F*CKIN BATTERY!!!!

[Snoogle]

Went to the old girl this morning...uncovered her..unlocked her...got her out onto the road...ignition on....choke on...press the starter button...*cough cough cough* ***BANG*** splutter splutter splutter die. Had to wheel the poor girl back inside get her covered up again and take the trusty Megane to work!!

Anyway, back to the reason for the post....can anybody give me any clues as to a decent battery for a replacement or is the issue a much of a muchness (are they all pretty similar at doing the same job?)

Cheers for help in advance chaps!!

[chi kung]

I got a gel battery for mine a few weeks ago. So far so good. It cost £45.

[sirch345]

I personally rate a Yuasa battery which is original equipment. I can't comment on Gel batteries as I've not tried one myself.

Which model bike do you have, the earlier Storm with the 16ltr fuel tank or the later 19ltr model as batteries are different sizes,

Chris.

PS. Looking at your post again, has your rectifier been replaced do you know it may have failed. It's located under the tail/seat plastic's on the rear brake pedal side of the bike. The earlier bikes were fitted without cooling fins on the rectifier causing them to over heat and consequently fail.

If your bike is the 19ltr fuel tank model it should already have a finned rectifier as standard.

If you can jump start the bike with another battery then check the charging rate at the battery terminals before replacing the battery (it should be between 13.5 - 15.5 volts), otherwise if it has failed and taken the battery with it the same thing could happen with the new battery.

[Snoogle]

I personally rate a Yuasa battery which is original equipment. I can't comment on Gel batteries as I've not tried one myself.

Which model bike do you have, the earlier Storm with the 16ltr fuel tank or the later 19ltr model as batteries are different sizes,

Chris.

PS. Looking at your post again, has your rectifier been replaced do you know it may have failed. It's located under the tail/seat plastic's on the rear brake pedal side of the bike. The earlier bikes were fitted without cooling fins on the rectifier causing them to over heat and consequently fail.

If your bike is the 19ltr fuel tank model it should already have a finned rectifier as standard.

If you can jump start the bike with another battery then check the charging rate at the battery terminals before replacing the battery (it should be between 13.5 - 15.5 volts), otherwise if it has failed and taken the battery with it the same thing could happen with the new battery.

Its the early model one with the smaller tank (unfortunately)
The rectifier packed up on the previous owner so he had this replaced with one that had one with fins to stop it from doing it again so know hat this isnt causing the prob.
When I bought it it had been stood for around 6 months without being run or the battery on charge so fairly sure the battery is shagged.

On a side note, is it worth changin the battery to the later style one with a view to swapping the tanks at a later date also???

[benny hedges]

standard battery is 12 A/h but you can slot a 14A/h one in the same space, gives a bit more starting power & if you're running heated grips etc.
just make sure you fit it the right polarity obviously or you will blow the 30A fuse in the starter solenoid!

[sirch345]

Its the early model one with the smaller tank (unfortunately)
The rectifier packed up on the previous owner so he had this replaced with one that had one with fins to stop it from doing it again so know hat this isnt causing the prob.
When I bought it it had been stood for around 6 months without being run or the battery on charge so fairly sure the battery is shagged.

On a side note, is it worth changin the battery to the later style one with a view to swapping the tanks at a later date also???

Nothing wrong with the earlier models they have slightly more bhp

Even though the rectifier has been replaced with a finned type, I'd still put a volt meter across the battery terminals when you fit the new battery just to double check. Somewhere between 13.5 - 15.5 volts is what you want.

I agree, if the battery has been left in the bike without a battery tender then I expect you're right, it needs replacing.

IMHO no point in fitting the later (19ltr tank model) battery as it's shorter than the earlier ones. Battery size has nothing to do with the fuel tank size.

The standard battery for the 16ltr tank model is 130mm tall. Benny says about fitting a bigger amp hour battery which is a good mod for those colds morning starts, especially if you ride all year around.

The bigger amp hr battery is basically a Honda XL1000V Varadero battery, the only down side is you'll need to cut the top off your battery box as it approx 15mm taller. If you do go for the bigger battery, with the top cut off the battery box you'll need to make sure nothing metal can come into contact with the live (+) battery terminal and the sub-frame like a loose spanner under the seat

Here's a link below for a standard Yuasa battery for your earlier model bike.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yuasa-YTX12-BS-Ba ... 33624f2ff5

HTH,

Chris.

[tony.mon]

I'd recommend fitting a voltmeter so that you can see what's going on as you ride, that way you'll be able to spot a RR failure before it cooks the battery and leaves you stranded.
I fitted an Acumen combined volt/gear indicator, wouldn't do without one now.

Not simple to fit (plug'n'play? No ), but I posted the wiring instruction in the Workshop Knowledgebase.

If anyone wants one fitted I can do this on-site- they're about £75 to buy in various colours, and fitting is possible at my place in Sevenoaks or at yours, PM me for a quote.
Reg/Rec conversions also possible, Honda or R1/R6 ones.

[benny hedges]

The bigger amp hr battery is basically a Honda XL1000V Varadero battery, the only down side is you'll need to cut the top off your battery box as it approx 15mm taller. If you do go for the bigger battery, with the top cut off the battery box you'll need to make sure nothing metal can come into contact with the live (+) battery terminal and the sub-frame like a loose spanner under the seat

i took the battery cover off mine when i fitted the bigger battery, no detriment.
in fact losing 31g of plastic has made my bike faster, but is offset by adding more lead in the battery to help keep the front wheel down.
i notice the bigger battery has made my bike handle better round corners and i can now scrape the bar ends easily, even on straight roads.

the + terminal should have a rubber cover on it so no real danger of shorting it out.

[sirch345]

the + terminal should have a rubber cover on it so no real danger of shorting it out.

You're right Benny it should have a rubber cover on the live (+) connection but, not all battery leads have, ask Beamish

Chris.