Battery question

[BABY V]

Its been a while since I last posted so here goes,

My bike (97 F650 Funduro) has been off the road since the end of last year, It stopped working one night I was riding it and got it recovered back to the house. It just stopped with all electrics working lights horn and everything else, When i pressed the starter it would crank and then stopped cranking and all I got was a ticking noise. I got the battery out and checked it with multi-meter 10v so gave it a charge and put it back in with no luck turned over twice then battery gave up, So I am stuck with not a lot of mechanical knowledge and a bike that I love riding but cant and to make matters worse the drive belt and tensioners snapped yesterdayon my car so I am totally fooked
So someone please heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp

Cheers Paul

[Kelvyn]

Not sure if anyone else near Glasgow but sounds like a new battery is needed

[BABY V]

Ye thats what I am thinking, so the next question is Gell or acid battery, It is early so will wait on teh responses

Cheers Paul

[wayne roome]

Slave it from the car battery and see if it fires up. If it is a battery problem then it will no problem. Change the fuel first though and a good dose of WD40 on all electrics in case a bit of damp.

That should take about 20mins, just enough time to put the kettle on, brew up and drink then sit back and hopefully admire a job well done.

get on tinternet and order a battery which will be delivered on Mon/tues.

Winner!!!!

[Rhys]

If your in the market for a new battery, id get a MOTOBATT every time

[LargeWayRound]

If your in the market for a new battery, id get a MOTOBATT every time

Heard good things about this brand ..

[ebay]181062422786[/ebay]
Seems the right one , but measure old battery and check the +/ - terminal ordination .

OR

Maybe *MotoAl* , may have a spare battery that would fit , so you can get a good battery on the bike , start up , and check the voltages when running, dont know the voltages off hand for your bike , but this would rule out any other issue in the charging system.

If you were not so far away I would offer may help in person ..

LWR

[BABY V]

Cheers for all the feedback, I have been looking at those batteries Craig so have just ordered one and see if that sorts it, If not back to the drawing board, or to Mickeyboy for help as he seems to be the funduro guru, and may have any replacement parts I need

Cheers Paul

[RoadTrekker]

Here is a quick test for any battery.
1.If it is a wet cell battery then does it have the correct level of electrolyte and also check the acid level with a hydrometer, top up with battery acid to the required level if required. If one cell is empty of electrolyte then it will have shorted and destroyed the cell.
2.First disconnect it completely from the bike put it on a work bench then take a meter reading for volatge it should be 12.0v - 13.5v keep the meter on the battery and watch if the reading goes down it should remain high as there is no load(10.0V or less is dead).
3.If the battery is below 12.0v or the meter reading is dropping then connect the battery charger and leave for 12 hours.
4.Warning the battery will get warm while chargeing and might spit out fluids so place it on a metal tray and away from anything wood or plastic
5.Now disconnect the charger and check wth the meter it should be 13:5v and remain level if it starts to drop then you must have a damaged cell in the battery there is nothing that you can do but replace it.

6. If it is a dry maintenence free battery then you cannot top up or replace the fluids but check to see if the battery has swollen anywhere as this is an indication that the battery has cooked due to overcharging or extreme cold.

7.Then do the same as 2 and 3 above

I live in CZ and the temperature often drops to -20c to -25c at night in the winter (even the diesel freezes) and has killed off a lot of my batteries. New batteries are reasonably cheap so rather than run the risk of a battery failure I would rather change it and have peace of mind. ( Yes I know I should take it into the house but it is a real pain to remove it on my bike so I use a C-TEK trickle charger seems to work most times)

good luck

[BIG DON]

B)

you have had some good advice, and I will also give a thumbs up to the motoblat range.
Cold is the killer of batterys it lowers the specific gravity of the electrolite so a good conditioner/charger is a helpful tool.

BIG D

[Steve T]

Paul,

That battery is 3.5 years old. When "we" had it :whistle: the bike was regularly connected up to an optimate.
Check electrolite levels, try a boost charge if levels OK, then, after an hour or so off the charger, check the voltage. If OK - around 13v, re-fit to bike and see if the motor cranks. If voltage is just above 12v after a boost charge, the batery is fubard.

Best of luck.

Steve T

B)

PS - yer old 125 has left the building . . . . . for a new live near Edinburgh