Is my battery dead or not charging?

[talkToTheHat]

My motorcycle usually starts first blast of the starter. Recently the starter motor has been sounding slow and if the bike hasn't gone first blast, the second has been really feeble. I was working on the bike at the weekend, had the tail lights and side lights on for 15 minutes and about a minute of indicators, in the morning I had to pull out a car battery and jump leads. That made the starting most definitely not feeble. Bike has not let me down again.

Last night I left the battery on charge, charger reported 12.8V 0A when I disconnected it this morning, several hours later my multimeter told me I had 12.7V Bike started but starter sounded as feeble as has been typical.

Is my battery on its way out or should I be looking at other parts of the charging/starting system first?
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Bandit. does. everything.

[ADSrox0r]

Put a meter across the battery when running and see what the voltages are. You want around 13.5 or above at 2500rpm and under 14.8v at 5000rpm.

If it's in that range then you're getting charge from the alternator and more than likely it's a duff battery not holding charge. Unfortunately the only way to properly test a battery is take it to a garage with a load tester. Home tests with a meter can only show you so much.
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[mattfender666]

is this an xv535?

my battery gave me similar "dying" symptoms not long before the starter clutch gave up, is it clucking like a chicken?
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KH100>CG125>SR125>GPZ500S>XV535>XJ600N>GSX600F

[talkToTheHat]

no it's not making the dying bird noises. Starter clutch replaced early 2013, starter motor replaced with reconditioned one late 2013. Starter system is quiet and fast.

Charging voltage seems ok, but went for a long ride yesterday and checked battery voltage today and it was 12.1 so I've ordered a new battery. Bike is going in for paint and fender straightening this week, so battery is on charge now. Will take jump leads for when I go to collect the bike.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[MattEMulsion]

It certainly sounds like your battery has lost some of its capacity from what you describe. I'm fairly sure a decent quality replacement will solve your problems.
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Yamaha YZF-R6

[WD Forte]

Could well be the battery.
Mine was charging according to the onboard voltmeter and battery charger
but I could tell it wasn't holding a charge for long and had less and less
oomph when trying to start from cold.
The recent drops in temp has made it worse.
So...
Musing over these symptoms and what with it being at least 5 years old
I decided it had suffered enough and it was time to shell out on a new one.
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bikers smell of wee

[talkToTheHat]

New battery has indeed sorted everything.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[ADSrox0r]

It's worth spending 15 ponds on a Sparkbright voltage monitor for future battery fuckery.
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[ferrisio]

Or one of these for £1.81 - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261280377462?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT if you don't mind wiring it up.
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BMW R1100R

[talkToTheHat]

Tempting, but where would I mount such a thing? I've got a speedo and a tiny block of idiot lights, showing main beam, indicators and neutral.

There was a blanked out 4th light where the fuel light was on the 87 model, that I have put a green lens in and the LED from my alarm inside. Recon i could cram the 5mm sparkbright under that lens too?
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Bandit. does. everything.

[ADSrox0r]

Is that housing for the idiot lights made of plastic? If so then you'd likely be able to drill and pop the 5mm in no problem. Only thing with the 5mm is the control board is seperate from the LED unit, although we are only talking a tiny thing.
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[talkToTheHat]

Yeah, it's horrible chrome covered plastic. Easy enough to drill, just thinking of ways to make such an addon less ugly, hence my finding a 4th lens for the idiot light block, swapping it into the blanking hole and hiding the alarm flasher behind it.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[ADSrox0r]

It's only small, stick it in the middle and slightly above and it should look pukka.
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30