dead battery?

[Xyloft]

i searched for dead battery... didnt find anything close.

basiscally,  i'm a moron and turned my key far left at work today.  after 5-10 minutes at 3,000+ rpm and another 15-25 minute ride home, my bike will not stay running and willl not start without a jump.

the weird thing is when it was running above 3,000 rpm the tack would cut in and out.   as long as it was between 4-5 it would be alright, but below or above (for the most part) it would cut down to 0rpm while the bike was running.   is that because its an electric tac and the battery was dead?

[erbilabuc]

I have an 06 gs with 2700 miles and my battery would take a charge but would not hold it. After 2 months of jump and push starting I decided to duck down 3$ on a bottle of electrolyte from Auto Zone because I was pissed that a 2 year old battery was already done for. I just did it this morning (may 31) and all I did was dump out the old battery acid (electrolyte) and refilled the battery. Well I didnt even have to jump start it or anything, I waited about 1 hour and went to start the bike and it starts like the battery is brand new. So my suggestion is maybe just the acid in your battery might be bad. Our batteries are vented and when you overheat them just like a radiator they vent out the acid.

[beRto]

If a new battery is required, the wiki has some info on the available options:

http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Main/Battery

[ben2go]

Pull the battery caps,their usually yellow,and add DISTILLED WATER ONLY.Don't over flow the battery or it will eat your paint.Then charge they battery.Most places like A$$hole Zone or A$$vanced Auto will charge it free in hopes of selling you a battery if it won't hold a charge.Every time you hold the starter button more than 5 seconds, the battery heats up,and some water/acid is lost through boiling /evaporation.Also riding around keeping the rpms under 3500 for a while,then getting on it,will cause the generator/alternator to start charging hard, because the battery is going dead.The charging system doesn't start charging until 3000 to 3500 rpm.

[erbilabuc]

Pull the battery caps,their usually yellow,and add DISTILLED WATER ONLY.Don't over flow the battery or it will eat your paint.Then charge they battery.Most places like A$$hole Zone or A$$vanced Auto will charge it free in hopes of selling you a battery if it won't hold a charge.Every time you hold the starter button more than 5 seconds, the battery heats up,and some water/acid is lost through boiling /evaporation.Also riding around keeping the rpms under 3500 for a while,then getting on it,will cause the generator/alternator to start charging hard, because the battery is going dead.The charging system doesn't start charging until 3000 to 3500 rpm.

I have personally found out that distilled water will not work and I think it is because of our vented battery, it has to be the battery acid.

[starwalt]

Batteries are chemical gadgets. If the specific gravity (SG) of the acid is not in bounds, it won't work. That's the first thing to check.

By running the system down, you pushed the chemistry beyond the point of recovery via electrical reconversion.

By removing all the liquid and replacing with fresh, you essentially rebooted the thing and got away with it because the plates (the lead parts) were not sulfated to the point of inoperability (that usually occurs due to age and/or neglect).

Ben2go has a valid method also - a mesureable SG problem - that should be normally checked and maintained.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject.

As my personal mechanic likes to say "There are people that just point automobiles in the direction they want to go and there are those who take the time to understand it is a complex mechanism with thousands of interdependent devices that all have to work together to achieve your transporation."  He's a regular Zen kind of guy. 

Here at GSTwin, the community strives to help petitioners become the latter person. 

[ben2go]

Pull the battery caps,their usually yellow,and add DISTILLED WATER ONLY.Don't over flow the battery or it will eat your paint.Then charge they battery.Most places like A$$hole Zone or A$$vanced Auto will charge it free in hopes of selling you a battery if it won't hold a charge.Every time you hold the starter button more than 5 seconds, the battery heats up,and some water/acid is lost through boiling /evaporation.Also riding around keeping the rpms under 3500 for a while,then getting on it,will cause the generator/alternator to start charging hard, because the battery is going dead.The charging system doesn't start charging until 3000 to 3500 rpm.

I have personally found out that distilled water will not work and I think it is because of our vented battery, it has to be the battery acid.

Starwalt just posted a very good reply to this.

erbilabuc You're partly correct.If the acid solution is to diluted or the plates are covered in sulphates,adding water won't work.Adding tap water makes it worse,especially if you are getting water from a well.The chemicals added to tap water(dissolved minerals in well water)will counter act the batteries chemical reaction that produces electriclity.So using a battery tender that desulphates the plates,along with occasionally dumping the battery,adding fresh acid(electrolites),and distilled water,is a good idea.Please dispose of the old battery solution in the proper way so it will not contaminate the enviroment.Most recycle centers will take it.Also industrial battery suppliers will take a couple cups at no charge.

[Xyloft]

my bike actually came with an aftermarket "maintenance free" that the previous owner installed so the battery is completely sealed.  it actually held a solid charge all winter too which surprised me. 

I talked with with a local shop and they were saying 20 minutes isnt long enough to recharge the battery and recommended a battery tender.  i picked up one at sears for $29 and let it run overnight and its running now no problems. 

so is that normal?  with a dead battery will the tach go in and out and is this a sign my alternator is dying since it couldn't provide enough juice to idle the bike with a dead battery? 

[wreckhog]

Dead battery can mean a few things. It could mean that it needs a charge, it could mean that it can't take a charge, it could be that it can take a charge and go dead soon, etc. Bring it to the auto store and have them test it. The battery might be garbage.

How long it takes to charge a battery is relative how many amps are going in. Less amps is better for the battery, but slower. My 1.5amp charger can fully charge a battery in about 5 hours. A 6amp charger would be faster, but might toast the battery. A trickle charger (.35amp?) might take a day. Not sure, as the one I have has no idiiot light to tell me when it is done.

You can add distilled water or acid to cheaper batteries. Better ones (AGM or gel) are sealed, which means that the acid is not that liquidy anymore, which means that adding water is a waste of time.

AGM batteries are great. I have a used noname one out of a Ninja 250 (ie tiny battery) that I use as a spare since it fits loosely in any motorcycle. It will sit 4-8 months in the garage typically. Without fail, when I need it, the thing is still almost fully charged; ie throw on a charger and get the green light in 5 minutes.

[starwalt]

my bike actually came with an aftermarket "maintenance free" ...

Well then, that changes everything doesn't it? 

All of our previous advice, though correct, does not apply to this technology because you cannot maintain the thing.

In this case, I recommend a different charger, one that will accept AGM or sealed type batteries. The recharge on that type is different  than the standard 150 year old design LAB. I cannot comment on whether a trickle charger/float charger is best for that type.

Go to the manufacturers web site and look for details.

To determine if you RR (regulator rectifier) and charge system are doing their job, a semi quick search will reveal many threads. John Bates frequently cited one of the aftermarket stator manufacturers. (If I stumble across that link, I will edit this post).

In further reading, you couldn't have been the one to replace your chemistry, that was erbilabuc.  My comments were misdirected, though correct.

[Xyloft]

thanks for the comments and help so far. 

I'll look up info on my sealed battery and see if i can continue using the charger i bought for winter use.  I'm pretty sure it was a "float" type. 

i'll do some searching on regulator rectifiers as well