What's your OEM battery life?

[jdmlude]

Is anyone else still on their OEM battery? I'm the second owner and only ride on the weekends. I plug into a battery tender once a week to keep it topped off. The previous owner also used a battery tender. I know auto batteries last around 5 years and moto should be around 3. Mine is a decade old. Should I go ahead and replace mine so I don't get stranded out somewhere or since it's holding a good charge just let it me.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I get roughly 3-4 years out of a battery (with the dual head light mod).

When my gauge lights FLICKER, when cranking over cold, it's a sign the battery is starting to go.

I'll order a new battery (to have on hand), and often will get another year or more out of the old one.

Once it's obviously getting slower to crank, definitly change it..


If it's working fine, no flickering, good cranking, I'd leave it..

BTW, I only use the OEM battery

 

[Motogiro]

I bought a battery a little over a year ago. I was a Yuasa. I guess one of those pre set up batteries that sits on a shelf for what ever in a dealership. The voltage got iffy by the time a years was done. I replaced it with the same type AGM (not a Yuasa) but this time I wanted to activate the battery myself. Put the electrolyte in waited for a few hours. Then charged it for the day. I can see the difference and expect this battery to last maybe as long as the last Chinese AGM I had in the bike which was... 7 years old!

My suggestion is buy a battery that you activate and charge yourself as that may be one of the most important factors regarding battery longevity.

Also a load test on a fully charged battery is one of the best indicators of battery health.

 

[gtosteve65]

The original battery is still in my 2008.
It cranks like brand new, and up until this year I lived in upstate NY. Just kept it on a tender during the winter.

Keep it till it dies, if it seems weak replace it.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I bought a battery a little over a year ago. I was a Yuasa. I guess one of those pre set up batteries that sits on a shelf for what ever in a dealership. The voltage got iffy by the time a years was done. I replaced it with the same type AGM (not a Yuasa) but this time I wanted to activate the battery myself. Put the electrolyte in waited for a few hours. Then charged it for the day. I can see the difference and expect this battery to last maybe as long as the last Chinese AGM I had in the bike which was... 7 years old!

My suggestion is buy a battery that you activate and charge yourself as that may be one of the most important factors regarding battery longevity.

Also a load test on a fully charged battery is one of the best indicators of battery health.

MANY shops will just add electrolyte and not top off the charge. The battery at that point is about 80% charged and IF NOT TOPPED OFF INITINALLY I(as posted above) will not last as long...

Battery life also depends a bunch on where you live, use, temps, etc. Down here, I ride 365. Many (probably most), put bikes up for the winter, IE battery use 1/2 what I use.. So am I getting say 6 years, not 3 if compared to a bike put up for winter?

Not a clear answer but I'd say GENERALLY, 3 years is the least you should get out of a battery(normal use)..

 

[jdmlude]

Yeah it cranks strong and on the first try, every time. When I hook up the tender it's always above 80% charged. I only worry about a dead battery b/c at 5'7 it's not easy getting the bike rolling while on it for a jump start. Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

[ShoopCE]

I replaced my original battery in its 10th year. I found out later that the real problem was that some sort of film had formed on the battery leads. Learned this when the new battery wasn't holding or regenerating the charge. The original battery passed on the tester at Autozone. Wish I'd have checked first but I was leaving for a group ride that weekend.

I live up north where right now it's nasty cold. But I usually find a few days even in January when I can get the bike out for a couple miles. And I apply a tender when it's going to be sitting for more than a week or so.

I support what Motogiro (Cliff) suggested about having a dry battery on the shelf. At about the 6th year, I bought a backup because I thought the original battery was dying. That time the problem was parasitic drain due to a USB charger that I had added a few weeks before. The replacement was a YASA AGM battery but unlike the sealed original battery this model is shipped dry with handy pre-measured vials containing the battery fluid. After you fill the cells and wait overnight for any gas to evolve, you apply a sealer strip that essentially seals the battery. That battery sat on a shelf in my garage for 4 years until I filled and then charged it. This is much better than what you would get if you bought a loaded battery and let it sit for years on a shelf.

I also agree with Scott's comment that you will know the battery is starting to fail when/if the indicator lights on the speedo flicker while the starter is activated. You might only get a few more starts after that. First steps are to clean the terminals and consider whether you might have added an electrical thingy that could be draining power while the bike is just sitting.

Good luck!

Chris

 

[Motogiro]

Yes. I filled it and let it gas off and cool a little before charging it. I read it's good to not interrupt the charge cycle the first time. I also figure it's good to allow time for that electrolyte to seep into all of the glass mat it can so as to utilize the entire 1st charge process.

Hope all is well with you and the family Chris! Coming back for a ride?

 

[Smittyboy]

I got 10 years out of my stock rocker, bought a cheapy and it lasted a year. Will be getting a dry yuasa and dumping the acid myself. Cheap and NEEDED for riding shouldn't be in the same sentence.

 

[FB400]

I replaced my OEM battery well before it failed at around 4.5 years. Incidentally I can tell you anything other than a YUASA as a replacement is an inferior battery. I swear by OEM. I got stranded with a cheapo replacement, I won't do that again. not worth saving a few bucks

 

[ShoopCE]

Hope all is well with you and the family Chris! Coming back for a ride?

Hey Cliff!

The family is doing well, thanks. Rachel finished her masters, decided to work for a bit before deciding to go on further, and has moved to Houston with her very serious boyfriend. So I won't be showing up for a ride soon, but eventually, definitely!

A lot of other things have been happening, so I'll start my own thread, instead of completely hijacking this one.