ST1300 Battery

[Gadget]

It arrived today before Lunchtime.  Well wrapped and in god condition.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[ST2UP]

I ordered mine on the 30th and it was only sent today after a phone call 

[cravenhaven]

Had to laugh, 4wd Extreme is a side line for a battery company I work for, you will find the battery packaged extremely well and will be extremely happy with the battery. I have had the same 1 in my ST since September last year.

I dont want to cast any aspersions here, but I bought an SSB battery from 4WDExtreme several months back and twice it has been completely flat, ie voltage reading was in millivolts. In the first case the battery had been fully charged and then the bike had been sitting for about 6 weeks, and in this latest instance less than 2 weeks since a very long ride. In between times it has been left for varying amounts of time and been no trouble at all. The previous batteries had shown no such effects and I havent made any changes to the electricals of the bike.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to proceed with nailing down the problem?.

I have noticed that in both instances the battery charges up very quickly once the bike gets started. The first time, I had it running for just a couple of minutes after jump starting from another battery, and then had to switch off and remove the key so that I could put the panniers and seat back on. It was no trouble at all to restart after that. This second time, I connected the battery charger and a spare battery on for a few minutes and there was just enough voltage to get it started. I then rode 5K's down the road to a cafe for breakfast and 45 minutes later it started without any sign of a problem.

Allan

[Brock]

Check the connections at the battery terminals, the starter motor relay and earth point. There may be a slightly loose connection.

[cravenhaven]

Check the connections at the battery terminals, the starter motor relay and earth point. There may be a slightly loose connection.

Thanks Brock,
I have an Anderson pug wired straight to the battery and measured the voltage on its terminals to get the voltmeter readings I mentioned. When I connected the other battery and charger via the anderson plug and turned the ignition key on, it immediately sprang to life. So I dont think it is connectors, though I will check them to be sure.

[twisted 1]

If your battery is so flat that it won't start your bike, then jump starting and riding the motorcycle with your lights on will not sufficiently charge your battery, this is the same as only charging the battery for a short time and then using it. You are at risk of damaging the battery by not using it in a fully charged state. The battery will not go flat in a short time unless something is drawing on the battery. I work for a battery company an also run SSB batteries in my bikes (AGM), I would suggest charging the battery fully on a charger of around 4 amps  with a specific setting for AGM batteries and the battery should preform as expected. Perhaps get the charging system checked and if you can get hold of a clamp meter check for any voltage drop from the battery when connected to the bike. If you have any further issues with your battery don't hesitate to get in touch.

[cravenhaven]

Hi Twisted,
As I mentioned the battery was only reading millivolts at the times I mentioned.
In the first case I had charged the battery from new with a modern battery charger capable of up to 16 amps, but then did not ride the bike for about 6 weeks and was surprised that it was so flat. Even the old battery had never gone that flat before.
The charging system on the bike works fine as attested to by the rapid recovery of what appears to be a totally dead battery being able to restart the bike after just a few minutes of use.
I perhaps didnt make it clear that the battery I have currently installed is an SSB Lithium technology. I have never used a battery with this technology before so am not sure what to expect, however I did not expect it to go flat to 0 volts within a matter of weeks. If this had been a lead/acid technology battery I could safely have assumed that it would never recover from such a low voltage, but this Lithium one seems to run just fine once it fires itself up ??.
The run on Sunday was for about 6 hours, so I think the bike should have charged the battery quite well in that time. I checked the voltage this afternoon and it was well over 13 volts, so all good so far. I also checked the battery terminals and noted that they were not as tightly attached as I had thought so maybe that has some bearing on the matter, although the first time this happened I measured the voltage directly on the battery and it was very flat.
I guess time will tell.

Allan

[twisted 1]

That is puzzling, I sold a lithium to a mate with an FJR and he has let it sit for over 2 months and it still fired up the bike. Lithium do recover voltage and charge up usually quicker than other battery technologies.  I will ask 1 of the techs at work tomorrow and see what he thinks.

