3yr old battery. It's dead isn't it?

[Hugo Stiglitz v2]

3yr old bike. I'm guessing it's the OEM battery. Stupidly I left the Oxford hand warmers on not realising that the first owner disabled the auto off after the ignition is switched off.


I've put it on a charger for 8 hours but the battery is showing 11.5v.

It's safe to say give up on it?

[RoadToad84]

Not necessarily. If you have access to an Optimate/smart charger then it might be worth trying that. I've had success with deep discharged batteries in the past.

I once, and I'm not recommending this as it might be dangerous, has a completely dead battery that had a few years on it. A trickle charger wouldn't touch it. So I connected my jump pack to it, and then connected the trickle charger and left it overnight. Not only did my house not burn down, I also got another 5 years out of that battery.

[trickywoo]

How long was it flat for?

A few days you might still recover it but if it was weeks it’s goosed.

Also worth considering that even if you do get it back it will still be degraded and much more likely to let you down out of the blue compared to a new one.

[Hugo Stiglitz v2]

trickywoo said:

How long was it flat for?

A few days you might still recover it but if it was weeks it’s goosed.

Also worth considering that even if you do get it back it will still be degraded and much more likely to let you down out of the blue compared to a new one.

Weeks. Batteries are the one thing that I'm funny about.

I borrowed a trickle charger from work to give it a try as a spare incase some dumb ass leaves the handwarmer on again

[Jazoli]

It’s knackered, hth.

[SkylineExplorer]

three years is about the time most batteries start to struggle,especially if they’ve had heavy use or extreme weather exposure.

Mght be worth testing it before replacing, though.

[Biker 1]

I've had car batteries last 5 years, bike batteries less, so 3 years+ totally discharging it probably means it's effectively knackered. Even if you do manage to resurrect it, it's lifespan will have been severely affected. Defo buy a new one! Boat batteries are even worse for reliability....

[KTMsm]

I highly recommend CTEK 5 amp chargers they will recover batteries that the cheap chargers can't

I also recommend the cheap CCA testers on ebay that will measure the voltage when cranking

I've had several batteries that charge to 13+ volts, indicate 200+ CCA and yet after five starts are dead on a big bike

When you test them when cranking, if they drop below 9 volts they're shortly going to let you down

[Biker 1]

Any idea why the original owner disabled the auto off function? Maybe there is a wiring issue? Might be worth upgrading the heated grips while you're at it & also give the rest of the wiring the once over. Check chafing wires, corroded connectors etc

[Triaguar]

I treat batteries as the disposable item they are. 3years old? Replace it. It's just waiting to let you down....even now it will be plotting to work outbthe most inconvenient place to get you!!

[Biker 1]

Yep. £50 odd is decent value compared to waiting for a breakdown truck.

[KTMsm]

Biker 1 said:

Yep. £50 odd is decent value compared to waiting for a breakdown truck.

£50 !!

You clearly aren't using Tayna

[Biker 1]

I bought loads of batteries from Tayna. Depends what size/spec etc. I would highly recommend them - massive range of stuff & really good packaging/delivery.

[ssray]

Just kinda done the same thing, zzr11 had a operation and didn't start it for about 5 weeks , charged it and it started, next day nothing and showing just over 12v

[Simon_GH]

I’d give it 24 hours on a charger but in my experience bike batteries are a bit delicate and don’t have a great life expectancy.

[Hugo Stiglitz v2]

KTMsm said:

Biker 1 said:

Yep. £50 odd is decent value compared to waiting for a breakdown truck.

£50 !!

You clearly aren't using Tayna

Yup, it was £87. I almost needed a Valium tablet.

[Donbot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shs7VQhVvxA

[Biker 1]

Hugo Stiglitz v2 said:

KTMsm said:

Biker 1 said:

Yep. £50 odd is decent value compared to waiting for a breakdown truck.

£50 !!

You clearly aren't using Tayna

Yup, it was £87. I almost needed a Valium tablet.

So I was only a few ££ out. £87 is not a massive amount, even if it lasts 3 years!

[KTMsm]

Hugo Stiglitz v2 said:

Yup, it was £87. I almost needed a Valium tablet.

I've never paid anything like that much - What bike was it?

[Hugo Stiglitz v2]

Suzuki DL1050XT