Battery on 2011 RT won't hold a charge

[RGVSpyderGirl]

Have had to jump start my battery three times in the last month. Took it in to dealer yesterday. Battery was only at 48%. Not enough to start engine. They put it on charger until it was fully charged. I drove 6 miles home. Less that 24 hours later, I put a Battery Tender on it. According to lights on tender, it had gone from fully charged to less than 80% charged just sitting in the garage overnight. Took 2 hours to get to over 80% and another hour to get to fully charged again. This is a brand new bike -- 395 miles. Just got my license yesterday so have been limited in how much I could ride. But jeez! What is draining my battery? The manual says to put it on a trickle charger if it sits for more than a month. Mine has never sit more than a week. Do I need to insist on a new battery or is something else wrong?

[boborgera]

Have had to jump start my battery three times in the last month. Took it in to dealer yesterday. Battery was only at 48%. Not enough to start engine. They put it on charger until it was fully charged. I drove 6 miles home. Less that 24 hours later, I put a Battery Tender on it. According to lights on tender, it had gone from fully charged to less than 80% charged just sitting in the garage overnight. Took 2 hours to get to over 80% and another hour to get to fully charged again. This is a brand new bike -- 395 miles. Just got my license yesterday so have been limited in how much I could ride. But jeez! What is draining my battery? The manual says to put it on a trickle charger if it sits for more than a month. Mine has never sit more than a week. Do I need to insist on a new battery or is something else wrong?

You need a new battery. I'm going to bet that if the battery terminals are tight you have a bad cell.
Ask them for a new one under warranty.

[AMTJIM]

Did they bother to check if the charging funtion is working? I'm suprised they dismissed you so quickly, there is a probem beyond a charge at the shop. I take it you rode it to the shop, the battery should have been near 100% coming in off a ride. If you are familiar with a volt meter and the battery location, compare the voltage before and after you have it running. Should obviously be about 12V before it's running and 14~16 while it's running to prove the charging system is reaching the battery.

[Dudley]

Too many times I have read where a dealer seems to brush off a Spyder owner. My guess here:

1. As was posted, bad cell.
2. Possible malfunctioning charging system (highly unlikely, but still probable)
3. Something is draining your battery when the Spyder is turned off (most likely cause). That will take some investigative work on the dealer's part.
4. Loose battery cables are always a probable. Many times what seems tight is not tight enough for a battery connection. The cables need to be TIGHT!

Another thought...I don't know of any dealer that charges the battery to full charge before turning over a new Spyder to a new owner. So, with the few miles you have over the month you have owned it, the Spyder probably never has been ridden for a long period of time, thereby never reaching full charge. Couple that with loose battery cables and the charge will never complete. The dealer charging the battery will not be affected by the loose cables, only when you try and charge it as you ride. After the dealer charged the battery and you rode it, the lights, etc., drained it again and if the cables are loose, it never charged up. So, my final guess, loose battery cables.

[clueless]

I would vote for lose battery connections

[RGVSpyderGirl]

Printed out your comments and went back to talk to service people this afternoon. Said they did test it with a load, checked for a bad cell, and checked cable connections. Need me to bring it in and leave it to test what is bringing battery down when it's just sitting. Thank you for helping to make me sound like I know what I'm talking about so they will not just brush me off. Will let you know the outcome.

[sledge]

I would vote for lose battery connections

yes...... that would be my First thing to check ... and the Cheapest too.

[boborgera]

Another thought...I don't know of any dealer that charges the battery to full charge before turning over a new Spyder to a new owner. .

Also, Anyone Dealer, Mechanic, or Owner that puts a new battery in any Vehicle should make Sure it's Fully charged.
With out doing that the battery will never last as long as one that has been fully charged before it's first use.

[GeekyRider]

I just wanted to say Thank you to Dudley for posting these. Long story short for me, 1) I installed a new battery a few months ago, but didn't really ride after because it was pretty cold here in DC area. 2) yesterday I installed a dual USB with Volt meter rocker switch, something I've been wanting to do for a while. After running the engine for a while, the volt readings kept on dropping which caused me to think that I had a short or leakage somewhere (I am not super smart about electricity). So I put on my software engineering hat and decided to remove the switch, then completely remove everything I entered and nothing, voltage kept on dropping. 3) Researching and hoping that I did not have to take it to the dealer, I stumbled on this post. Today, I went back to check my battery terminals and "tight wasn't tight enough". 4) Started the engine, checked with volt meter, battery was holding 14v while running and was not dropping.

Thank you!

Too many times I have read where a dealer seems to brush off a Spyder owner. My guess here:

1. As was posted, bad cell.
2. Possible malfunctioning charging system (highly unlikely, but still probable)
3. Something is draining your battery when the Spyder is turned off (most likely cause). That will take some investigative work on the dealer's part.
4. Loose battery cables are always a probable. Many times what seems tight is not tight enough for a battery connection. The cables need to be TIGHT!

