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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Battery's LIFE SPAN-UPDATED
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Message started by SavageDude on 12/09/06 at 21:19:13

Title: Battery's LIFE SPAN-UPDATED
Post by SavageDude on 12/09/06 at 21:19:13

Well folks, I had the SAVAGE for two years now and the battery is on the verse of slow death. Today I have to push start with the help of my 2 coworker. I took a couple of try but doable. 2 year is kind of short life span for battery!!

My question is "How long did your battery last and what brand is it?"

Any recommendation for replacement?

Thanks
Tim

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Reelthing on 12/09/06 at 21:48:19

These AGM batteries seem to work real well, no water yo worry with or drains. You need a Big Crank

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;num=1138061012

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Paladin on 12/10/06 at 07:28:03

The old fashioned flooded lead-acid battery can be had for as little as $15. Self discharges to the point of being unable to start the bike after a few months of sitting. Takes serious harm if you leave the lights on and drain it flat. The water in the cells evaporates and needs to be watched and topped up -- 'cause if you let the plates get exposed to air you pretty near have killed the battery.

An Absorbed Glass Mat battery is considered to be "dry" as the acid is contained in the mat and cannot spill. The mats stop the plates from touching due to vibration. The battery is sealed and never needs maintenance. It's self discharge rate is about a tenth of a flooded cell and can maintain a starting charge while sitting unused for several months. It can recover from full discharge.

I picked up a Yuasa sealed battery -- but that was before I looked up AGM. In my favorites, in a motorcycle folder, I have a $50 Big Crank bookmarked (http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=BIG-ETX15L)

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Rockin_John on 12/10/06 at 09:08:29

Over the last 30 years or so, I haven't had a lead acid battery last more than 4 years in ANYTHING: car/truck, boat, tractor, or motorcycle. And in the cars/trucks 4 years is the good (higher quality) Interstate or Diehard etc... Your average O'Rielly's or Wal-Mart battery is only good for about 3 years if vibration doesn't get it first.

I got one of the BIG CRANK myself for the Savage when my old battery started failing. Don't know how old the last one was since it came with the old '87, but it was weak when I got the bike. I checked it and it was near dry! It barely made it through a couple of charges until the new battery got here (about a week). The Big Crank sure starts the bike up good, even when cold and after sitting for a week. Hopefully the glass mat and gel technology will mean the extra money is well spent. I already think that not having to check the electrolyte level is a HUGE advantage!

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by babbalou on 12/10/06 at 10:21:42

My factory battery is 2 years 5 months old & so far it's still working fine. I had to add a little distilled water last year & I'll check it again this month.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Fido_the_Cat on 12/10/06 at 17:51:27

I was told when I bought my bike that the battery was new. Then I did things like leave the switch on draining the battery a few times, if iI let it sit awhile it usually recharged itself to start but in the long run would not have lasted the winter. I replaced it with a "wet" battery although I can't find one for $15 bucks. I got a Battery Plus replacement. Next one will be a "dry" cell maintenance free battery.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by geo on 12/10/06 at 22:32:36

My battery is over 4 years old now. I pull it out each year and top it off with distilled water, then put the charger on it and make sure it tapers back to zero.
I'm in Florida where batterys don't do well in the heat, but my 650 has been garage kept at night. It still has to endure hell in the day. :D Keep an eye on it! ;)

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by DianeS. on 12/12/06 at 21:03:19

Not 100% sure, but I think the battery in my bike is prob the original one from 2000. Why - well the previous owners only put 7400 kms. on the bike, and then I bought it last fall. One of these days, I'll have to take it out and have a look at it - but it's been working fine.

DianeS.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Paladin on 12/13/06 at 06:49:58

If you are a *GOOD* person and maintain the electrolyte level and refrain from heavily discharging and quick charging the battery, it'll last FAR longer.

Me? Arrive home, throw down the kickstand to kill the engine, go into the house to have lunch. 'Bout two hours later wife calls -- she forgot to pack a sandwich in her lunch, would I mind? So I get sandwich, hop on the bike, go to turn on the key -- oops! It is already on. Hit the started, waaa waaa gasp.... Pop off the tool cover, clip a lead to the terminal, ground the other lead, switch on, switch to 10 amp charge, count to 30, fire up the Savage, remove clips, deliver wife's lunch. Probably knocked a year off the battery's lifespan.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Savage_Rob on 12/13/06 at 07:17:16

Yeah, I'm not the best either... which is why I like sealed batteries and love AGM batteries. AGM batteries also give you more mounting options because you can usually mount them sideways instead of just upright. I bought the milspec Odyssey battery but the Big Crank is probably just as good for less cash. I didn't know about it then. I do like the steel jacket on the Odyssey though.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Paladin on 12/13/06 at 09:12:08

