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Author Topic: Battery: "tis the season to be ........"  (Read 27334 times)
Noggin the Nog
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« on: December 14, 2016, 17:47:18 »

... in the market for a new one, apparently.  I know the dealer I bought it from had had the battery on charge shortly before I turned up to buy it & I was hoping it was just due to lack of use. Anyway, it looks like it was on it's way out and sitting under a tarp in the back garden for the last few wet, manky days haven't helped..

Couple of questions:-

1) Anyone fitted a Westco (or other) AGM battery to an X10 350?

2) Do I need to disconnect the battery terminals if I'm connecting it to a "smart" charger?

3) Any other good options for batteries?

TIA

Nigel

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The Bern
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« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2016, 19:19:51 »


2) Do I need to disconnect the battery terminals if I'm connecting it to a "smart" charger?


No battery stays connected to vehicle bud, check & see if your local Aldi has one in stock, they work great & are terrific value for money
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« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2016, 19:39:27 »

Make sure the smart charger is smart enough to work with AGM batteries, cheap simple ones may not be. Then again AGM's don't go flat like wet cell ones when not used for a while so you may not need a charger.
I used a Westco on my X9 since 2009, made in USA I think. Swapped it still going strong 2 years ago to the X9 I sold last summer and bought another for the yellow X9 I still have. Good solid terminals and looks well made compared to the very common bright yellow Motobatt that seems very popular at the moment.
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2004 X9 500 Evo in YELLOW - 2016 Maxsym 600i Sport
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Mike H
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« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2016, 23:05:45 »

I plug my charger into the 'cig lighter' socket. At least every two weeks, or else run the scoot. (Owners Handbook says let idle for 15 minutes if not going to be used otherwise, but last time it needed a 2 hour session on the charger as well to make sure.)

From recomendation, I personally would buy from Tayna batteries, e.g.: https://www.tayna.co.uk/YB9-B-AGM-Powerline-Motorcycle-Battery-YB9BAGM-P9623.html The original Yuasa YB9-B is discontinued they reckon.

When you disconnect the battery the dashboard will lose its custom settings, time, trip counts etc., and the ASR will need to be recalibrated. (Incidentally, ditto if you pull fuse #1.)



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Expat47
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« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2016, 04:02:30 »

I don't even try to recharge a gel cell (AGM), I just put in a new one. And I usually just by whatever, mid-range, is on the shelf. They last about 4 years.
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Noggin the Nog
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« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2016, 08:19:42 »

Thanks. I have an Aldi smart charger & it seems to work well on our other m/c. I was just double checking after reading the warning in the manual. We have a friend who deals in Westco so that's what I'll go for.
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Mike H
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« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2016, 11:25:24 »

I have no problem charging mine. It might not of course actually be an AGM, to be honest I don't what type it is, whatever the factory put in. The charger I use is a very old one that I rebuilt with new components and a Zener diode as shunt regulator, and digital Volts and Amps meters, it manages 2 Amps max. X10 handbook says charging in situ is OK, only proviso is that charging Voltage must not exceed 14.5V, To protect electronics. Hence my addition of the Zener diode.

I'm given to understand that with AGM batts, Voltage must be up in the 14V region else won't charge properly, e.g. bike's own Voltmeter shows that after initial start-up. So the charger must supply 13.5 - 14V else it's wasting its time pretty much.

I also run mine from a timer switch to prevent overcharging.

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UltraWomble
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« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2016, 18:57:25 »

My bike has cables under the seat connected to teh battery which I connect the CTEK too if its being left for more than a week. I leave that under the seat as well with the mains cable to the outdoor socket.
Thought I had a photo of the setup with the battery condition indicator I have too under the seat, but I cant find it - so have a photo of my pussy getting its tummy tickled instead...
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Noggin the Nog
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« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2016, 19:06:33 »

I have a couple of Maplins solar trickle chargers (yes, they do work) which come with optional croc clips & auxiliary (lighter) plug cable  -  connecting to the main cable by a two pin connector.
I'm thinking of changing the crocs on one cable for spade connectors & wiring the cable in when the new battery arrives. Just plug'n play then.
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« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2016, 23:33:11 »

Everyone has their own preferred method, for whatever reasons, so of course asking a question like this on a forum often is merely a cue for several different versions of advice! 

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russtygid
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« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2016, 14:52:55 »

I have used a Motobatt MBTX14AU on my 500 EVO since August. No problems to date. The stand works very well with this battery.Extra 2 amp hours seems useful, excellent rapid starting.  £58 from Wemoto.com.
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Noggin the Nog
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« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2016, 18:32:28 »

I don't even try to recharge a gel cell (AGM), I just put in a new one. And I usually just by whatever, mid-range, is on the shelf. They last about 4 years.

The first Westco AGM I got is in the Guzzi and is a bit of a big beast compared to the one for the X10. However it's been cranking up happily for about ten years now (including a layoff of nearly a year due to major surgery (me, not the bike).

[sigh] the above is possibly dangerous to say (or even think) that and is possibly the cue for it to start misbehaving but, after that long, I won't really have cause to complain.
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« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2016, 19:44:55 »

Thought I had a photo of the setup with the battery condition indicator I have too under the seat, but I cant find it - so have a photo of my pussy getting its tummy tickled instead...



