battery issues... 2013 rss

[Caban Rs-s]

Hey how's it going. I have a 2013 RSS with about 2600 miles on it. Have t had it a full year yet and the battery already died once had it charged and they said it was good and still in good life. Now a month or two later it's doing the same thing. I dont ride every day but I do take short rides several times a week. I had the fog lights and neons installed by my dealer up north so shouldn't be an issue there. Any ideas on what's killing my battery? I live in a apartment so I can't put it on a charger every night in a garage. Any help would be great. Kinda regretting spending 20k on this thing now..

 

[happyspyder2039]

Sounds like a lighting issue that's draining the battery. You can disconnect to try & narrow down.

 

[hellraiza]

Only way to know for sure is doing battery drain tests, you'd have to go to a good electrical person. Or if youre familiar with how to use a digital multimeter, at rest (everything off and sitting for 5+ minutes) the bike should not be drawing more than 25-40ma ... Is there anything else besides aftermarket lights connected? bluetooth adapter? cig lighter or cell phone charger? any audio system?

 

[TXSHOTGUN]

On my 2013 rt ltd, my Stator and regulator went out at 12000. You might have your dealer to check those out.

 

[Highwayman2013]

Have your charging system checked, if it's ok keep it on a battery maintainer when not in use. Maybe mount the maintainer in the frunk and run an extension cord or get a solar charger. When you are riding keep the RPMs up around 5,000. Solar Charger:http://www.earthtechproducts.com/solar-power-panels.html

 

[Chupaca]

Backtrack..!!

disconnect the added features and see how the battery if the holds up. Then reconnect them one by one. This will eliminate the cluprit. Batteries can go bad at any time. Mileage is not a good indicator. These machines use a good amount of electrical power and if rydes are very short you may not bring them back to full charge. Double check you have nothing left on or charging radios, mp3, gps lights etc. Don't know who did your installations or checked your battery but you may try elsewhere. Good luck...:gaah:I carry a zero gravity jump starter /charger in the frunk that has helped others but gladly never needed it for the spyder..:thumbup:

 

[GOZFST]

Hey how's it going. I have a 2013 RSS with about 2600 miles on it. Have t had it a full year yet and the battery already died once had it charged and they said it was good and still in good life. Now a month or two later it's doing the same thing. I dont ride every day but I do take short rides several times a week. I had the fog lights and neons installed by my dealer up north so shouldn't be an issue there. Any ideas on what's killing my battery? I live in a apartment so I can't put it on a charger every night in a garage. Any help would be great. Kinda regretting spending 20k on this thing now..

How long are your "short rides"? Is it long enough to recharge the battery, stop and go at slow rpm or highway speeds? Like previously said batteries can die at any time giving no warnings. If it didn't do this before the added battery draining accessories were added that's the first place to look. If they are on separate switches don't use them and see if it happens again, if they aren't switched pull the fuses or unplug them. Buy a cheap digital volt meter and monitor your battery voltage, it should be over 12.4 or so at rest and over 13 when running at a little over idle. Watch it as you switch on the accessories you have added.

 

[ARtraveler]

:welcome:
Sorry to hear that you are having battery issues early on. As others have mentioned, it sounds like it could be an electrical drain from the light installation, or the battery not getting charged enough on short rides.

 

[Ralph]

battery

Hey how's it going. I have a 2013 RSS with about 2600 miles on it. Have t had it a full year yet and the battery already died once had it charged and they said it was good and still in good life. Now a month or two later it's doing the same thing. I dont ride every day but I do take short rides several times a week. I had the fog lights and neons installed by my dealer up north so shouldn't be an issue there. Any ideas on what's killing my battery? I live in a apartment so I can't put it on a charger every night in a garage. Any help would be great. Kinda regretting spending 20k on this thing now..

remmber you have a computer that pull electric all the time. I keep a battery tender on mine all the time.

 

[latony007]

i had something similar happen on my Yamaha, it was just a bad battery, i knew it was when i got it because when i put it on the battery tender it would take days before it would go green if not longer. Finally it died on my while i was out just after one year old (out of warranty) i took it to my dealer and said i told you this battery was bad 6 months ago and the guy said you were right and replaced it free. Id put it on a tender and see how long it takes to go green, should not be more than a few hours, definitaly if you leave it on at night and check it in the morning.

 

[oldgoat]

The guy doesn't have an electrical outlet handy for a battery charger or a battery maintainer.

 

[Ben Burped]

Battery life tester

If you know anyone in the alarm industry, they probably have an ELK battery life tester. This device gives a digital readout of Mhos which is a measure of internal conductivity.
There is a scale on the back of the device that indicates anywhere from "good" to "replace". This is a much better indicator of battery life than merely reading voltage. I've been testing batteries for 42 years and this is by far the best way to test a sealed battery such as is used by BRP. You can just raise the seat and clip it to the booster terminals.

 

[Dudley]

From my experience in a few years of riding motorcycles,49 years, I would suggest, as mentioned, your extra lights running when the bike runs, the short trips (the battery needs several trips of 100 miles or more to really charge up). The battery on my 2010 RT, 55,000 miles is original and never missed a lick. I have nothing extra using electrical power. With the so few miles you have in the time you have had it, I would say the main issue is caused by lack of use. You could buy another battery and you would have the same issues.

 

[chuck gross]

battery maintainer

It is very crucial to have a battery maintainer for the Spyder as mentioned above after you turn it off you can hear the computer using power for like 15 minutes doing system checks this is quite a draw on the battery. You seriously need to find a way to get it plugged in after you ride it. Or in your case go solar charger/ maintainer. My dealer always wire's in a battery tender pig tail on every spyder they sell and practically make you buy a maintainer before you leave the store there are just too many issues that stem from a low battery on these high teck machines.

 

[ARtraveler]

From my experience in a few years of riding motorcycles,49 years, I would suggest, as mentioned, your extra lights running when the bike runs, the short trips (the battery needs several trips of 100 miles or more to really charge up). The battery on my 2010 RT, 55,000 miles is original and never missed a lick. I have nothing extra using electrical power. With the so few miles you have in the time you have had it, I would say the main issue is caused by lack of use. You could buy another battery and you would have the same issues.

:agree: x 2. Had the original battery in my 2010 at 36K and 5 years of service when I traded it in. Had I not went for the 2014, I was going to put in a new battery for 2014--just because. I drive pretty much a minimum of 100 miles a day, so charging up was never an issue for me.

 

[jiment]

Hey how's it going. I have a 2013 RSS with about 2600 miles on it. Have t had it a full year yet and the battery already died once had it charged and they said it was good and still in good life. Now a month or two later it's doing the same thing. I dont ride every day but I do take short rides several times a week. I had the fog lights and neons installed by my dealer up north so shouldn't be an issue there. Any ideas on what's killing my battery? I live in a apartment so I can't put it on a charger every night in a garage. Any help would be great. Kinda regretting spending 20k on this thing now..

Having a battery tender is critical to preserve your battery especially for short rides every week and especially critical when in freezing temps like in Ohio... I would start with the solar battery tender because you can always use it on a new battery if you have to swap the old one out .. once a battery has been run completely down it will never return to new condition with a charge .... a charge may get you going but the problem will return soon... and I think that is your situation now... buy a new battery and install a solar tender ... plug it in to the bike as soon as you park for the night after every use (the battery will survive multiple day trips without the tender) .... I have used them for years and after 5 or 6 years I buy a new battery even though the one in the bike is still operating fine ... don't regret spending the $$$ just correct the problem, prevent it from happening again and enjoy the spyder ... ride safe, jim