2017 RT battery problems need advise

[oldgoat]

As I have recently posted......several times......it might be "OK" to leave a tender connected all the time, right up until the battery finally fails, but that almost guarantees that it will fail OUT ON THE ROAD somewhere instead of in your garage on the first start attempt of the day.

IMHO.......Nonsense.

 

[spyderider1]

I'll try to keep this short. The day I picked up the new Spyder was a day I'm sure the dealer would like to forget. Everything that could go wrong...did. They were short staffed on the scheduled day to take ownership. They rolled the unit out in the showroom covered with dust and fingerprints, not cool but I wasn't going to make a scene. Next during the orientation I discover the wrong Owners manual, it's for an F3. "How'd that get in there"? Next, time to fire her up....the battery is dead. Mad scramble by the sales person to find a 10mm wrench and new battery. Struggles getting the old one out, even more struggles to get the new one in. Finally, considering the dollars I just spent in there, I'm out the door vowing never to set foot in that store again. We're fortunate to have another dealer in the area and they excel at service for Spyders so not a problem there. But here's the takeaway for the original post on this thread.

About a month into ownership I also had some starting problems, intermittent, which sometimes are worse than a consistent issue. Come to find out the guy didn't tighten the negative cable completely on the new battery. When I checked it, it was tight but I could still see movement. Once I applied pressure with a wrench there was quite a bit of give. Problem solved. Sometimes I have to remind myself to check for the obvious before the troubleshooting goes too far in the wrong direction.

 

[Mr. White]

I am on my third Spyder and here is what I do. I have a 1.5v charger with a cigarette lighter plug. I plug it in the trunk outlet. Ya gotta change the fuse first or it will run you battery down. I plug it in as soon as I get the new machine home and let it cook for 24 hours.....bringing the battery up to 100%. The dealers NEVER do this. I generally plug it in after one or two rides. I have never had a battery failure doing this. I ride in some very remote west Texas country, no cell service, etc. I change batteries every three years.....regardless! $80 every three years is no big deal compared to the charge I would pay in Redford, TX......

:spyder2:

 

[Easy Rider]

IMHO.......Nonsense.

Explain to me please exactly how/why you think that is "nonsense" ?

It has happened to me and to several contributing members on this forum too.

Having the charger connected will guarantee that the first time you start it on a given day it will have enough "juice" to do that.
When you ride it down the road and stop for lunch and it sits for an hour, a worn out battery will "self discharge" while just sitting there and you will come back to the bike to find it DEAD.

Of course, sometimes a battery will fail in a manner that it won't start the first time either.......but I quite assure you that the above is NOT nonsense.

 

[Easy Rider]

I have a 1.5v charger with a cigarette lighter plug.

I change batteries every three years.....regardless!

You might want to correct that "typo" to say 1.5 AMP charger.

Your "schedule" is perfect; it will ensure the longest possible battery life.

HOWEVER......with good maintenance like you describe, the battery should last 7-8 years.....so you are throwing away half of it's useful life, probably.
And you are throwing out a battery that has worked good for a new one of unknown quality. Sometimes new ones are bad.

But whatever makes you feel good is what is right for YOU !! :thumbup:

 

[spydernatic]

Great News...Got the Spyder back. UPDATE

Some good news I got my Spyder back today after been told that it was going to take 7-10 days so here is what was done as per the repair order.
They replaced the battery due to...and here is his exact words on the repair order. 4/4/18 ........Pulled Battery out and load tested. Battery bad, failed load test with flying colors. Need replaced.
Prepped charged and installed new battery. tested charging and unit is charging to 14.6 DC as it should.

Cost of new battery $159.99
Labor $ 52.50 ($105 per hour)
Total $212.49
Tax $ 11.20
Repair order Total $223.69

This was all done under warranty and did not cost me anything.

 

[billybovine]

Some good news I got my Spyder back today after been told that it was going to take 7-10 days so here is what was done as per the repair order.
They replaced the battery due to...and here is his exact words on the repair order. 4/4/18 ........Pulled Battery out and load tested. Battery bad, failed load test with flying colors. Need replaced.
Prepped charged and installed new battery. tested charging and unit is charging to 14.6 DC as it should.

Cost of new battery $159.99
Labor $ 52.50 ($105 per hour)
Total $212.49
Tax $ 11.20
Repair order Total $223.69

This was all done under warranty and did not cost me anything.

That is what should happen. If the battery is suspect. Load test it and know for sure. No need to destroy a new battery because there is something else wrong. Batteries fail no matter the age.

 

[KX5062]

Also, check the terminal bolts to make sure they are the proper length. My Spyder came with the negative terminal bolt being too long. It seemed okay, but would loosen up ever so slightly because it was too long. It seems that when my bike was set up by the dealer the set up monkey grabbed a bolt, having most likely dropped and lost the original, and that one was about 1 mm too long and would bottom out before being completely tight.

 

[Ben Burped]

AGM?

No it isn't.
Most cars these days have sealed AGM batteries which are just a larger version of what is in the Spyder.

And I'm pretty sure that the sealed lead acid ones in residential alarm systems are NOT AGMs. The ones in the UPS units I have certainly are not.

AGM stands for absorbed glass mat. This is a very expensive battery and is normally reserved for vehicles that require batteries that can stand frequently deep discharges such as boat inverter or a bass boat trolling motor. The sealed lead acid battery is probably exactly what is in your UPS. The 7Amp hour sealed lead acid battery is exactly what I have replaced several times in my own UPS. Look in your UPS and see if it has "lead acid" on the battery.

 

[Easy Rider]

AGM stands for absorbed glass mat. This is a very expensive battery and is normally reserved for vehicles that require batteries that can stand frequently deep discharges such as boat inverter or a bass boat trolling motor.

The sealed lead acid battery is probably exactly what is in your UPS. The 7Amp hour sealed lead acid battery is exactly what I have replaced several times in my own UPS. Look in your UPS and see if it has "lead acid" on the battery.

While AGM batteries are a bit more expensive, the first part above is absolutely WRONG. They are being used in a LOT of vehicles of various types these days, mostly because they are truly maintenance free. They are also easier and safer to handle.

And the second part is exactly what I said about alarm batteries.