Battery woes

dudders7 · Scooby Slapper Joined: 02 Nov 2010 Karma :

G'day all,
I bought my 95 ZX6R about a month ago and it has all be going good, but the temperature out here in Aus has dropped a bit at night recently and the battery does not seem to be holding its charge, so I popped the seat off the other day to give it a proper charge and I discovered my battery was pregnant... Well severely swollen!

So much so I think I will need to remove the tank and rear fairings to get the bastard out, it has got what looks like quite an expensive Motobatt in it. I am thinking I must have an overcharging problem? I do not know how old the battery is or how long it has been swollen. I will get the voltmeter out tomorrow and check the charging voltage at different revs, could anyone tell me what sort of voltage I should be expecting at different RPM?

Any tips on how to tell whether the reg/rec is fried or whether the Stator needs replacing. Any tips greatly appreciated as need to get this sorted ASAP before I embark on a 2000 mile road trip up north!

Thanks Smile

____________________
Riding in the sun in Australia on a 04 Worked ZX10R along with a fleet of other crazy toys

neatbik · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Karma :

Yep, sounds like the battery has been overcharged.

If the voltage from the reg/rec is more than 14.5v with the bike revving then its too much. It should be about 14v at idle.

Thumbs Up

harscot · Crazy Courier Joined: 19 Apr 2011 Karma :

Hi bud, was the battery ok when you bought the bike ( no swelling ), because it's possible that that it was charged by a car charger by the previous owner, happend to me by me Embarassed

, a car chargers rate of amps 4! is way to high, of course I maybe way off the mark, just a thought for you though, anyway you will need to get a new batt regardless, Thumbs Up

____________________
First bike R reg Suzuki 125 GT twin in 1978:
2nd bike X reg Honda 650 Deauville in 2011:
Wish bike a Triumph Thunderbird: Dream bike Triumph Rocket........

dudders7 · Scooby Slapper Joined: 02 Nov 2010 Karma :

When I got the bike it all started up fine so I did not check the battery, although its a possibility that it has been that way since I got it. As the moment the weather got colder the battery has not got enough power to start the bike. I have bought a new battery but I am not fitting that until I know if I have a charging problem. Will check after the voltage after work.
Thanks
____________________
Riding in the sun in Australia on a 04 Worked ZX10R along with a fleet of other crazy toys