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I usually unplug from the tender and hit the starter button and it fires right up. Then I take off. It's after I'm out on the road it won't start when the battery goes bad. There is no slow crank warning. Either it starts instantly or there is no life.
Peter what do you mean by cranking 3 times? With the kill switch off? You hit the button on my CB and it starts instantly it doesn't crank.
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I guess we could take the bike off the battery tender and then check for voltage dropping with a multimeter over the course of a few days to make sure its holding a charge also.
Recently figured out thats what was happening with a car battery
2014 CB1100, 1981 KZ440 LTD, 1993 Yamaha XJ600 Seca, 1994 Yamaha XJ600 Seca
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Thank all you guys for your answers! Wow, Ferret got ten years out of a battery! I'll do my battery research today, and I won't limit it to YUASA (Dyna Volt sounds like an option - is this Chinese?). I think I remember seeing where the YUASA battery was manufactured (maybe the YUASA website?) when I recently replaced my VFR800 battery, and I'll see if I can purchase a battery manufactured in Japan. Thanks again guys!
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(03-06-2025, 01:22 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: I usually unplug from the tender and hit the starter button and it fires right up. Then I take off. It's after I'm out on the road it won't start when the battery goes bad. There is no slow crank warning. Either it starts instantly or there is no life.
Peter what do you mean by cranking 3 times? With the kill switch off? You hit the button on my CB and it starts instantly it doesn't crank.
I usually unplug from the tender and hit the starter button and it fires right up. - maybe that's why you never have any warning sign of a weak battery...
I may charge the battery 1-3 times during the winter if I don't ride like in this weird season.
I never charge the battery at all during my riding season, the CB does that.
If the kill/red switch is activated = no crank at all.
Crank/starts then shut off and repeat 3 times in a row...don't do it every day/time.
I do this simple test before my new season begins.
Of course I have a voltmeter and also can do an AVR test/battery load test if I want, but not everyone has it...
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Hi Guys. In my battery research, I just discovered that new YUASA batteries require an initial charge, and states "THE BATTERY CHARGER USED FOR INITIAL CHARGING SHOULD BE ABLE TO CHARGE AT 12.8+ VOLTS FOR AN AGM BATTERY". I've always used my Battery Tender charger for my initial charge on new batteries, but I don't know what the output voltage is. I just tested all four of my battery tenders, and none of them register any output voltage! I can't believe that all four of my battery tenders are malfunctioning, and my volt meter measures battery voltage accurately. Is there something in the circuitry of a Battery Tender that prevents me from measuring the output voltage? Do any of you have any experience using a battery tender to apply the initial charge to a new battery? Thank you.
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Yes they are basically "smart chargers" if they are not sensing the circuit (hooked up to a battery) they will not pump out voltage. (I may have butchered that explanation)
Thats why they are safe to leave on long term because they will drop the output voltage when the battery is at full capacity and just maintain a "trickle" charge as needed.
At least that is my understanding. Someone smarter will chime in im sure
2014 CB1100, 1981 KZ440 LTD, 1993 Yamaha XJ600 Seca, 1994 Yamaha XJ600 Seca
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(03-06-2025, 03:44 AM)mvk24_imp Wrote: Yes they are basically "smart chargers" if they are not sensing the circuit (hooked up to a battery) they will not pump out voltage. (I may have butchered that explanation)
Thats why they are safe to leave on long term because they will drop the output voltage when the battery is at full capacity and just maintain a "trickle" charge as needed.
At least that is my understanding. Someone smarter will chime in im sure
2014 CB1100, 1981 KZ440 LTD, 1993 Yamaha XJ600 Seca, 1994 Yamaha XJ600 Seca
That's my understanding as to how a battery tender works. If there is a drop in battery voltage it charges until it's full then goes into rest mode..hence a "tender"
FAQs | Battery Tender
Battery Tender
https://www.batterytender.com › pages › faqs
They automatically switch to a safe float voltage level that keeps the battery charged and yet does not do any harm to the battery.
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In my experience, the factory YTZ batteries from Yuasa I had in both my 2013 and 2014 CBs, and a replacement YTZ in my 2004 Bonneville all failed without warning, within about 4-5 years. The older YTX series seem more reliable.
All of them lived on trickle chargers, and they started up fine, but one failed as I was riding, the other two wouldn't restart after I stopped at a destination. They bump started or were jumped, and got me home fine, but couldn't be trusted.
Cheap replacement batteries I've bought off Amazon, maybe 1/4 of the price or less, have been more reliable and longer lasting. Even so, I now carry one of those jumper packs in my Aerostich.
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(03-06-2025, 02:29 AM)Dave_imp Wrote: Thank all you guys for your answers! Wow, Ferret got ten years out of a battery! I'll do my battery research today, and I won't limit it to YUASA (Dyna Volt sounds like an option - is this Chinese?). I think I remember seeing where the YUASA battery was manufactured (maybe the YUASA website?) when I recently replaced my VFR800 battery, and I'll see if I can purchase a battery manufactured in Japan. Thanks again guys!
Yes.