[JC]

On Friday morning I was getting ready to go to work, got all my gear on and jumped on the bike, and that was when I got a rude surprise…
The battery didn’t have enough power to start the motor

Anyway I rode the cruiser in to work and started to look around for a new battery.
(Battery for the ST1300 is YTZ14-S)

1.   Battery World: quoted just under $250 for a Yuasa
2.   Repco: said they only have a couple of motorbike batteries and none of them would be suitable.
3.   Supercheap: quoted $440 for the Yuasa and said they would have to order one in.
4.   Batteriesdirect.com.au: quoted (+ $15 delivery) $228.65 for the Yuasa or $117.78 for a SSB… I called them to find out what the difference between the two brands was.
He said the price difference is due to just the brand name and that the SSB actually has higher Cold Crank Amps at 285 as opposed to 230 for the Yuasa.
5.   Turbo Batteries: quoted $123 for another brand (I forget which one )
6.   Allpurposebatteries.com.au: quoted $95 with free delivery for the SSB.

So that was prices worked out (All Purpose Batteries the winner )  the next step was to work out if the issue was the battery or the alternator.

When I got home from work I had RACQ around to test my battery and alternator…
Battery was stuffed, alternator was good producing a solid 14 volts.

Had a chat to him and he said the battery must have been on the way out for some time but as I ride almost every day it wouldn’t have been as noticeable. (I hadn't ridden for a few days as I had stuff to do around the house and didn't get a chance to ride)

So at the end of all that, I went for the SSB from www.allpurposebatteries.com.au for a saving of $155 from the original quote of $250

I made the order late Saturday so will update when I receive the delivery.


Cheers
Shiney

Bugger the rest, get the best. I have been buying SHORAI Lithium batteries for my bikes for many years, as the lead versions require lots of standby charging, or they die too soon.

http://shoraipower.com.au/store/products/lfx19a4-bs12/

These don't require standby charging and retain most of their charge for at least six months.

[Z900owner]

Hi

After letting my bike sit for 4 months the battery has died big time. I have recharged it but it is STuffed.

I see that this topic has not been updated for quite a while so I was wondering if anyone had any more feedback/ advice on which battery I should buy

On E Bay the price has come down a fair bit but I don't want to buy something  that will die after 12 months     


Thanks

John 

[Scarlett Thunderbolt]

hey John... i am no authority on ST1300 batteries... i replaced Miss Scarlett's battery, about 18 months ago, with one of these...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HONDA-ST1300-YTZ14S-DRY-CELL-SSB-BATTERY-12V-340CCA-YTZ12S-YTZ14S/252433543882?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150313114020%26meid%3D0e4e5417a20844c8a4adc53eef152ffd%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D17%26sd%3D262493149319

(sorry about the huge fleabay link)... and it's been a great battery for a STeed that does not get started every week, it's an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) type, with lotsa Cold Cranking Amps (340CCA)... it's about $90 and free postage.... do yourself a favour and find another few $$ for a trickle charger.... a good type of charger may even be able to 'shock' your dead battery back to life... maybe good for a spare. cheers, John

[Nigel]

Hi

After letting my bike sit for 4 months the battery has died big time. I have recharged it but it is STuffed.

I see that this topic has not been updated for quite a while so I was wondering if anyone had any more feedback/ advice on which battery I should buy

On E Bay the price has come down a fair bit but I don't want to buy something  that will die after 12 months     


Thanks

John

Must use a trickle charger. ....................All my bikes have them and no issues...................

[Z900owner]

You sold me, I am going to order a SSB tomorrow when the doors open, I saw this add on Gumtree, prices start at $69.00 including delivery

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/canning-vale/motorcycle-scooter-parts/bike-batteries/1117094045

I have contacted the business owner and am just waiting for him to come back to me with a price.

Thanks for your input

Regards

John

[JC]

My Shorai batteries are now six years old and going strong.

As they have a very slow self discharge rate, they are zero maintenance and don't go too flat by themselves for about twelve months.
No mucking around connecting/disconnecting chargers after every ride with them.

These batteries come with a three year warranty in Australia.