Lifting/Replacing battery in 2018 RTL

[Flamewinger]

I was noticing that my RT wasn't starting like it should after a week or two of not riding. I found I had to plug in the Battery Tender JR to bring it back which took a day or a bit more before the LED turned green. When I first got the bike I could leave it in the garage for 2-3 weeks and the bike would start fine, no problems, but lately 4-5 days and it wouldn't start and recently, after 7 days, I turned the key and the lights were very weak. So . . . I figured the dealer didn't prep the battery right and I need to replace it. ( the bike has 7200 miles since the beginning of Feb. So I ride a bit and and do use the charger mostly in winter when its cooler.

Got new battery from Amazon $92. I also noticed the difficulty in getting the battery out once it was disconnected. It's heavy and makes for a pain to remove. I got a rubber tie down strap and bunched it up to form a handle and hooked the metal hooks into the battery terminals (ONE AT A TIME) and was able to pull the battery out easy. Helps in lifting it also.

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[Flamewinger]

Why my images are upside down, I don't know. Tried flipping the images and re-uploading them and they still show up wrong.

[Arion]

Seems to be a good idea to me, even though the photos are upside down. Makes it look like you have a floating battery. ;)

[UtahPete]

I was noticing that my RT wasn't starting like it should after a week or two of not riding. I found I had to plug in the Battery Tender JR to bring it back which took a day or a bit more before the LED turned green. When I first got the bike I could leave it in the garage for 2-3 weeks and the bike would start fine, no problems, but lately 4-5 days and it wouldn't start and recently, after 7 days, I turned the key and the lights were very weak. So . . . I figured the dealer didn't prep the battery right and I need to replace it. ( the bike has 7200 miles since the beginning of Feb. So I ride a bit and and do use the charger mostly in winter when its cooler.

Got new battery from Amazon $92. I also noticed the difficulty in getting the battery out once it was disconnected. It's heavy and makes for a pain to remove. I got a rubber tie down strap and bunched it up to form a handle and hooked the metal hooks into the battery terminals (ONE AT A TIME) and was able to pull the battery out easy. Helps in lifting it also.

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good idea

[JP58]

BRP would have replaced your battery under warranty. Less than a year old.

[Flamewinger]

Not my local dealer and it's 2 hours to the one I do go to. My local wanted the battery to be dead and me stuck on the road and not at home. When I bought it they had a Can Am tech but lost her and now they might be getting her back but their service management is not good.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Why my images are upside down, I don't know. Tried flipping the images and re-uploading them and they still show up wrong.
Did you take your pictures holding your camera upside down? If so, that's the problem. Phones and other devices and many, if not most, photo programs will show a picture in correct orientation regardless of its real orientation. What you have to do is on your computer open the picture in a photo program, orient it correctly, and do a save as to force the file copy to retain the correct orientation info. I don't mess with any kind of photo manipulation on my phone or tablet so can't say what has to be done to correct the embedded orientation.

[Flamewinger]

I did try flipping it and they still showed up wrong. Even flipping them back didn't work. Weird.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I did try flipping it and they still showed up wrong. Even flipping them back didn't work. Weird.

What program did you use to flip them? Did you save it as new file, not just simply hitting save?

[Flamewinger]

What program did you use to flip them? Did you save it as new file, not just simply hitting save?

I use a MacBook and the Photos app.

[Bfromla]

:roflblack: updated servers/site & pictures are still the most confusing thing:banghead::bdh:
Congrats by the way, *& EVERYONE please remember lift with your legs NOT your back!:yikes:nojoke

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I use a MacBook and the Photos app.
See my thread here: http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?116645-Photo-orientation-issue

[Flamewinger]

Wonder if this works.

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[cptjam]

No. The terminals are very soft, and lifting by them will probably ruin it. I have done lots of Batteries, and have seen plenty of broken terminals. Maybe yanking our a bad one that is headed to the trash, but a new one, never!

[Flamewinger]

I didn't "Yank". I carefully pulled it out and after watching other try to get the very heavy battery out made me think of this. It worked great and I was able to drop the new one in just fine. You come up with a better way to get the battery up and out!

