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Message started by HAPPYDAN on 11/18/17 at 10:45:21

Title: Dead Battery
Post by HAPPYDAN on 11/18/17 at 10:45:21

54 degrees yesterday and sunny. Go for a ride? Nope. Dead Battery. Got a charger, no problem. Except getting the battery out is a real PITA. Remove tool box cover, backing plate, seat, left side panel, negative cable, slide battery out 1", remove positive cable, slide breather tube out of bracket, (finally) remove battery. No wonder in 5 years of ownership, I've never serviced it. Bone dry, no fluid. Fill battery with distilled water, put on charger overnight, assemble in reverse. Today it's 40 degrees and raining. Surely the motorcycle gods are having a laugh ;D

Would a kick starter be too much to ask for?

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by Ruttly on 11/18/17 at 11:02:54

Once air has reached the plates in the battery it begins to degrade. Your fix is temporary , plan on buying a new battery or plan on pushing the bike instead of riding it. It looks bad for the rest of us when your seen pushing your Savage ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/18/17 at 11:23:31

That battery would be on my
I'm getting a new one
List.

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by JLC on 11/18/17 at 15:32:08

Get a AGM battery, then you will not have to worry about liquid level, and corrosive fumes when charging. If you get a maintainer, all the ones I bought came with a set of leads you can hook up to the battery permanently, so you can use the maintainer without taking the battery out.

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by norm92de on 11/18/17 at 16:22:27

Good advice JLC.

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by Franklin2135 on 11/20/17 at 10:22:02

I'm a newbie (less than 2 years riding) but in quick succession acquired two bikes where the deals were just too good to pass up. Imagine my surprise when it was easier to install/remove the battery in my 1975 Honda CB360-T than my 2009 Suzuki S40. And by easier, I mean that you pop up the hinged seat and there is the battery with a big rubber strap holding it in place - 30 seconds to get it in or out. What the thinking was with the S40 design is beyond me.

The only problem for me with the permanent battery maintainer hookup solution is that I store the bikes at a remote location where I do not have an outlet available, so I have to remove the batteries and take them home for the winter, where I do keep them on a float charger. During the summer I ride the bikes just about every week so no issues with keeping the batteries up then.

These are really just observations - I'm not looking for a solution to a problem that was created by my decision about where and how to store the bikes.

But let's face it, the Suzuki battery location and access is sub-optimal even by the standards of when it was designed.

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by batman on 11/20/17 at 10:58:21

"If you don't like your life rearrange it".. ;D I've often thought that a somewhat smaller battery (shorter) might be placed in a custom battery box ,that could be mounted with a hinge on the bottom in the original spot, so it could pivot forward toward the motor allowing the battery to slide out, with a lid that lifted off and small straps to both hold on the top and the battery back in place. Access to the cables would also be much easier.Or you could bolt a hinge to the bottom of the side facing motor and another at the top bolted to a flat lid, swing the side out and the lid would fold down on to it as you swing the side down,allowing you to side the battery forward and out either side. or whatever you come up with.

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 11/20/17 at 11:39:40

One of the many advantages of a Li On battery is that it doesn't need to be charged for long periods of inactivity. Simply remove the negative battery cable and it will hold a starting charge for a year.

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by HAPPYDAN on 11/22/17 at 15:55:12

I did put a pigtail on the battery for a quick connect to a charger, as they are currently on sale at Costco. Good Idea. I routed through the tool box, since my tool kit won't fit in it. It's in a handlebar mounted tool bag. I have previously owned Hondas (CB350, CB360), a Yamaha (XT225) and a HD FLH 74, which were all MUCH easier to access. My CT 110 is a snap also. Not complaining; just a comment.

Title: Re: Dead Battery
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/22/17 at 23:01:55

I cut a two wire connector out of the wiring on an old car for my pigtails.