New battery - could it be dead after just 1 year?! Any ideas?

[dvmdf]

Replaced the battery in June 2021 on my 2015 F3S with Yuausa, purchased from the dealer, they said it was charged before the sale.
Yesterday, the bike did not start, seemed like it tried to crank but did not have enough juice. Called AAA, jump started just fine.
I usually ride about 20-30 miles a week, on the weekends only. Do not use the tender
Could the battery be dead after 1 year? Could there be an electrical drain somewhere on the bike? Alternator?
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

[UtahPete]

I think you have just steadily drained the batter by your short weekend trips.

[RICZ]

I am not understanding why you do not use the battery tender. Your short trips do not allow for a full recovery after a startup. Just those two things alone, destroyed the battery. Also, you trusted them when they said it was fully charged. I never trust that statement and when I buy a new battery, it goes on a charger overnight before getting installed.

[Peter Aawen]

IF your battery was charged properly before installation and as long as you aren't starting your Spyder too often without riding it for 30+ minutes or so each time, then while it's definitely on the light side, doing 20-30 miles a week (riding at hwy speeds, ie, somewhat above idle revs) over a year or more should be enough to keep your battery in reasonable condition.... Answering your questions in the order you asked them...

• Yes, your battery could be dead after just 1 year, it sometimes even occurs after just 1 day, or even 1 hour;
• Yes, there could be a parasitic drain somewhere in the Spyder's electrical system, & we know there are some functions that require power after shut-down; and
• Yes, it could be the alternator failing to charge suitably &/or enough.

For all of these, you'll need to test, and the first place to start is getting a load test on your battery. Here in Oz, most auto elecs &/or battery outlets will do a load test for free, but checking the rest might cost you a little - altho here they'd usually do the rest of the testing anyway as they install a new battery you bought from them! However, if you have one & are handy with a multi-meter, you can do all the necessary testing yourself, albeit not necessarily anything more than fairly basic tests, but enough to point you towards a new battery or a better 'charge/tender or battery maintenance regime'!

A rudimentary load test with a multi-meter can be done by checking the battery voltage after the battery's been sitting for a while and before turning the ignition on & trying to start it. Look for a minimum of a good high end 12 volts or better before turning the key, 12.6 might be OK, but 13.6 or so is ideal while over 14.6 is a worry - with our electrical power hungry Spyders, anything less than 12.6 means the battery's effectively drained below useful use & either needs tender/maintenance assistance or replacement! That voltage should drop a little when you turn the ignition on, but still should remain above or around mid 12 volts; then as you crank the starter, it will drop noticeably - only once again, if it drops much below 12 volts, your battery is not really up to the task of keeping your Spyder electricals working properly & it neds help or replacement, while anything much below 11 volts means it's definitely new battery time!

And once the engine is up & running, the multi-meter should read high 12 volts at idle & anything between 13.6 & 14.6 at 2500-3000-ish rpm or your alternator is not working properly....

And they're the first batch of basic multi-meter tests, so over to you - either get it all tested properly, or do those multi-meter tests yourself & share the results here. Depending upon what the results are, we should be able to offer further suggestions &/or guidance on where to go next, possibly even on how to run a test looking for excessive parasitic drain, but tthat will require a spanner & battery access!

Good Luck!

[ThreeWheels]

Replaced the battery in June 2021 on my 2015 F3S with Yuausa, purchased from the dealer, they said it was charged before the sale.
Yesterday, the bike did not start, seemed like it tried to crank but did not have enough juice. Called AAA, jump started just fine.
I usually ride about 20-30 miles a week, on the weekends only. Do not use the tender
Could the battery be dead after 1 year? Could there be an electrical drain somewhere on the bike? Alternator?
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

YES. Your battery could be prematurely dead.
DAMHIKT.

[Azbronco]

I just pulled up the Yuasa battery warranty--it's only 6 months. It should last longer than 6 months, but lots of short weekend trips followed by sitting during the week isn't great for the battery (especially if it's sitting days at a time in hot garage). I used to live in Arizona and car batteries died early all the time because of the heat. Most dealers had a policy of only replacing one failed battery during warranty. My advice is to get a battery tender--well worth the $40 or whatever they cost now.

[dvmdf]

I am not understanding why you do not use the battery tender. Your short trips do not allow for a full recovery after a startup. Just those two things alone, destroyed the battery. Also, you trusted them when they said it was fully charged. I never trust that statement and when I buy a new battery, it goes on a charger overnight before getting installed.

Thank you, I thought that riding weekly is enough to keep it charged, maybe I should not have trusted them on the charging statement, but, I do not have a charger. Will use a tender from now on.

[fredgal]

I bought a 2020 leftover last yr, meaning it sat at dealer for a yr or so. Battery only lasted 3 months, it would never reach a steady green on the maintainer, and was very weak. I called the dealer and they replaced it. All good now, it's been a yr. since they replaced it...

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thank you, I thought that riding weekly is enough to keep it charged, maybe I should not have trusted them on the charging statement, but, I do not have a charger. Will use a tender from now on.

Make sure your " tender " is actually a " Maintainer " type, which is one that Automatically charges according to the needs of the Battery. ..... This way it Won't over-charge..... Mike

[davev1pa]

I rely on availability and warranty and $$. Not a name printed on the outside. I bought a Duracell at batteriesplus for 110$ with tax and discounts with a FULL 2YEAR replacement (fails a load test). I use a tender /maintainer always unless traveling( I bring it). My reasoning is there are batteries plus stores everywhere...good price...and the longest full replacement I could find.

[CA Railwhale]

I rely on availability and warranty and $$. Not a name printed on the outside. I bought a Duracell at batteriesplus for 110$ with tax and discounts with a FULL 2YEAR replacement (fails a load test). I use a tender /maintainer always unless traveling( I bring it). My reasoning is there are batteries plus stores everywhere...good price...and the longest full replacement I could find.

I did the same thing. However the Duracell seems a hair larger than the stock yuasa. It was nearly impossible to fit the retainer.