Starting problem fixed

[exo55c]

I recently dealt with a starting issue on my 2010 that reminded me of the "fast starter syndrome" that has been discussed at length. After a long winter's nap on a trickle charger I could turn it over but wouldn't start. It would crank until the battery was low. A recharge of the battery brought the voltage back up to 13V+ and eventually settled at 12.8 after removing the charger. Plenty of volts to start...right? Tried to start it again...crank...crank...crank. No go.

Only when I left the charger on the battery after reaching 100% and then hit the starter would it start up. At this point the battery was suspect so I had it tested under load at Batteries Plus and sure enough...it would charge but CCA immediately fell below 100 amps. Took home a new Xtreme (XTA14B-BS) AGM with 210 CCA and she fired right up.

Now I'll wait for the "best battery bigots" to reply!

 

[RossKean]

Sometimes a surprise to see how well the bike spins over once you replace a battery you "thought" was still OK. Fast starter syndrome still MIGHT have been part of the cause - it will often clear itself when you try again the next day. Also, there is a chance that you have an incipient starter problem where it MAY be trying to draw too much current. Very often, a new battery will mask the condition for a time. Not saying that it wasn't the battery, just that the fact that it is working now doesn't totally rule out any other possibility.

Quite probably, your root cause was a weak battery. I'm pretty sure mine, in my 2011 FJR, would fail a reserve capacity test and possibly a load test but it is working OK for now. It can't have a lot of time left in it given it's age (12 years, 100,000 miles). I carry a portable jump starter on a trip - just in case...

Now I'll wait for the "best battery bigots" to reply!

I'm not a battery bigot, but given my great good fortune with Yuasa OEM batteries on two FJRs, I'll probably continue with the brand. You can get great (or terrible) batteries from any manufacturer. I've seen dead batteries right out of the box or an open (or shorted) cell within a few months. Some have a high self-discharge rate requiring a battery tender if sitting more than a week and others can sit for weeks (or months) while maintaining strong starting capacity without a tender.

I have never used a tender on motorcycle batteries. The FJR has a very low "ignition off" parasitic draw (microamps) and a healthy AGM battery should not have a self-discharge rate higher than a few percent per month. I usually do a top-off charge a couple of times over our 4+ month winter layoff.

 

[exo55c]

I can't imagine getting 12 yrs out of battery!

Having said that...I was told not to leave a battery on a trickle charger for long periods of time (i.e. all winter). They have to go thru discharge/charge cycles by design.

 

[RossKean]

I can't imagine getting 12 yrs out of battery!

Having said that...I was told not to leave a battery on a trickle charger for long periods of time (i.e. all winter). They have to go thru discharge/charge cycles by design.

Are you referring to a trickle charger (unregulated, "dumb" low current charger) or a battery maintainer (or tender)? The former WILL kill your battery by overcharging if left on for an extended period of time. A maintainer will charge the battery fully and switch to "float" voltage to keep the battery at a fully charged state without overcharging. Lead chemistry batteries "like" to be kept fully charged rather than cycled (especially deep cycled). A properly functioning maintainer/tender shouldn't damage a battery over an extended period of time. I use a dumb trickle charger (1 amp max) for my mid-winter battery top-ups but I monitor voltage and take them off when they are done.

Note: Some maintainers have one fixed voltage point and some have settings for regular lead-acid and separate for AGM (slight voltage difference). Others have a separate mode for lithium batteries. Also, the ideal "float" voltage for lead chemistry batteries varies as a function of the battery temperature. Higher end maintainers adjust output voltage based upon ambient temperature. (Ideal float voltage is slightly higher in cold conditions meaning that the battery may not end out fully charged and the same voltage could result in a battery being damaged by extended maintenance at too high a voltage when it is very hot.)

Huge resource for everything battery-related:
https://batteryuniversity.com/

 

[exo55c]

The Batteries Plus guy didn't specify which type of float/trickle charger but that the battery needed to experience some discharge/charge cycling.