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[Rednaxs60]

Batteries go dead at the most inopportune times, generally when battery shops are closed and you need one. When this happens, the recommended way ahead is to have the battery load tested and if faulty, replace. Have always had an inexpensive load tester in my tool arsenal, but when I downsized and moved a few years back, my brother inherited mine. I was looking at an analog one just this week past, on sale, but did not buy it - sale is still on until tomorrow. On Saturday went out to my riding friend's place to borrow his 2018 F3 Limited so that Sonya's brother and his Mrs take it for a few hours on Sunday to compare it to my 2014 RT LE.

Went to start the F3, nothing, no dash, zilch, nothing. Friend had a small portable boost pack, started engine. Let the engine run for a 1/2 hour or so, started to drive away - check engine light came on as did the VSS indicator, and it went into limp home mode. My friend had just had it serviced and we looked at the BUDS 2 printout. All was good that we could determine with the exception of the battery readout. The BUDS 2 printout indicated a minimum reading of 10.2 VDC and a max of 14.5 VDC. 10.2 VDC is too low.

My friend was very incensed and getting more agitated as time went by, especially after spending a considerable amount of money at the local dealer to have this Spyder serviced. If the dealer had recommended to replace the battery he would have.

We put the F3 back in his garage, I informed Sonya's brother that the Spyder needed a new battery, and that the test ride on Sunday wasn't going to happen. My friend was not looking forward to maybe trailering the F3 to the dealer to be fixed.

I came home and did some research and browsed the forum. Everything pointed to a bad battery, including the fault indicators. Further reading indicated to me that the Spyder is a power hungry machine, and requires a good battery at all times. Sent a text message to my friend, informed him of what I found and recommended that we test the battery, and change it out if faulty. We came up with a game plan.

I went out and bought the inexpensive analogue load tester, not industrial grade but would give us a very good indication, and only $20.00 CDN on sale. Arrived at my friends place with a fresh battery in the rear trunk, same battery as the one for my Goldwing, and was only 5 months old.

Took the battery out of my friends F3, load tested it, and it failed, never recovered from the load being applied. Installed the new battery, F3 started right up, no error codes. Went for a test ride of some 10 Kms, no error codes or ride limitations.

My friend was very pleased with the outcome and his blood pressure returned to normal. He's still mulling over what he is going to do about this with the dealer.

To keep this story short and with a good ending, the F3 was fixed, Sonya's brother and Mrs got to ride the F3, and Sonya's brother bought the F3 yesterday. This all happened yesterday because I wanted a load tester, didn't really need it, but I wanted it, and I had a good battery ready for my Goldwing.

If anyone sees a load tester on sale and wants a good addition to your tool arsenal, highly recommended. May collect dust for a while, but when needed, nice to have.

[ButterSmooth]

I don't think fault could be found with the dealer. Batteries can fail suddenly. The debris in the bottom of a cell can shift and short a cell instantly. A battery that tests fine one minute may be 'dead' the next.

[woods]

I have a multimeter that I use for battery checks(and plenty other stuff!) While connected to battery I turn key to start(bike/truck/boat/tractor/whatever) starter provides load and meter shows if battery comes back. Wouldn't be without one.