Wilsons Sandbox

todd_mckinnon2000 wrote:

> > On my '03 KLR650 I have always used supersmart battery tender and my > factory battery is not holding a charge after 18 mos. Is this > normal? Is it ok to buy motorcycle battery from Walmart or must I > use Kawasaki dealer variety? Tks.

That seems a little short. Have you checked the water level in the battery lately? A Walmart batt is fine, that's what I put in mine because mine was completely shot and didn't want to wait for a higher tech batt to be ordered. Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004, todd_mckinnon2000 wrote:

> On my '03 KLR650 I have always used supersmart battery tender and my > factory battery is not holding a charge after 18 mos. Is this > normal?

You probably should not use the battery tender in normal use, just when you're storing the bike for long periods of time, and even then I'd only plug it in a couple of days a week. But yeah, this is fairly normal. Stock motorcycle batteries aren't the most rugged of beasties. The plates tend to flake with time, the sediments build up at the bottom of the battery, and eventually short the battery out, causing the battery to quit taking a charge.

> Is it ok to buy motorcycle battery from Walmart

The one at Wal-mart is a generic Yuasa lead-antimony battery. It's certainly acceptable, but a good lead-calcium AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery will last longer, give more cranking amps, and won't leak acid all over you when you drop the bike (it's sealed, effectively a "dry" cell). The Wal-Mart battery will set you back $38 and will last about the same 18 months as the stocker. The AGM battery will set you back about $60 and may last twice as long, depending on your usage patterns, since it has no liquid acid and no way for flaking plates to short out the battery. It can either be ordered online or from your local dealer. Due to the weight, it's generally cheaper to get from your local dealer. The one I bought for my bike is the Yuasa YTX14AHL-BS, which is 100% compatible (formfactor-wise) with the stock Yuasa battery, but there's a variety of AGM batteries out there. See the KLR650 FAQ (look at the footer of this EMAIL message).

> or must I > use Kawasaki dealer variety? Tks.

Kawasaki does not make batteries, they buy them from Yuasa, as does virtually everybody else who sells motorcycle batteries. Yes, you can probably order a Yuasa YTX14AHL-BS from your local Kawasaki dealer, he may even have one in stock. Or from any motorcycle dealer in town, for that matter -- it's a generic formfactor used by pretty much every motorcycle manufacturer at one time or another. (Except maybe by Harley-Davidson, you need a bit more juice to push those big jugs up and down . -E

One indication of a bad battery is it will look like it charges quickly (30 min on a trickle charger is too fast), but still has very low capacity. Ron [b]From:[/b] fordavidz@... [b]Sent:[/b]  Saturday , January 18 , 2014 2 : 54 PM [b]To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com   Gents, I have a 2007 KLR650. I charged up my battery and the bike starts for a few days and then it sounds like the battery is dying/dead. Some of you recommended to get a V meter and check whats draining the battery. I have not done that yet because it's been really cold in NY and i have no garage (the great city life...). What i did do was take the battery out to recharge at home (trickle charger). To my surprise the battery was fully charged in 30 minutes which means that the battery is good. Could it be a starter? Where should i look? Any ideas? ps- i've done some work on the bike but electrical stuff is all new to me so please respond as if you were talking to your 12 year old son -- David Z mobile: 646-267-1109 www.thelegendofzarko.com