2018 RTL One-Click but Won't Start

[FalconAF]

Hi all. Need some advice before I accidentally blow something up.

Hadn't ridden my 2018 RTL for several weeks. Was garaged, but didn't have it on a battery tender. Came out to start it, turned the key on, gauges all lit up, hit the Mode switch to acknowledge the "read the Safety Card", then put foot on brake and hit starter button. Got one "click" and no engine turnover. Gauge display reset and went through it's "loading" cycle again. Subsequent start attempts result in same "click" trying again to restart. I'm not seeing any "scrolling error messages" on the dash display about a "bad key" or etc as listed in the Owner's Manual Troubleshooting section. Yes...I also checked the "kill switch" is in the proper position.

Figured the battery died (even though it should only be about 2 years old?). Went and bought a Battery Tender Jr and hooked it up to a pigtail under the seat from the battery (had one installed by Joe and Ann at Squared Away a while ago when they were doing some other things for me on the Spyder). The tender showed the red light when I initially connected it (ie - Dead Battery), then shortly after started the blinking green light (charging), then numerous hours later showed the solid green light (charged and maintaining status). So I tried starting the Spyder again. No joy. Same "One-Click" result pushing the starter button. Then when I plugged the tender back in it showed the red light, like there was no battery charge whatsoever again. I let it recharge again to a steady green light, but still get same results each time. I've gone through that cycle a few times with no different results. It's like the battery isn't holding a charge (?) at all despite what the Battery Tender steady green light indicates after numerous hours on the tender.

So....I bought a Micro-Start XP-10 Jump Starter Personal Power Supply (I had one for my previous 2-wheel Honda before my accident several years ago, to use on my road trips,but it "disappeared" when my Honda got towed (in pieces) from the accident site). I also ordered a new battery from Lamonster, but it won't get here until Friday. My XP-10 arrived today and it's fully charging on my kitchen counter as I type this. So....

I'm hesitant to connect the XP-10 to the "dead" (?) battery in my Spyder right now. But if I can get it to start the Spyder, what the heck. But under the circumstances, I'm not sure if the current battery is so "trashed" it wouldn't make a difference.

Any thoughts? I can't understand why even though the Battery Tender shows the battery got "fully charged" (steady green light), the Spyder still "one-clicks" with no turnover, THEN shows a totally "dead" status (red light) on the tender again. That seems to indicate it is a battery issue, and not something like a faulty starter, etc.

Appreciate any insight and/or suggestions about getting the Spyder started before the new battery gets here Friday. Or if I should just forget about that and install the new battery when it arrives.

Thanks.

[Navydad]

First I would double check the tightness of the battery cables at the battery. Yes, they can and do loosen enough to cause these issues. If the connections are tight you may have a bad cell in the battery. A battery with a bad cell can show 12 volts on a voltmeter and can give you the green light on a charger, but will not start the vehicle. Best test for that is a load test at a shop or store that can do this. Just because the bike is two years old doesn't mean the battery is also two years old and who knows the condition of the battery when it was installed. If it were my RT I would try the jump starter and see if the bike runs. Personally I think the new battery will fix the issue, but put it on the tender for awhile before installing it. Batteries installed with a full charge will have a happier life in the long run.

[FalconAF]

Thanks. You seem to have nailed it. I connected the XP-10 to the battery and the Spyder started right up as soon as I pushed the starter button. So I took it for a 30 minute ride with the XP-10 in the top box just in case. No problems. I never got above 45 MPH due to the roads I was on (suburbia), and came back home after 30 minutes 'cos it was getting dark (if it quit running I didn't want to be fishing around with the battery connection in the dark). Pulled into my garage, turned off the ignition, let everything end itself gracefully (parking brake light off after 30 seconds, etc) then tried to restart it. Click...dead as a doornail. I figured with only a 30-minute ride at the speeds I was at the battery probably wouldn't charge much (if at all under the circumstances). Will be replacing the battery as soon as the new one arrives.

BTW, it was a royal PITA to get the battery cable "jaws" to clamp on and STAY on the black ground terminal on the OEM battery. Whatever engineer designed that battery compartment should be tarred and feathered. You can hardly get to the darned black terminal at all. I'm glad I bought the Lamonster replacement battery with his hand-made terminal extensions. It should be a lot easier to get to those than the tiny ones on the OEM's.

Thanks for the advice.

[JayBros]

After you check to be certain the battery cables are tight and test start start it again, if it doesn't start it isn't going to hurt a thing to use the jump start pack. If it starts take it for a long ride, 50 miles or so. When you get home let it sit for a couple of hours and start it again. If it starts easily let it sit for several days on the battery tender and repeat the test starting routine. If it sounds the least bit weak at anytime during the above sequence of attempts, have it load tested and you may find that it's toast or on the way to being so.

[FalconAF]

Seeing as I already have the new battery coming Friday, I'm not gonna mess with the OEM one anymore. I hadn't bought a new XP-10 for my Spyder yet to take on road trips with me (I use a lot of extra stuff that needs charging...iPhone, iPad, GoPro camera and still camera batteries, helmet comm/speakers, and some other stuff), so now that I've got the new XP-10 to carry with me and will have a brand new battery, I'll retire the current OEM one with no regrets.

