Battery Question

[Flydoc]

I think I still have a problem with my battery. I use a battery tender, and i find that even on a fully charged battery, I can start my FZ6 only 5 times before getting the clicking of the starter relay. I don't think that is normal. Can anyone out there confirm that they can start their bike more than 5 starts in succession before the battery goes flat? I measure the unloaded voltage of my fully charged battery as 12.78 volts. Any ideas?

Thanks for your input

Howard Kahn
Fairfax Station, VA

 

[Motogiro]

Hi Howard!

It could be the battery's depth of charge is no longer good. It should be properly load tested after it has been fully charged. The static voltage can look good but under load of the starter it might drop. The load test determines how much current at voltage in a specific time period which determines the health of the battery.

It seems the battery is the most common failure in these charging systems so if I had to guess I would say the battery.

Edit: Another thing is if your starting the bike 5 times but not riding it for a decent period of time with a not so new battery, you might be asking too much from it. Bike charging systems are not the same as cars and require higher rpm. Smaller batteries are used as well as lesser components to save on weight.

 

[gpd211]

Take your battery to an AutoZone and have them load test it. Many times a battery will read full voltage at rest but when a load is put on it it goes flat.

Not sure why you would want to start the bike 5 times in a row. I read that as start it. Immediately shut it off. Start it again and keep going. What is the point to that?

 

[Flydoc]

Take your battery to an AutoZone and have them load test it. Many times a battery will read full voltage at rest but when a load is put on it it goes flat.

Not sure why you would want to start the bike 5 times in a row. I read that as start it. Immediately shut it off. Start it again and keep going. What is the point to that?

The point is to use the number of starts as a gauge of the battery's capacity, and to compare it to other' motorcycles to see if 5 starts is normal, or significantly less than what is to be expected. And by the way, the 5 starts was immediately after the battery was fully charged.

 

[LERecords]

sounds like the battery is bad.. is the bike used, new?? +1 on having it tested at autozone or such...

 

[Evitzee]

The point is to use the number of starts as a gauge of the battery's capacity, and to compare it to other' motorcycles to see if 5 starts is normal, or significantly less than what is to be expected. And by the way, the 5 starts was immediately after the battery was fully charged.

I don't think your '5 start' test really means anything. It might compare it to other bikes, but so what? It is an unreal world type testing. I start bike, hop on and ride for a couple of hours, maybe stopping to eat my sandwich or to get gas. But other than that I'm going along at 60-70 mph and I'm only concerned will it start once I get back on the bike. No bike in 30 years has failed me in this regard, if I can get it started in my driveway I'm good to go. Bikes aren't all that robust in the electrics department, but sufficient if the starter is not overused.

 

[Motogiro]

I don't think your '5 start' test really means anything. It might compare it to other bikes, but so what? It is an unreal world type testing. I start bike, hop on and ride for a couple of hours, maybe stopping to eat my sandwich or to get gas. But other than that I'm going along at 60-70 mph and I'm only concerned will it start once I get back on the bike. No bike in 30 years has failed me in this regard, if I can get it started in my driveway I'm good to go. Bikes aren't all that robust in the electrics department, but sufficient if the starter is not overused.

I agree the best way is to use a scientific reference to load test the battery. This will tell you what you want to know.
The 5 start test isn't a totally useless reference but it really doesn't tell you what you want to know.

Recharge the battery, start the bike and take it or the battery to have it load tested. :thumbup:

 

[Motogiro]

The point is to use the number of starts as a gauge of the battery's capacity, and to compare it to other' motorcycles to see if 5 starts is normal, or significantly less than what is to be expected. And by the way, the 5 starts was immediately after the battery was fully charged.

To establish a scientific standard you would need a lot of people to do the multiple start test. You might get a lot of people with so-so batteries telling you no more than 5 starts is normal when that's not the standard healthy battery....

 

[paper]

Your battery is perfect.... As a core exchange....

Go to your favorite battery place, and purchase a new one, and exchange the current one to cover the core charge..

I've tried expensive batteries over the years, and now (and I don't like admitting this) I go to Walmart. The batteries are of decent quality, and I take them home, fill them, charge them, install and forget until winter..

When you're changing your battery, change your air filter while you have the tank up.

Fighting with a failing battery isn't worth the effort and headache..

Speaking of that, my snowmobile battery is toast.. Luckily they're small and only cost $35...