*Sigh* Dead battery...

[burkazoid]

*Sigh* Dead battery...and it's all my fault. I just got it back from the shop this afternoon, having replaced both tires. Maybe I was just distracted by how much better it rode with the new tires, or whatever, but I removed the key and left the ignition on. I just found it a little while ago, the headline just barely flickering, and it won't crank over.

So, ribbing aside, can I just charge the battery, or do I have to replace it entirely? I figure it's just a cheap battery, since it's still the one that came with the bike when I bought it a couple of years ago.

I'm likely to do something such as this again, so any charger recommendations?

[Yellow Jacket]

You can probably just charge it up and be good to go. Most any home type charger will do the trick. You can also get some nice battery tenders or keepers as they're sometimes called from places like J&P Cycle.

If you're not lucky and the battery was about to die anyway you may have to replace it.

Good luck!

[Todd]

Any 12v charger should be fine. If it is not completely dead, you are probably ok just to charge it. You can jump it off and ride for a good long ride and charge it...that's the fun way!!

Charge it up and just keep an eye on it for a few days to make sure it holds charge, but I think you should be OK.

I got my Battery Tender Jr from cruisercustomizing.com. I think Its the best little gadget out there. Its a smart charger that will shut off when the battery is fully charged and kicks back on automatically if it goes below a certain point. It comes with a little pigtail that attaches to the battery terminals and the end tucks under your seat. When you are done riding just plug it in. It also comes with aligator clips so you can use it on other vehicles as well. http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?model_ID=0&Category_ID=120&manufacturer_ID=282&product_ID=10060&sblid_name=Battery_Tender_Battery_Tender_Junior___ __V_______A

[tomk]

I used to work at a battery manufacturer and if I remember how it worked:

Deep cycle batteries are made to cycle all the way down and then get a recharge -- just like you just did to your starting battery. Starting batteries that are older may not recover from a deep discharge but if it was in pretty good shape, it might come back to 75% to 80%.

Try what Todd said about watching it for a few days. If it dies again after a full charge, replace it. Sometimes you really hurt a cell when they drain down.

WM -- I'm getting one of those battery tenders.

[dantama]

I got my Battery Tender Jr from cruisercustomizing.com. I think Its the best little gadget out there. Its a smart charger that will shut off when the battery is fully charged and kicks back on automatically if it goes below a certain point. It comes with a little pigtail that attaches to the battery terminals and the end tucks under your seat. When you are done riding just plug it in. It also comes with aligator clips so you can use it on other vehicles as well. http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?model_ID=0&Category_ID=120&manufacturer_ID=282&product_ID=10060&sblid_name=Battery_Tender_Battery_Tender_Junior___ __V_______A

+1

Haven't used it though since I sold my home and moved to a condo, no outlet at my parking spot now.

During the winter, I left the pigtail hanging out from under the seat (it has a cap cover for the ends to keep water out, then in the summer I'd tuck it out of sight.

As far as fully discharging, I left my bike at the dealer after hours, and they claim (perhaps rightfully so) that I left the ignition in park, leaving the tail light on.

The battery discharged and would not take a charge. I was persistent in trying to get them to warranty it ( I thought that there was no way I left the light on, and they didn't say a word about it on a call after pulling it into the shop, I figured they left it on overnight after the first night in the shop- no way to know though).

They eventually warrantied it and put a new one in.

Those Yuasa batteries last 4-5 years, so you were only half way through the life of yours. If it ends up you have to get a new one, you can get it off the net for 60 something dollars. Then your good for another 4-5 years.

[burkazoid]

Thanks, everyone, for all the replies. Very embarrassing moment for me. I like the charger wolfman recommended, and I think I'll be ordering that today. I wasn't absolutely certain about the life expectancy of the stock battery that came with the bike, but I figured three years was probably going to be it. So, I'm going to charge it, and keep and eye on it for a couple of weeks. Odds are I will swap it out before the end of the month.

Thanks again!