Battery dead, won't take charge

[kravnh]

I returned to my FL home in late October, to find both of my '09 SE5s with dead batteries. They were not on battery tenders, but last year, both started right up after sitting idle for 6+ months. This time was only 5 months, and they were dead. I placed each Spyder on a battery tender for 24 hours, and they both showed a full charge (on the tender, not a voltimeter), and started right up. My wife and I did a short ryde, about 60 miles, and they have been sitting since, due to travel, work, and general life getting in the way of being able to ryde.


Fast forward to Sunday, when we decided to take a ryde. Mine started right up. My wife's, however, was dead. Nothing on the display when the key was turned. Nothing. So, back on the battery charger it went. I checked it yesterday afternoon, and the tender was showing a blinking charge light, which means "trouble."


All it would do when I turned the key was show the instrument display. When I tried to start it up, the display went out, and it made a rapid ticking, or fluttering sound. If I take the tender off of the battery, the Spyder is dead. I also tried to jump-start it with my truck. While connected to the cables, the display comes on, and when I try to start it, it tries to turn over once or twice, then the display blacks out and then immediately comes back on.


That is where I am with it. I do not have the skill or aptitude to work on this bike myself. It is my first motorcycle, and I am not a DIYer when it comes to things with motors.


Based on the info I have provided, does anyone have any educated guesses as to what the problem might be, and how I can try to fix it? The dealer is over 45 miles away, so I'm hoping having them pick it up is a last resort.


Thanks all for your help.

Keith

[Blue Star]

I returned to my FL home in late October, to find both of my '09 SE5s with dead batteries. They were not on battery tenders, but last year, both started right up after sitting idle for 6+ months. This time was only 5 months, and they were dead. I placed each Spyder on a battery tender for 24 hours, and they both showed a full charge (on the tender, not a voltimeter), and started right up. My wife and I did a short ryde, about 60 miles, and they have been sitting since, due to travel, work, and general life getting in the way of being able to ryde.


Fast forward to Sunday, when we decided to take a ryde. Mine started right up. My wife's, however, was dead. Nothing on the display when the key was turned. Nothing. So, back on the battery charger it went. I checked it yesterday afternoon, and the tender was showing a blinking charge light, which means "trouble."


All it would do when I turned the key was show the instrument display. When I tried to start it up, the display went out, and it made a rapid ticking, or fluttering sound. If I take the tender off of the battery, the Spyder is dead. I also tried to jump-start it with my truck. While connected to the cables, the display comes on, and when I try to start it, it tries to turn over once or twice, then the display blacks out and then immediately comes back on.


That is where I am with it. I do not have the skill or aptitude to work on this bike myself. It is my first motorcycle, and I am not a DIYer when it comes to things with motors.


Based on the info I have provided, does anyone have any educated guesses as to what the problem might be, and how I can try to fix it? The dealer is over 45 miles away, so I'm hoping having them pick it up is a last resort.


Thanks all for your help.

Keith

Check the battery connectors to make sure they are clean, and making a good contact, but I think you need to replace the battery. East to do, just take out the bolts holding the right rear panel to give access to the battery.

Got to learn my right from my left. NancysToy is correct, it is the left side.

[AMTJIM]

The type batteries these come with and now being installed on many machines, the "gel cell", they have been discussed on here and many other websites, not to mention fellow riders. They aren't 100% and have had some very odd behavior. From machines with daily use to those off the show room floor, they can play some games. Some change them unquestionably as soon as the life expectancy comes due, the untended condition you had left yours in is bad for any type cell. The other is very likely to fail, too. I don't think I woud bother with the one that failed, get a new one. Use those tenders.

[NancysToy]

Sounds like a corroded or loose battery connection...although it could be a bad battery. Remove the left side body panels, unfasten the cables at the battery, clean the cable ends and battery terminals, then tighten the cables firmly. Put it on the charger again. If it takes a full charge, then let it sit several hours to overnight, and check the voltage with a voltmeter. It should be 12.7 volts or higher. If not, your battery is bad. You can also run a simple load test by holding the throttle wide open to prevent starting, then watching the voltmeter as you crank the starter. If the voltage drops below 10.0 volts, the battery is probably bad. Your dealer can verify this if you wish.