[Nobodyjj]

Using a Apple I pad make sure your home button is on the right then your pics will be right side up.

[trikermutha]

Just be careful those hooks can bend and cause injury / damage.

[Flamewinger]

No. The terminals are very soft, and lifting by them will probably ruin it. I have done lots of Batteries, and have seen plenty of broken terminals. Maybe yanking our a bad one that is headed to the trash, but a new one, never!

Look closely, do these terminals look damaged? This is the battery I took out.

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[cptjam]

Yes! The left one looks terrible! More importantly, in the instructions, it says do not handle by the terminals! If you still have the old one laying around, smack that terminal with a ball peen hammer. It will crush. Go ahead, it is junk anyway. You will see how soft the terminals are. I just don’t want anyone to ruin a brand new battery, or worse, get hurt. It worked for you, once. I believe you are lucky. In fact, I know you are! Me, not so much. Removing the battery properly does not require hooking a strap to the terminals. A slight change in the terminal might make the connection difficult. Worse, ruin a new battery. YMMV! Joe

[Flamewinger]

Yes! The left one looks terrible! More importantly, in the instructions, it says do not handle by the terminals! If you still have the old one laying around, smack that terminal with a ball peen hammer. It will crush. Go ahead, it is junk anyway. You will see how soft the terminals are. I just don’t want anyone to ruin a brand new battery, or worse, get hurt. It worked for you, once. I believe you are lucky. In fact, I know you are! Me, not so much. Removing the battery properly does not require hooking a strap to the terminals. A slight change in the terminal might make the connection difficult. Worse, ruin a new battery. YMMV! Joe

The left one looks just like the right one and this IS THE OLD ONE that I took out using the tarp strap with the metal hooks inside each terminal. As I said, come up with a better way to get it up and out.

[youngers]

shoot flame , that was a good idea ... helped a fellow rider with their battery exchange , those things are a beast to work into the housing of the newer model cycles , getting the cables too cooperate , position the battery , get the hold down for the battery right plus the weight of battery itself , took about 1 hour ! this lifting strap for old battery is a good idea ! as for putting the new battery in next time ... I will call captjam ! :roflblack: ( awwwww come on it was a good place for a joke )

[jcthorne]

The left one looks just like the right one and this IS THE OLD ONE that I took out using the tarp strap with the metal hooks inside each terminal. As I said, come up with a better way to get it up and out.

I have changed countless batteries in Spyders. Never needed any sort of strap. You simply reach in and pick it up once everything is disconnected and out of the way.

The manufacture CLEARLY states NOT to lift by the terminals. Its not because of distortion to the terminal blocks but because it can easily cause breakage of the terminal from the plates below. Its NOT designed to support the weight of the battery. EVER. You cannot see the cracks and damage caused. Those cracks in the connections are a large part of what leads to battery explosions.

Do not lift the battery using hooks or other methods of attaching to the terminals. If you MUST have a tool to lift the battery, they do exist. They clamp from the sides. I use them in cars and trucks but never found one needed for the small motorcycle batteries.

[Flamewinger]

I have changed countless batteries in Spyders. Never needed any sort of strap. You simply reach in and pick it up once everything is disconnected and out of the way.

The manufacture CLEARLY states NOT to lift by the terminals. Its not because of distortion to the terminal blocks but because it can easily cause breakage of the terminal from the plates below. Its NOT designed to support the weight of the battery. EVER. You cannot see the cracks and damage caused. Those cracks in the connections are a large part of what leads to battery explosions.

Do not lift the battery using hooks or other methods of attaching to the terminals. If you MUST have a tool to lift the battery, they do exist. They clamp from the sides. I use them in cars and trucks but never found one needed for the small motorcycle batteries.

I'd like to see a video of you "simply reach in and pick it up". I've seen many videos and watch a few guys try to get it out and it was a pain. As I said, come up with a better way.

