SuzukiSavage.com - Battery Pretty Much Empty

Fish

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Battery Pretty Much Empty
09/16/11 at 07:17:53

EDIT: Water levels are EXTREMELY low. All are below the low line. Only ONE shows any water when I tilt the battery toward me. The cells are all basically EMPTY. Lesson learned. I've owned the bike since March and this is the first time I've looked this closely at the water levels.
This is my first ever motorcycle. Oops.

I'm so glad I live on the first floor:
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« Last Edit: 09/16/11 at 08:43:03 by Fish »

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drums1 Serious Thumper Offline '87 Savage Bashed--Down for the count Posts: 664 Racine, Wisconsin Gender:	Re: Won't Start Today Reply #1 - 09/16/11 at 08:06:16 I had that problem when I 1st got my '87. I tried everything I could think of. Still no start. Someone suggested a new battery. I went out and picked up one and voila. Started right up.
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Fish Full Member Offline Who Shot Who In The What Now? Posts: 213 (near) Tampa, FL Gender:	Re: Won't Start Today Reply #2 - 09/16/11 at 08:09:25 <--Knuckle head. Can this battery be revived or is it definitely time for a new one?
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ksthumper Junior Member Offline Posts: 83 Olathe, KS Gender:	Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty Reply #3 - 09/16/11 at 09:00:57 Save yourself some trouble considering it's your first bike and buy a sealed battery. No checking water, no vent tubes and no worrin about running out of water
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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty
Reply #4 - 09/16/11 at 09:05:56

I have never had any luck reviving a bike battery that ran that low on water -- get a new battery.

Remember to slow charge the new battery before installing it for the first time -- you think a new battery is fully charged but it is NOT charged at all other than what happened when the acid hit the zinc and lead plates which is NOT a full charge by anybody's guesstimation.

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Fish

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Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty
Reply #5 - 09/16/11 at 09:07:23

ksthumper wrote on 09/16/11 at 09:00:57:

Save yourself some trouble considering it's your first bike and buy a sealed battery. No checking water, no vent tubes and no worrin about running out of water

I've had this battery in and out of the bike probably 5 times now to charge it in the 6 months I've owned it. I have the ability to check it and maintain it, and obviously should have done so. I was just naive and lazy and learned an expensive lesson. Money is a consideration and unless I can find a sealed for under $100, I'll have to stick with a cheaper stock type battery.

Thanks.
Ooh, Batteries Plus has a sealed maintenance-free with 1 year warranty for $75 and a sealed maintenance-free with 2 year warranty for $89
The flooded type is $49
I think I may go with the $75 sealed battery.

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 09/16/11 at 09:05:56:

I have never had any luck reviving a bike battery that ran that low on water -- get a new battery.

Remember to slow charge the new battery before installing it for the first time -- you think a new battery is fully charged but it is NOT charged at all other than what happened when the acid hit the zinc and lead plates which is NOT a full charge by anybody's guesstimation.

Thanks OF. I'll buy that new battery today.
I am aware that I will have to charge the battery.The only battery tender I own is a Schumacher Electric "Speed/Charge 1.5Amp Maintainer". It says a 12AmpHour batter takes 12-15 hours to charge. So a 14 will take a little bit more. It does say Speed Maintainer but roughly 14-17 hours of charging time should be slow enough, right?

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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28886 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty Reply #6 - 09/16/11 at 09:26:05 bigcrank
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Fish Full Member Offline Who Shot Who In The What Now? Posts: 213 (near) Tampa, FL Gender:	Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty Reply #7 - 09/16/11 at 09:31:39 verslagen1 wrote on 09/16/11 at 09:26:05: bigcrank Unfortunately I have to buy one Today. My Savage is my only means of transportation. They don't sell those in any stores do they.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty Reply #8 - 09/16/11 at 09:55:56 If a bowl of water would evaporate, so will the H2O out of a battery,.Gotta check the water on them, whether you run the thing or not. I think the V regulator on the backhoe is messed up, cuz that battery seems to run low way too often, so, I turn the key off after I think its run long enough to charge it up after I start it.
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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty
Reply #9 - 09/16/11 at 10:18:59

You can buy a battery that will fit inside the compartment from Advance Auto, Auto Zone or Walmart.

Problem is that the +/- terminals on the new battery are assed backwards for what is on a stock Savage.

Several posters here have overcome this with a little work on the terminal wire lengths and by running the clear hose over the top of the battery to the normal down run location.

Good news is once you make this modification, you can use any battery that will slip into the compartment -- which is a good thing since only a few on-line places sell the actual battery the bike came with.

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Gyrobob

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Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty
Reply #10 - 09/16/11 at 10:39:46

Fish wrote on 09/16/11 at 07:17:53:

EDIT: Water levels are EXTREMELY low. All are below the low line. Only ONE shows any water when I tilt the battery toward me. The cells are all basically EMPTY. Lesson learned. I've owned the bike since March and this is the first time I've looked this closely at the water levels.
This is my first ever motorcycle. Oops.

I'm so glad I live on the first floor:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/MadProfessor/Sammy/100_2747.jpg

If you want that pic to show up in your post, highlight the link http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/MadProfessor/Sammy/100_2747.jpg and click on the third button from the left in the top row in the message creation/editing box.

Or, put a

in back of it.

Then it'll show up in the post like this:

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Gyrobob Serious Thumper Offline Posers ain't motorcyclists Posts: 2571 Newnan, GA Gender:	Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty Reply #11 - 09/16/11 at 10:54:19 or edit it with MSpaint or on Picasa or Picnik so it'll be a better size:
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Fish

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Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty
Reply #12 - 09/16/11 at 10:56:47

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 09/16/11 at 09:55:56:

If a bowl of water would evaporate, so will the H2O out of a battery,.Gotta check the water on them, whether you run the thing or not. I think the V regulator on the backhoe is messed up, cuz that battery seems to run low way too often, so, I turn the key off after I think its run long enough to charge it up after I start it.

Yeah, and this being Florida and summer, I really should have been checking and adding.
I'm pretty set on going with a sealed battery, probably from Batteries Plus. Won't get a ride to get there though, not close enough to want to ride my bicycle to.

I know how to post pics bob, I just didn't feel like posting the huge picture here or resizing. I can resize right there in photobucket too.

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Gyrobob

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Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty
Reply #13 - 09/16/11 at 10:59:33

Fish wrote on 09/16/11 at 10:56:47:

Yeah, and this being Florida and summer, I really should have been checking and adding.
I'm pretty set on going with a sealed battery, probably from Batteries Plus. Won't get a ride to get there though, not close enough to want to ride my bicycle to.

Are you on a tight budget, or would you consider one of the tiny lightweight lithium ion batteries?

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Gyrobob

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Re: Battery Pretty Much Empty
Reply #14 - 09/16/11 at 11:02:54

[quote author=27081209610 link=1316182674/0#12 date=1316195807]justin_o_guy2 wrote on 09/16/11 at 09:55:56:

I know how to post pics bob, I just didn't feel like posting the huge picture here or resizing. I can resize right there in photobucket too.

Okay. Sorry. I thought you might have been one of the folks that didn't know the procedures. It took me a while to figure all that out.

I had to stop using photobucket. They changed something a few weeks ago -- every time I try to upload something, my computer crashes.

I love your parking spot. Keeps the long-term damage from ultraviolet light minimized, eh?

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