[SPYDERGUY1]

I somewhat agree with NANCY"S TOy, but have a story to tell. 2 years ago, when puting our rv to sleep for the winter charged the rv battery's with the tender, after they were charged , decided to give the spydey a boost. Forgot to set the tender to 12v instead of 6v . When it became time to fire up spydey, nadda , nothing, zippo, and zilch. Thanks to the forum readers/users, checked all connections etc, and then finally switched to 12v on the tender for a couple of days. Thing has been working great since then. Check your connections and terminals first and leave it on the tender for a day or 2 then give it a whirl . If all else fails get yourself another battery, they are not hard to change just takes some time with simple tools and patience. YOU CAN DO IT. Good luck.

[boborgera]

If it were me, I would just get a new battery, After all the charging and recharging i think you'll find that your battery is dead.
And if you do get a new battery make sure it's fully charged just don't let them take it off the shelf and say it's charged, A fully charged battery will last much longer than a battery that wasn't charged before it was put into operation. Could be why some batteries last much longer then others.?

[MarkLawson]

If it were me, I would just get a new battery, After all the charging and recharging i think you'll find that your battery is dead.
And if you do get a new battery make sure it's fully charged just don't let them take it off the shelf and say it's charged, A fully charged battery will last much longer than a battery that wasn't charged before it was put into operation. Could be why some batteries last much longer then others.?

I agree. I read some years back in Motorcycle Consumer News that a new battery must be fully charged before use. This is critical because when a new battery is partially charged and then put into service, it will never charge beyond 70%-80% of it rating. I suspect many dealers "ruin" batteries because they don't fully charge them before installing.

[arntufun]

Check the battery connectors to make sure they are clean, and making a good contact, but I think you need to replace the battery. East to do, just take out the bolts holding the right rear panel to give access to the battery.

Got to learn my right from my left. NancysToy is correct, it is the left side.

Sounds like a corroded or loose battery connection...although it could be a bad battery. Remove the left side body panels, unfasten the cables at the battery, clean the cable ends and battery terminals, then tighten the cables firmly. Put it on the charger again. If it takes a full charge, then let it sit several hours to overnight, and check the voltage with a voltmeter. It should be 12.7 volts or higher. If not, your battery is bad. You can also run a simple load test by holding the throttle wide open to prevent starting, then watching the voltmeter as you crank the starter. If the voltage drops below 10.0 volts, the battery is probably bad. Your dealer can verify this if you wish.

You know what would be a great idea if someone made a video to show this guy how to get to the battery !!!! Wow, I can't believe this has not been done yet !!!

[kravnh]

Thanks for all of the responses.

So, it seems that most think I should just get a new battery, that it is the likely culprit. I don't have a voltmeter. I could go out and buy one, but I could also go out and buy a new battery. I would think that the smart thing to do would be to put the battery on a charger for 24 hours before I installed it, do you all agree?

You know what would be a great idea if someone made a video to show this guy how to get to the battery !!!! Wow, I can't believe this has not been done yet !!!

arntufun, include a link to one of those videos!

Keith

[arntufun]

It's underneath the handsome guys picture at the bottom of my post. It takes a little bit to load the thread because of all the vids. Enjoy !!! Yes, charge the battery prior to installation.

[kravnh]

Just called my dealer. Battery is $129.99, but they won't have it in stock until Friday. I can wait, but was wondering if the Spyder battery is generic enough to find elsewhere (read: closer, and in stock).

Keith

[boborgera]

Just called my dealer. Battery is $129.99, but they won't have it in stock until Friday. I can wait, but was wondering if the Spyder battery is generic enough to find elsewhere (read: closer, and in stock).

Keith

Any place that sells batteries can cross reference it and probably have it in stock.