People mock the cost of Mil Spec items, claiming that brand X is just as good. And it very well may be. But the military will be using items in the field, no where near a shop to buy a replacement, and if an item fails people could die. Mil Spec is up at the ludicrous level of reliability, well past the upper end of cost-benefit.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by luken on 12/13/06 at 12:37:28

I had to replace my stock battery this past summer. I have on 02, so I guess thats about 4 years. I needed a battery quick so I just bought another wet batt and a charger. The next one will be dry for sure though, and I'll make sure I plan ahead to get it BEFORE I get stuck somewhere.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by SavageDude on 12/13/06 at 16:51:46

I think the cheap trickle charger that I bought from Walmart kill my battery. It supposed to switch from charging to trickle when the battery is fully charged. Well I plugged it in at night before I go to sleep and in the morning it still show charging-RED light instead of GREEN. I rode the bike for an hour on that day so it should not take more than 1 hour to switch to GREEN.

Lesson here: Stay away from those cheap chargers made by Bell. You will pay one way or another. So go for the good quality charger folks.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by justin_o_guy on 12/13/06 at 17:58:59

Wouldn't one of those "wall wart" 110 volt to 12 v. DC power supply things work for maintaining a battery? They don't put out enough current to fry a battery do they? I find them left over from different things that have gone away. Some are 3 volt, some as much as 12. I have used them for such odd things as a colloidal silver maker. Small connectors from Radio Shack would make pluggin it in under the seat easy enough. Thoughts?

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Trippah on 12/13/06 at 20:03:09

Hi- just curious, but what is a colloidal silver maker and what do you do with it, ??Silver coatings?

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by stinger on 12/14/06 at 02:24:04

All i know is its a special battery made just for this model of bike! How do I know this? My battery went dead on me in Pendelton Oregon. I tried every darn bike shop, wal-mart, k-mart, auto parts shops and had no luck til I got to a Suzuki dealer in Iowa. I had to sit and wait 3 days for them to order it and it cost me $65. If you question your battery, change it! Mine tested out good enough at the dealers before I left, but changes in altitude and weather can leave you stranded out in the middle of nowhere.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Mike M on 12/14/06 at 10:31:09

My OEM battery lasted about 3 years. I replaced it with a cheepo sears lawn mower battery, which has worked fine for 2 years now. The vent hose is on the wrong side of the Sears battery, so it took a bit of snaking around to make it work, but it fit fine.

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by RadarORiley on 12/14/06 at 11:07:51

Since I "Use" my Jr. to do my battery checking, he said the very next time he goes in there he's buying me a Big Crank so he won't have to do the "add water" thing. It IS a real pregnant dog to get to and he really requires major paybacks ;D

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Ed_L. on 12/14/06 at 13:05:39

I had to replace the battery on my '02 last year, it was getting weak, showed too much of a voltage drop when cranking. Plus if the bike didn't start right away it wouldn't start unless jumped. The owner of the local mom and pop motorcycle store said two or three years is all that can be expected out of a stock battery. I always thought a cheep trickle charger could be made using a regular light timer and a plugin 12 volt power supply that puts out maybe 1/4 amp. Just set the timer to kick the power supply on for an hour a day. It would keep the battery topped of without burning it out by running a charge into it all day. Just trying to reinvent the wheel as usual ;D

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN
Post by Dr_Jim on 12/14/06 at 22:07:01

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN-UPDATED
Post by SavageDude on 12/27/06 at 14:11:08

Well, I put the Big Crank in and the bike start right up ;D The old battery had a few cell way-below the low level mark. But the cell at the inspection window show MIN while other hidden cells went low. So we can just rely on that inspection window ::)

Now that I have a sealed battery, no more inspection needed :D

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN-UPDATED
Post by PerrydaSavage on 12/28/06 at 15:48:09

Stock OEM battery ... 3 Riding Seasons so far ... regularly charged (every 4-6 weeks) during the off season and the cells topped up with distilled water every Spring ... no problems at all (yet).

Title: Re: Battery's LIFE SPAN-UPDATED
Post by DianeS. on 01/03/07 at 21:10:29

6 year OEM battery????
My bike wouldn't start today and it seemed to be the battery. So, hubby and I removed it and found out that one of the plastic yellow caps was broken, and some electrolyte was missing from the first channel. Yet, it was an OEM battery, so I'm guessing that it is the original battery from 2000. The bike didn't have many kilometers on it when I bought it in 2005, so maybe that's why it lasted 6 full years!!! ;D

Anyway, we went to Cdn. Tire and purchased a motormaster bike battery. Once it's charged up, I will take the bike for a testrun tomorrow.