Another thought...I don't know of any dealer that charges the battery to full charge before turning over a new Spyder to a new owner. So, with the few miles you have over the month you have owned it, the Spyder probably never has been ridden for a long period of time, thereby never reaching full charge. Couple that with loose battery cables and the charge will never complete. The dealer charging the battery will not be affected by the loose cables, only when you try and charge it as you ride. After the dealer charged the battery and you rode it, the lights, etc., drained it again and if the cables are loose, it never charged up. So, my final guess, loose battery cables.

[jsore6465]

had same problem with mine put battery in and all is ok 1000 miles

Have had to jump start my battery three times in the last month. Took it in to dealer yesterday. Battery was only at 48%. Not enough to start engine. They put it on charger until it was fully charged. I drove 6 miles home. Less that 24 hours later, I put a Battery Tender on it. According to lights on tender, it had gone from fully charged to less than 80% charged just sitting in the garage overnight. Took 2 hours to get to over 80% and another hour to get to fully charged again. This is a brand new bike -- 395 miles. Just got my license yesterday so have been limited in how much I could ride. But jeez! What is draining my battery? The manual says to put it on a trickle charger if it sits for more than a month. Mine has never sit more than a week. Do I need to insist on a new battery or is something else wrong?

[RetiredCGRider]

At a Harley Dealership they install a Battery Tender Pigtail on every new bike, and the first thing they sell the new owner is a Battery Tender. Because motorcycle batteries will run down over time. I left my new 2011 RT-S for 2 weeks and when I tried to start it, it wouldn't!
I installed a tender the next day and haven't had a problem since.

So all you Spyder people out there with battery problems, if you don't have a battery tender installed. Get Smart buy one!!!!!

[NancysToy]

At a Harley Dealership they install a Battery Tender Pigtail on every new bike, and the first thing they sell the new owner is a Battery Tender. Because motorcycle batteries will run down over time. I left my new 2011 RT-S for 2 weeks and when I tried to start it, it wouldn't!
I installed a tender the next day and haven't had a problem since.

So all you Spyder people out there with battery problems, if you don't have a battery tender installed. Get Smart buy one!!!!!

A Spyder should not run down in two weeks...especially in warmer weather. I suspect you have deeper problems. Better check your battery and frame connections, and maybe test the battery.

[boborgera]

A Spyder should not run down in two weeks...especially in warmer weather. I suspect you have deeper problems. Better check your battery and frame connections, and maybe test the battery.

My two wheeler sits for over 3 weeks at a time and starts right up,
My Rhino will sit for months and start right up. [5 year old battery]
I don't use a tender on either of them. I find if i have to use a tender to keep a battery charged that's only sitting a couple of weeks'
And there's nothing else wrong it's time for a new battery.

[molinoman]

I just came back from Afghanistan in June after buying buying my 2010 Triumph 1700 Thunderbird in February. It was not left on a charge at all. Started right up upon my return.

It does sound like you may have another problem if you have to (this is in reply for Retiredcgrider) keep it on charge like that.

Don't get me wrong I am not against battery tenders (personally I use a Triumph Optimizer charger) they do serve a purpose...but I was surprised that my bike did start up after sitting idle for four and a half months.

Dennis

[hensmanj4220]

I have a 2011 Can AM Spyder RTS-SE5 and just experienced a Check DPS Warning - it comes and goes (seems to reset itself). I checked the fuses associated with the DPS, but found they are OK. Is there a sensor in line somewhere that could be failing? Steering is fine - no problems - just this crazy warning light that I cannot track down to fix.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have a 2011 Can AM Spyder RTS-SE5 and just experienced Check DPS Warning - it comes and goes (seems to reset itself). I check the fuses associated with the DPS, but found they are OK. Is there a sensor in line somewhere that could be failing. Steering is find - no problems - just this crazy warning light that I cannot track down to fix.

ARtraveler is correct about the age of this post ..... however I'll try and answer your question ..... the early year Spyders 08 to 11 ( or so ) had serious issues with Failing DPS units ..... BRP actually had a RECALL on them and they were Replaced for FREE .... it's now 2023 so I doubt they will swap yours for free .... a Dealer could tell you ( based on your VIN ) whether yours was done EVER ..... good luck .... Mike

[ARtraveler]

You might want to check the date on this one. Most of the three pages took place back in 2011. A couple posts from 2012 and then 2018.

[pegasus1300]

Yes, check the battery connections. And while you are there put star washers under the screws, so they won't come loose again. Next step is how old is the battery and is it in good shape? Have it load tested at an auto parts store or shop. Also, the early VTwin had a charging systen that was barely adequate to supply the needs of the vehicle when running. Are you running any extra electrical loads? If your system is at max you may not be getting enough electrical power to feed the battery and the DPS as it is a real power hog. BTW the Spyder electrical system will NEVER fully charge the battery, unless it is fully charged to begin with. Charge it with a Battery charger not a maintainer. Again a maintainer will not fully charge a battery either