Author Topic: Duff battery?  (Read 1122 times)

Offline Greybeard

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Duff battery?
« on: 11.08. 2022 22:41 »
I bought this battery 10 years ago when I was restoring the bike. The lights and horn stopped working during my last ride. The battery shows 4.5v with no load. I managed to get my electronic charger to see the battery by paralleling it up with a spare 12v car battery for 10 minutes. The charger doesn't seem to want to charge the battery any more than the 4.5v. When reconnected to the motorbike the battery doesn't even power the LED brake light.
Can I assume my bike battery has died?
Greybeard (Neil)
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Online berger

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #1 on: 11.08. 2022 22:58 »
GB it seams like a cell is dying , i would say your 10 year old battery is doomed

Offline Joolstacho

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #2 on: 11.08. 2022 23:58 »
10 years out of a 'bike battery! I'd take that.

Offline RichardL

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #3 on: 12.08. 2022 00:43 »
It was probably already shot, but, if it wasn't, hooking it up in parallel with the 12V may have finished it off.

Richard L.

Offline Greybeard

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #4 on: 12.08. 2022 08:33 »
Yes, I thought the '10 years' phrase might cause some amusement 🙄
Oh well, I'll order a new one.
Thanks folks.

Update: email sent to Goffy
Greybeard (Neil)
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Warwickshire UK


A Distinguished Gentleman Riding his 1955 Plunger Golden Flash

Online Rex

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #5 on: 12.08. 2022 11:09 »
Avoid him.....mutter mutter.
Tayna batteries are my recommendation.

Offline Greybeard

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #6 on: 12.08. 2022 11:15 »
Avoid him.....mutter mutter.
Tayna batteries are my recommendation.
Oh. Well the battery came from him and it's done me well. I need another one the same as it goes inside a rubber fake battery case.
Greybeard (Neil)
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A Distinguished Gentleman Riding his 1955 Plunger Golden Flash

Offline Jules

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #7 on: 14.08. 2022 03:20 »
Batteries can be funny things to check function on these days - in the old days it was just trickle charge  'em up over night, top up the water, and away you go next day, until it didn't do that anymore either! Nowadays battery technology is amazing and charging/discharging methodology is equally as important as each other so its hard to determine whats actually "broken".......
I use 12v motorcycle (gel, sealed) batteries on my generator and ride on and they hold charge for ages (til they dont of course!) but recently I had an issue of "dead battery" ie no start, and the voltage was still "good" and it wouldn't take any charge (connecting the charger showed 12.5/7 volts and charged). I took it into the local battery place and they did a charging test and again said "its charged" but the load test said "nope its stuffed"!!  *eek*

Offline muskrat

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #8 on: 14.08. 2022 06:05 »
G'day Jules.
Get yourself a proper battery tester. Even a cheap one like this https://tinyurl.com/fu6e7wp3 . Mine is a little more expensive but you get what you pay for https://tinyurl.com/4puh3s7j . I use it daily to check the batteries in the ride on's at work. Tells me the health and weather to charge or change.
Cheers
'51 A7 plunger, '57 A7SS racer now a A10CR, '78 XT500, '83 CB1100F, 88 HD FXST, 2000 CBR929RR ex Honda Australia Superbike .
Australia
Muskys Plunger A7

Offline RDfella

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #9 on: 14.08. 2022 11:43 »
Agree with musky - I've had a Sealey one for years - it puts a fair load across the battery and assesses battery condition by the degree of voltage drop.
'49 B31, '49 M21, '53 DOT, '58 Flash, '62 Flash special, '00 Firestorm, Weslake sprint bike.

Online Bsareg

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #10 on: 14.08. 2022 12:23 »
I'm  a tight bu##er when it comes to batteries. I buy 5 nimh 4ah batteries from Lidl, solder them in series and insulate. 1 in the battery box and a spare in the tool box. Ive been told many times it won't work, they'll over/under charge, you'll  need a special charger. Well, after 7 years, I'm still waiting for the catastrophe to happen. It seems that the voltage in the cells rise sufficiently to lower the charge rate. I'll now wait for the flak. 🤗
Helston, Cornwall C11,B40,B44 Victor,A10,RGS,M21,Rocket3,REBSA

Offline rayjay

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #11 on: 14.08. 2022 12:26 »
I ordered a westco  agm battery for the A10 on a saturday evening from Tayna , it was delivered monday morning , cost around £39 inc
A10 Tiger sport DR400  XT225                                                                       T

Offline Minto

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #12 on: 14.08. 2022 17:59 »
10 years from a battery? I can but dream!
On my other bike I’ve put 8 batteries on in 9 years! All quality high CCA types for spinning over the big Vtwin, but it just eats em.
The Ten gets a pair of burglar alarm batteries from Toolstation which work well, fit in the rubber box well and cost next to nowt.
52 A10 plunger
Aprilia RSVR

Online Angus

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #13 on: 14.08. 2022 21:08 »
Scottish by name Scottish by nature, 3 of my bikes are running on these or simular, two fit into the battery box and joined to run 6 volts. On the Norton when the dynamo was not charging they ran the lights for about an hour so enough time to get home as it grew dark.
1961 A7 since 1976, 1960 A10 Gold Flash Super Profile Bike
1958 Matchless G80 Project, 1952 Norton Model 7 Plunger
1950 Triumph T100, 1981 Ducati Pantah 500, 1959 AJS model 20

Online sean

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Re: Duff battery?
« Reply #14 on: 15.08. 2022 00:50 »
does anyone make the original type black 6 volt battery .....?
can they be rebuilt ?