this forum has always been a great source of info!

Bill Harris · 01-09-2013, 06:12 PM

Check voltages. The battery should be above 12V static, and the system voltage with the ALT light extinguished should be 14-ish V. Cranking voltage at the battery should be above 8V. Check the battery connections.

--Bill

some_guy · 01-09-2013, 06:17 PM

Sounds like what happened when my battery went. Started just fine in the morning, ran fine all day. Stopped for a bit and nothing other than a click. Took it in to test it and it was completely dead.

CanteenBoy · 01-10-2013, 04:11 PM

To follow up...I had the battery tested today after spending all night on the trickle charger...100% bad. My mechanic said a cell probably failed and that was enough to kill it.

AK Bob · 01-10-2013, 11:27 PM

There is no corosion or a loose wire?

Sticky solinoid? Relay?

It would be a bummer to buy a new battery and then have the kiss principle bit you on the ah.. Wallet..

I really like the pc-680 battery from odyssey that is in my GS..

Best of luck checking it out.

Martian · 01-11-2013, 05:24 AM

My battery failed in the same way, but I was in the middle of nowhere, 600 miles from home. The bike was running great. I pulled over to take a break, and then, nothing when I tried to start it. After going over everything, I found a new battery, put it in, and away I went.

CanteenBoy · 01-11-2013, 05:32 AM

Yeah, those would all be good things to check and I did make sure the connections were clean and tight....but surely if the battery was just drained down it would have passed the load test after spending all night on the charger.
Also, this is a WestCo battery, and I have seen another thread on here discussing sudden failures in these batteries. I got almost 4 years of service from mine, lots of folks weren't nearly as lucky!

Moonshiner · 01-11-2013, 06:31 AM

It's been my experience that, when they go, they go just like yours did. No warning, then...nothing. I posted in the Westco thread about my experiences. You can try to charge them but they won't take a charge. Bring them in for a load test, and they'll test bad.

Luckily, you were close to home, and uphill from home, when yours failed.

01-09-2013, 05:27 PM	#1
CanteenBoy ^OP Slammin' the ol' Jammer Joined: Aug 2007 Location: NC Oddometer: 164	Bad Battery?...Opinions? Ok guys, I need some opinions on an electrical problem I had today....fairly sure my battery has just checked out, but wanted to get some feedback. The back story- My bike is a 1988 R100gs and I have a complete motorrad elektrik charging and ignition system (coil too). Battery is a sealed variety, probably at least 3.5-4 years old. I rode the last two days no problems, bike started and ran just fine...Rode home from work today (30min) and stopped at the top of my drive to get mail and cut the bike off. Went to start it again and....nothing but a click. Driveway is down hill so I tried to roll it off and still no joy despite good turn over. I could start the bike with a jump but as soon as I disconnected the jumper cables it died. Tightened up my throttle friction screw to hold a higher idle and then it would continue to run. Gen light functions as normal. So....is there any reason to suspect this is anything more than just a worn out battery? Thanks in advance, this forum has always been a great source of info!

01-09-2013, 06:12 PM	#2
Bill Harris Confirmed Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2008 Location: backwoods Alabama Oddometer: 3,881	Check voltages. The battery should be above 12V static, and the system voltage with the ALT light extinguished should be 14-ish V. Cranking voltage at the battery should be above 8V. Check the battery connections. --Bill __________________ '73 R60/5 Toaster

01-10-2013, 11:27 PM	#5
AK Bob AKAM Joined: Dec 2010 Location: Fairbanks, AK Oddometer: 162	You sure There is no corosion or a loose wire? Sticky solinoid? Relay? It would be a bummer to buy a new battery and then have the kiss principle bit you on the ah.. Wallet.. I really like the pc-680 battery from odyssey that is in my GS.. Best of luck checking it out. __________________ Bob Coleman AKAM '84 R100rt '88 R100gs AK Bob screwed with this post 01-10-2013 at 11:31 PM Reason: addition

01-11-2013, 05:24 AM	#6
Martian Beastly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2007 Location: Elmdale, Kansas, USA Oddometer: 1,076	My battery failed in the same way, but I was in the middle of nowhere, 600 miles from home. The bike was running great. I pulled over to take a break, and then, nothing when I tried to start it. After going over everything, I found a new battery, put it in, and away I went. __________________ Tom '93 R100R '02 F650GS sold) '93 R100GSPD(sold) http://frommars.smugmug.com

01-11-2013, 06:31 AM	#8
Moonshiner aka "B-dog" Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Twin Cities of Minne-snow-tah Oddometer: 144	It's been my experience that, when they go, they go just like yours did. No warning, then...nothing. I posted in the Westco thread about my experiences. You can try to charge them but they won't take a charge. Bring them in for a load test, and they'll test bad. Luckily, you were close to home, and uphill from home, when yours failed. __________________ "By the way, you don't have to be sweaty and holding a basketball to enjoy a Gatorade. You could just be...a thirsty dude! Gatorade forgets about this demographic!" Mitch Hedberg

01-09-2013, 06:17 PM	#3
some_guy Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2012 Location: NoVa Oddometer: 114	Sounds like what happened when my battery went. Started just fine in the morning, ran fine all day. Stopped for a bit and nothing other than a click. Took it in to test it and it was completely dead.

01-10-2013, 04:11 PM	#4
CanteenBoy ^OP Slammin' the ol' Jammer Joined: Aug 2007 Location: NC Oddometer: 164	To follow up...I had the battery tested today after spending all night on the trickle charger...100% bad. My mechanic said a cell probably failed and that was enough to kill it.

01-11-2013, 05:32 AM	#7
CanteenBoy ^OP Slammin' the ol' Jammer Joined: Aug 2007 Location: NC Oddometer: 164	Yeah, those would all be good things to check and I did make sure the connections were clean and tight....but surely if the battery was just drained down it would have passed the load test after spending all night on the charger. Also, this is a WestCo battery, and I have seen another thread on here discussing sudden failures in these batteries. I got almost 4 years of service from mine, lots of folks weren't nearly as lucky!

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