[NiteLife]

Living in Florida especially, battery's can be very temperamental. Most people here should only expect about three solid years of service or less. Over the years, I've bought at least two dozen Battery's for my car, motorcycles and my Commercial Mower. I've tried just about every manufacturer and have tried the cheapest to the most expensive.

All have produced about the same results.

If you have a Batteries Plus store in your area, I've had good luck with them on price and availability for most of my battery purchases.

Jim

[ThreeWheels]

It's underneath the handsome guys picture at the bottom of my post. It takes a little bit to load the thread because of all the vids. Enjoy !!! Yes, charge the battery prior to installation.

There's a guy in that picture ????

Oh there is ! I hadn't noticed before............................

[3whlLefty]

You could learn to change the battery yourself. It's not rocket science, just a few pieces of tupperware to remove. You will need a 'gel' type battery since it mounts on its side. Can't have it leaking now! Lamonster posted about an alternative battery he found that I thought looked pretty good. It was a long time ago so you'd need to do a search for it.

Plan B: Jump start it and ride it to the dealer. Have another vehicle follow along because it you kill the engine you will need the jumper again. Could be a bit risky depending on traffic but cheaper than having them come and pick it up just for a battery.

If you're going to leave it sitting for that long again you should consider disconnecting the battery while you're gone.

Don't ask me how I learned about these things.

[Gordy]

batterys last longer in a cold climate than where its hot.Leaving a battery sitting unused for that long in hot weather is asking for trouble.

[NancysToy]

.....You will need a 'gel' type battery since it mounts on its side.

The battery in the Spyder is not a gel cell, it is an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery. I would replace it with the same. Gel cells can have problems with comined orientation and vibration issues. Another good alternative would be a high tech battery like the Optima or Li-Fe types, but they are quite expensive.

[bikeguy]

I agree with Scotty about the AGM vs. GEL battery. Gel-Cells have slightly different charging requirements than Absorbed Glass Mat so I'd stick with an AGM. Personally, I've had very good luck with the Odyssey PC-680. Had one last seven years in my BMW R1100RT and I can't remember ever having anything else last half that long. Here's a link where you can buy one for $96.25 with free shipping.

http://www.smallparts.com/odyssey-pc..._pf_B0002ILK6I

Cotton

P.S. I'm not trying to sell Odysseys. Just had very good luck with them.

[kravnh]

I ordered a battery from a motorsports dealer in Ft. Myers; same as the battery in the Spyder, for $104.88. Will be here tomorrow. I'll charge it up and see what happens...

[r1100rider]

Im sure everyone knows this but these new charger are designed by the safety na

Freeks so not to spark and short out if reversed so they need to sense voltage before they will charge so a 100% dead battery will not trigger them to put out voltage so you have to jump together with a good battery for a while to get them to charge a fully dead battery

[kravnh]

Update: picked up the new battery, and it has been on the charger since 4:30 this afternoon. I'll install it tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully, I'll hear that familiar rumble of the Rotax...

Keith

[srarndt]

It's underneath the handsome guys picture at the bottom of my post. It takes a little bit to load the thread because of all the vids. Enjoy !!! Yes, charge the battery prior to installation.

Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...Lookin' for the handsome guy...

(j/k)

[3whlLefty]

I'm happy to stand corrected on the 'gel' word. I couldn't pull the right term while I was writing that. I used the AGM in my GW trike with great life and my Spyder is going fine yet after 3 years. I will say that I've had a couple M/C batteries drop stone cold dead with no warning and I still ride on blindly trusting that all will be well.

[kravnh]

Thank you everyone for the tips and advice. I got the new battery, charged it for 24 hours, installed it, and the Spyder cranked right up. I also saw Lamont's post to another battery thread last night about the Odyssey PC680. When it's time to replace the battery in my other Spyder, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

Anyway, looks like we'll see a high of 76 today in SW FL, so I think I'll take a little ryde!

Thanks again,

Keith