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« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2016, 06:45:14 »

Thanks for sharing, Bern, we don't see many domesticated souvlaki down here. 
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« Reply #14 on: December 21, 2016, 14:20:22 »

New battery in. Scoot is running well. Incidentally, the ASR didn't need recalibrating but the power was only off for a minute.
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« Reply #15 on: January 03, 2017, 12:04:04 »

Mine wouldn't start today. Fired a couple of times but wouldn't keep running. Then battery was spent, so that was the end of that.

TBH it begin with 11.4V showing on dash which is not good. Outdoor conditions 2°C, and very damp.

Now on charge for 5 hours, but the current isn't very high, considering.


NB: I do not have a garage, but doubt it would help much (unless heated). Even the shed feels damp inside and the doors are swollen again, had to shave a bit off the edges so I can shut them!

Have now got an electric planer so at some point can do the job properly. Ditto a tall gate between the sideway and rear garden area has been jammed solid for 2 months due to swelling of the wood which refuses to dry out.


.
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Noggin the Nog
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« Reply #16 on: January 03, 2017, 18:08:44 »

I've never been a fan of putting vehicles in an enclosed space anyway.  It's better to be where there's plenty of fresh air circulating.
The Guzzi lives under a carport which has 7ft garage gates at the front of it, the neighbours wall protecting the open side but with the rear open to the elements, except when we pull a curtain across in really blowy wet weather. Everything under the carport stays really dry with pot plants needing loads of extra watering.
ATM there's no room for the X10 under there so it sits under a canvass roofed gazebo frame during the day with a cover over the bike at night. There was a little condensation in the front light units when I bought it but it's nearly all disappeared now.
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« Reply #17 on: January 04, 2017, 10:15:16 »

The headlight condensation will return in the warmer weather when you start using the bike and headlight is in use again. It's a 'feature' not a problem.
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Anderton 2004, Pen-y-cae 2005, Matlock 2006, Hay on Wye 2007, Minehead 2008, St Florence 2010, Newent 2011, North Kyme 2012, Betsw-y-coed 2013, Hardraw 2014, Parkend 2015, Whitby 2016, Mundesley 2017, Derby 2018, Telford 2019, Loch Doon 2020, Cumbria 2021.
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« Reply #18 on: January 04, 2017, 10:23:00 »

The headlight condensation will return in the warmer weather when you start using the bike and headlight is in use again. It's a 'feature' not a problem.

:-)  Great bike this. It's loaded with extra "features". :-)
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« Reply #19 on: January 04, 2017, 11:17:31 »

You've, obviously, not discovered the "you've got 252miles of petrol left" on your "computer" display.
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« Reply #20 on: January 04, 2017, 11:57:11 »

OK think I will need to order a new one soon - just off charge after 5 hours and showing 12.5V, normally higher than that after just taken the charger off. Also current never got much over 0.5A even with flat battery so think it's fooked. Left it overnight to see if it would start today, but not had a chance to try it yet, but really want to run it and warm it up.

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« Reply #21 on: January 04, 2017, 14:35:30 »

Today dash says 11.4V so deffo not right, BUT did start up first push.
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« Reply #22 on: January 04, 2017, 17:40:03 »

Charged mine up the other day, Gelmat Westco brand and a good few years old, hadn't been started since October and charger said 11.4V before (only rattled the relay) and 14.5 after an overnight condition setting. Now after sitting on my computer desk indoors for a couple of days it reads 13.2V on a voltmeter.
Maybe your dash has a memory that hasn't reset since you took he battery off to charge.
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2004 X9 500 Evo in YELLOW - 2016 Maxsym 600i Sport
Anderton 2004, Pen-y-cae 2005, Matlock 2006, Hay on Wye 2007, Minehead 2008, St Florence 2010, Newent 2011, North Kyme 2012, Betsw-y-coed 2013, Hardraw 2014, Parkend 2015, Whitby 2016, Mundesley 2017, Derby 2018, Telford 2019, Loch Doon 2020, Cumbria 2021.
Noggin the Nog
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« Reply #23 on: January 04, 2017, 18:52:00 »

Charged mine up the other day, Gelmat Westco brand and a good few years old, hadn't been started since October and charger said 11.4V before (only rattled the relay) and 14.5 after an overnight condition setting. Now after sitting on my computer desk indoors for a couple of days it reads 13.2V on a voltmeter.
Maybe your dash has a memory that hasn't reset since you took he battery off to charge.

We've had Westco AGMs in various bikes & in Sea scooters (diver propulsion vehicle - like a torpedo but no explosives fitted, allegedly) and they've all lasted well, much longer than conventional LA batteries, which is why I opted for one in the X10
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« Reply #24 on: January 05, 2017, 11:25:14 »

Do not take battery off, much too much of a faff (for one thing have to take rear carrier off just to get it out) so I plug charger into cigar lighter socket in the fairing. Charger has its own digital Voltmeter which reads the same. So unfortunately not that simple, battery is deffo on its death bed. I think it may be cos of a while back it having a few weeks of being only part charged, so letting it idle for 15 minutes once a month as the handbook says isn't good enough. What I should have been doing is put charger on first, then start it up, and every two weeks, if not actually ridden. Which is what I'm doing now but too late damage already done.


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