[jcthorne]

As I said, I have removed and replaced countless batteries in Spyders. Once the leads and hold down clamp are removed, the battery tilts forward and you reach in and pick it up. I own and operate a Spyder shop, do this all the time. The hardest part is the awkward angle. If the trunk lid is removed it becomes MUCH easier as you can straddle the nose of the frunk but I seldom have this luxury.

Lifting it via the terminals is NOT a better way. Its asking for trouble.

[Flamewinger]

As I said, I have removed and replaced countless batteries in Spyders. Once the leads and hold down clamp are removed, the battery tilts forward and you reach in and pick it up. I own and operate a Spyder shop, do this all the time. The hardest part is the awkward angle. If the trunk lid is removed it becomes MUCH easier as you can straddle the nose of the frunk but I seldom have this luxury.

Lifting it via the terminals is NOT a better way. Its asking for trouble.

Then make a video and show us. What I did had no effect on either the new battery or the old I removed. So what trouble should I expect since neither battery is damaged?

[Peter Aawen]

Admittedly, the following article is from Optima, but it is arguably still pertinent:

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2013/03/never-lift-or-carry-your-battery-terminals

Certainly in my experience (albeit mainly with car, 4WD, & truck batteries) there is probably no worse way to lift a battery than by the terminals! You might be lucky & THINK you've gotten away with it because things didn't spark or short out immediately, but usually the internal damage that is almost always caused will show up when you least need/want it to! :shocked:

I really do hope you don't find out the hard way, but I suspect (or is that expect?) that you just might.... :dontknow:

[Flamewinger]

Admittedly, the following article is from Optima, but it is still pertinent:

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2013/03/never-lift-or-carry-your-battery-terminals

You're kidding!!! This is how not to lift a CAR battery as it's much heavier than our M/C batteries and the hooks I'm talking about go into the terminals and easily HELP to lift out. Not carry, not continue to handle, just enough to pull the battery out as it's very difficult. Jeeze!

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Admittedly, the following article is from Optima, but it is arguably still pertinent:

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2013/03/never-lift-or-carry-your-battery-terminals

Certainly in my experience (albeit mainly with car, 4WD, & truck batteries) there is probably no worse way to lift a battery than by the terminals!
IIRC, about 60 years ago there were carrying straps made to carry 6 volt car batteries by the terminals. Were batteries just made much more rugged back then, or did nobody really recognize the potential for damage?


Edit: O'Reilly Auto Parts has a strap for carrying golf cart batteries by the terminals.

[Peter Aawen]

Idaho, I suspect that there might be some truth in your thought that batteries were just made that more rugged back then, but even so, those straps were only ever used for a short period before their failings became obvious! Check out the article - it was just the first on the list of many that came up on a simple search.... But in any case, they were very rarely used in manufacturing &/or by those who handled batteries a lot. In fact, the frequency & severity of injuries to the user &/or damage to the batteries was so bad that those straps were banned as being 'dangerously unsafe' by the automotive industry here in Aust (aka the Nanny State that legislates to protect the lowest common denominator! :rolleyes: )

[sandeejs]

You can easily fashion a "strap" for the new battery with some duct tape, avoiding terminals.
I had a hell of time trying to remove a battery from my Spyder. Maybe my hands just aren't strong enough.
Admittedly, I removed used, dead or dying batteries by the terminals for years. Didn't worry about the damage done, because it was going in the trash anyway.
YMMV

~Sandee~

[Flamewinger]

You can easily fashion a "strap" for the new battery with some duct tape, avoiding terminals.
I had a hell of time trying to remove a battery from my Spyder. Maybe my hands just aren't strong enough.
Admittedly, I removed used, dead or dying batteries by the terminals for years. Didn't worry about the damage done, because it was going in the trash anyway.
YMMV

~Sandee~

Exactly, I didn't need the strap for the new one just to get the old one out. Good idea to use duck tape on new battery so when it needs to be replaced it will be easy to get it out.

[UtahPete]

You can easily fashion a "strap" for the new battery with some duct tape, avoiding terminals.
I had a hell of time trying to remove a battery from my Spyder. Maybe my hands just aren't strong enough. ~Sandee~

Good idea.