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Battery trickle charger.. Battery trickle charger..
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Yamaha Tech Originally the Yamaha XT600 Tech Forum, due to demand it now includes all Yamaha's technical / mechanical / repair / preparation questions.
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  #1  
Old 23 Dec 2011
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Battery trickle charger..
Hey guys...

So.. I think my battery is dead...again!

Problem was I charged the battery with my dad's battery charger..
Although I set it to charge at minimum charging power (0.85Ah) and on the battery it says to charge at 0.8Ah from 5 to 10 hours, I charged at the 0.85Ah for 8h just to be on the safe side.

Thing is... before I unplugged the battery charger from the battery with the multimeter it was measuring about 16 volts and I was shocked

The battery does hold a stable charge at around 13volts (if I don't try to turn on the bike) BUT it just won't turn the engine and I can only hear the starter relay going "trrrrrrrrrr" as if the battery was flat...


It's dead ain't it?!
Or am I missing something?

So now, I've bought this battery charger:

MOTOBATT LITTLE BOY 12 VOLT MOTORCYCLE CHARGER TENDER GEL AGM FLOODED 5YR WARR | eBay

At 31 USD shipped to Portugal I'ma give it a try.. oh and it has a 5year warranty!!


Anyone ever used one of these?


Vando
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Old 23 Dec 2011
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There might be other problems (not the battery) that are causing you're reluctant starting:
1) Oxidised starter cable wire - if you're bike is more than 10 years old then the cable to the starter motor might not be able to flow enough current - run an additional decent cable direct from the battery to the starter motor
2) Is your starter motor knackered? Easy enough to take it off and bench test it.
3) Old oil - this can completely stop a cold engine from turning on the starter motor in vans I've worked on, might be an issue on a bike?

Does it start up if you add an additional battery?
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  #3  
Old 23 Dec 2011
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Agree with Henry - connection is probably bad. Clean the ground cable connection at both ends, and the battery terminals especially. You might have cooked it - but unless it was fully charged and then you gave it a lot of charge, it should be ok. Having said that, it depends a lot on the codition and SIZE of the battery. A little tiny dirt bike battery is probably toast, a big BMW or Harley battery probably fine.

for quick and dirty reference - on a 20ah rated battery, the max charge would be 20 hours at 1 amp if it's totally dead!

btw - 16 volts BEFORE you unplugged isn't likely disastrous. What is it an hour later is what matters.
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Old 23 Dec 2011
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Put a load on the battery and watch the voltage.
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Old 24 Dec 2011
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Hey guys...

The oil is new.. about 4months ago.
The battery cables are new and look free of oxidation..

Battery is an YTX9-BS... the standard for the XT600E
I've just tried a battery load tester and the voltage drops to 3 or 4 volts..


I jumped the battery with my car battery (tho I had to accelerate the car a bit) and the bike turned on so I guess that rules out the starter relay and the starter itself?


Vando
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Old 24 Dec 2011
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Yep, that sounds like your battery then!
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Old 24 Dec 2011
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Thanks guys!

Anyway, back to the topic... what do you guys think about that battery trickle charger?


I've been reading a bit and it seems that a trickle charger Might heal the battery..

Tomorrow I'ma finish welding the kickstart stopper (on the footpeg lol) and I don't know if I'ma get another battery right now or just get a Battery Eliminator BATTERY Replacer/Eliminator f. SR/XBR 500 SRX XL/XR/XT 600 | eBay to use with the kickstart....

I'm just worried that this might damage the regulator rectifier or even the stator as they'll be consistently be trying to charge the supposed battery....

What do you guys think?

bike is a 1990 XT600E with retrofitted kickstart...


Merry Christmas!
Vando
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Old 24 Dec 2011
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I'm not sure exactly how that unit works but I am building a bike with no battery next year and will be using a capacitor to store the charge for the next spark and I believe I will have to fit a zenor diode and heat sink to get rid of the excess charge produced - it looks like you would have to check with the manufacturer for that unit. I take it you aren't planning on running any accesories or charging anything off the bike?

I know that both my trickle chargers can desulfate batteries - but only to a point, some are just too far gone.

I have a scooter that came non-running on a sorn with an old (dead) battery in it. Not having anything else to hand my team mate pissed in it and it works fine? Probably not recommended but good to know!
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