[Bfromla]

glad yours came out better than mine
https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...tally-confused

[JayBros]

If you're using a pigtail for your battery tender when you install the new battery be certain to orient the pig tail leads so your XP-10 leads can get a good grip on the battery posts.

[carbonation]

Batteries can and will show full charge but not have enough reserve to crank.
The tender needs about 9v to cycle up and start charging. That's really easy for most batteries, even if toasted. The fact it gets to a green light status isn't very revealing either. BT has had the same Tender offering and circuitry for over 20 years. It's dated and a bit primitive.
NOCO chargers are better, IMO, for rescuing sulfated batteries, and long term maintenance.
I think you'll find your original battery ain't no good no mo.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Yep, your battery is shot! What you are experiencing is typical of a battery that will charge up to full voltage but not hold a decent amount of charge. Kind of like filling a bucket with a big rock in it. It can look full, but there's still not much water in it.

[JeffandLori]

I think there is still the possibility of a loose connection since he ran with the jump pack on. When you take the old one out see how long it takes to charge up with direct connections to the terminals. If it takes hours longer then last time, perhaps it was just a loose connection. Try to get some type of reason for this.

[canamjhb]

I went through the exact same process you are experiencing. Battery tender red/green light, no start, etc. A new battery solved the problem. These small motorcycle batteries can and will give up life easily. I'll bet you will be a happy camper Friday with your new battery..... Jim

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

First I would double check the tightness of the battery cables at the battery. Yes, they can and do loosen enough to cause these issues. If the connections are tight you may have a bad cell in the battery. A battery with a bad cell can show 12 volts on a voltmeter and can give you the green light on a charger, but will not start the vehicle. Best test for that is a load test at a shop or store that can do this. Just because the bike is two years old doesn't mean the battery is also two years old and who knows the condition of the battery when it was installed. If it were my RT I would try the jump starter and see if the bike runs. Personally I think the new battery will fix the issue, but put it on the tender for awhile before installing it. Batteries installed with a full charge will have a happier life in the long run.

X's 5 …. annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd to Prevent loose connections Add Star washers to the Battery terminals … I have never had a connection fail after using those washers ….. good luck …. Mike

[JeffandLori]

Well here's a thought. I have two older ski doo snowmobiles that have been in non heated storage for 3 years without a battery tender on them. I pulled the sleds out and brought them home. Guess what, batteries dead on both. These batteries are a little smaller then the spyder. I used that charger Shawn Smoekes recommended with the desulsification process on it. The first battery took 2 days to go through the process and according to charger was now good. The second one failed. I tried it again and it passed. I put these in the sleds and if you know two strokes it takes a lot of spinning to get fuel sucked into fuel pump and then into float bowls. Got both sleds started and then shut them off. I put the charger back on to try and get an assessment of the batteries. Both took less then 5 minutes to recharge. I am actually dumbfounded as I was sure 2 new batts were on the horizon. I am sure there is some loss of capacity but they seem to be ok.

[FalconAF]

Just changed the old OEM to the new Motobatt. Spyder starts right up now. Put a voltmeter on the old OEM after taking it out. Showed 12.6 volts. The cables were tight on the terminals and it still wouldn't start the Spyder before removing it. So yeah, me thinks the OEM went south with a bad cell like someone mentioned or whatever.

PS - If you have a 2018 RTL, the overhead holddown clamp for the battery has 2 down-pointing tabs that "fit" in the front indentation of the OEM battery so the clamp will go horizontal on top of the battery. The new Motobatt does not have the indentation on top of it. So I had to bend the 2 tabs horizontal so the clamp could go horizontal flush across the top of the Motobatt. Then the front tab would "close down over the front of the battery, and everything else secured fine after that. Just an FYI.

[canamjhb]

Glad it worked out for you. Thanks for letting us know..... Jim

[MeudtPG]

Just changed the old OEM to the new Motobatt. Spyder starts right up now. Put a voltmeter on the old OEM after taking it out. Showed 12.6 volts. The cables were tight on the terminals and it still wouldn't start the Spyder before removing it. So yeah, me thinks the OEM went south with a bad cell like someone mentioned or whatever.

PS - If you have a 2018 RTL, the overhead holddown clamp for the battery has 2 down-pointing tabs that "fit" in the front indentation of the OEM battery so the clamp will go horizontal on top of the battery. The new Motobatt does not have the indentation on top of it. So I had to bend the 2 tabs horizontal so the clamp could go horizontal flush across the top of the Motobatt. Then the front tab would "close down over the front of the battery, and everything else secured fine after that. Just an FYI.

Hi FalconAB,
Did you use the rear terminals for accessories and were you comfortable this mottobat is secure for the long haul?
Wired Battery tight fit.jpg

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

[/B]
Hi FalconAB,
Did you use the rear terminals for accessories and were you comfortable this mottobat is secure for the long haul?

This thread is nearly a year old and Falcon hasn't been on the site since then so he probably won't see your question. If you click on the user name and then click on View Forum Posts you can see see when a member last posted. But in any case....

Reading his description of what he did to install the battery, and looking at the picture I would say the answer is yes to both your questions. If I were installing it I'd be inclined to connect the battery cables to the rear terminals and the accessory wires to the front terminal. That would make it easier, I think, to add/remove accessory wires later.