John from NWO Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Hi All: 2003 Bird here with about 16k. This week I hopped on to go for a ride after bike had sat for a month and got some half-dead battery type cranking that got worse before dwindling to nothing. No start. Dead battery, I thought. Hooked up my portable lithium battery charger and the bike fired up immediately. Headed out on a 25 minute at near highway speeds, parked the bike while I watched a baseball game and when I got back on: A flaccid-type crank and some dash lights acting weird. Groan. Get a ride home, get the lithium charger, come back: bike fires up with charger and I ride home. That night I remove battery and go to charge it and the charger immediately flashes green (full charge). I re-install battery and again: some strange clicking from somewhere right behind the battery and then nothing. I check voltage on bike and it's 12.2v or something. Any ideas on where to start? I'm puzzled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBLXX Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Sounds like the batter is so dead it won’t continously hold a charge. I’d suggest a fresh battery all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 2nd that. No drained or weak battery reads charged in a short time. How old is the existing battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from NWO Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 (edited) I'm not sure. It says "Manufactured by Thos. A. Edison Company" in elaborate script down one side and I think it's made of wood. Seriously, I don't know. I've owned the bike two years and it came with bike. I'll try a new battery and advise. Anyone have a battery they recommend? I usually run a phone charger off battery, but nothing else. Looking for high quality + not insane price. Thanks, guys! Edited October 27, 2018 by John from NWO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 The OEM. Is YUASA. It’s a sealed agm style battery. Mine lasted 7+ years. My second, over 5. Would have lasted longer, but I clooked it with a high current charger. The problem with replacement YUASA is that they are made and sealed in Japan. You could get one that has been aging on a shelf, if your vendor has slow inventory turns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXitanium Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 AGM - Absorbed glass mat. It's all I buy any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 Sounds like it's just a bad battery. LiFePo4 are a bit spendy, but awesome. Super light & small, they crank strong, recharge quickly, and have almost no self-discharge. It can sit on a shelf neglected for a year, drop it in and start the bike. When I put mine in the cranking speed went up to where it sounded almost like the bike had no compression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from NWO Posted March 14, 2019 Author Share Posted March 14, 2019 I shelved the bike for the winter, so never responded with the results. Last week I got the bike out, bought a new AGM battery, and the bike fired up immediately which no weird lights, sounds, smells or actions. Went for a 30 minute ride: No issues whatsoever. Conclusion: Battery was fully charged but lacking in CCA or something. New battery resolved all issues. Thanks, everyone! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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