Short version: I replaced the battery. I put the acid into battery, let set for an hour and put on charger for 2. Put battery in Spyder and went for short test ride. All codes cleared and runs good. We went for a couple hundred miles yesterday and it worked Flawless.
Longer Version: While it was charging with the garden tractor hookup, I went to town and bought a smart charger. When I returned, turned off garden tractor and it tested 7.3 volts. I put it on the charger for a couple hours while I ate supper and when I checked it the charger had 'bad battery' code. The charge at this point was 7.4 volts. I restarted the charger it finally got to 9.7 volts. I disconnected it and checked it 30 minutes later and it was reading ~7 volts. I got a new battery and installed it.
That charging method is going to take a very long time ….. Go to Walmart and get a Stanley Battery Maintainer for $15.00 and use it when you aren't riding it …...jmho … Mike
hyea:
I do have a battery tender and use it during the winter months when we can't ride for a week or so. We have a tender for both bikes and have used them on our previous rides, a 2014 Spyder and 2014 Harley Trike. I don't think they would have helped much with the key left on but it may have prevented it going completely dead and may have been able to bring it back. When we looked at the bikes in December before the purchase in late February, both bikes on the show room floor had dead batteries. This bike was a demo model so I know it was charged at some point but was dead when we tried to start in December so it may have been through this before. Buying a new battery is definitely a boost the economy and peace of mind after the low voltages I got during the resurrecting part of the troubleshooting.
Make that TWO critical mistakes.
That is NOT a good way to charge a battery.
Odds are excellent that making it go completely flat like that killed it and now you need a new one.
And while you are at it, get yourself a proper small automatic battery charger (tender).
At the very least the battery needs a proper charging (NO the bike won't do that) and a proper test.
I realized that charging with another vehicle was not a good way charge the battery so I got a charger. When I jump started it, it would run for a short time then the bike would turn off. I think this happens when it drops below 10v. The surface charge on the battery from the jump start would allow it to run for a bit. I rode it a half mile and got the limp home mode.
Let me guess: You stop the engine with the KILL switch, right ?
You could re-train yourself to turn it off with the KEY !!! :clap:
I don't use the kill switch, it was something more mundane than that. I record each ride, date, where and ending mileage. Then the spreadsheet calcs how far we went and keeps record of the rides. I think I went to bike to get mileage reading after a ride and just didn't turn the key off. A senior moment.
My Old Trusty Battery Tender works well and has kept my Spyder and Harley charged for years. In fact I am on my 5th year for my stock Spyder battery. It should charge your battery if you leave your key on and let the battery go dead but would take awhile to recharge it.
I do in the winter unplug and replug at times of long storage it just to be sure it is maintaining.
The 2014 Spyder was on it's fourth year and still running good. The Harley Trike had a battery replacement just before I sold it. That battery was five years old.
trikermutha, you say the Spyder vs. the Harley is great. You couldn't have been more correct. As they say "Cadillac vs Mack Truck". Loving this ride, back still gives me fits when riding but not from the rough ride!
=bob=
