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.... :dontknow: 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! :lecturef_smilie:
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.... :banghead:
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! :thumbup:
Good Luck! :cheers:
