"flying' a klr

[eddiebmauri]

Ya'll I have a question, "I did not ride my KLR much this winter, and my battery is a tad weak. It will start the bike, but I get a backfire sometimes. In the past, a backfire at start up is a pretty sign of a battery that is on its last legs. My battery is not all that old, I hope that by riding it will be "revived". So my question is, how many of you all have seen a battery come back from the brink of death? Or should I begin to plan on a new battery? BTW, I use a wet batt. Eddie (03' KLR650 - "la poderosa"

[Thomas Komjathy]

The only way to truly know the condition is to put it on a charger, charge it completely and then load test it. Also, you can get a gravity tester from any Walmart to check each cell. I have seen batteries that would take a full charge, but once a load was put on them, they couldn't handle it. Most Automotive and bike shops will have a load tester and will check it for no charge, it only takes a few seconds. In the future, invest in a floating charger like the Deltran smart charger, they will maintain your battery, but you will need to check your fluid levels every few weeks. If it is no good, go for the AGM battery, very low maintenance, plus you don't have to worry about the thing leaking acid all over the bottom of your bike, but it will still need that floating charger. TK[img]https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3A%2F%2 ... 0BEg4A--~E[/img] [b]From:[/b] eddiebmauri [b]To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [b]Sent:[/b] Wed, February 24, 2010 6:26:40 AM [b]Subject:[/b] [DSN_KLR650] Battery Rehab Question   Ya'll I have a question, "I did not ride my KLR much this winter, and my battery is a tad weak. It will start the bike, but I get a backfire sometimes. In the past, a backfire at start up is a pretty sign of a battery that is on its last legs. My battery is not all that old, I hope that by riding it will be "revived". So my question is, how many of you all have seen a battery come back from the brink of death? Or should I begin to plan on a new battery? BTW, I use a wet batt. Eddie (03' KLR650 - "la poderosa"

[Jud]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "eddiebmauri" wrote:

> > Ya'll I have a question, "I did not ride my KLR much this winter, and my battery is a tad weak. It will start the bike, but I get a backfire sometimes. In the past, a backfire at start up is a pretty sign of a battery that is on its last legs. My battery is not all that old, I hope that by riding it will be "revived". So my question is, how many of you all have seen a battery come back from the brink of death? Or should I begin to plan on a new battery? BTW, I use a wet batt. > > Eddie (03' KLR650 - "la poderosa" >

A lot of auto parts stores will load test your battery for free, but if you have a multimeter (you do have one, don't you?), here are some simple tests that will give you an idea of the battery's condition: Charge the battery overnight on a trickle charger and let it stand for an hour. The voltage across the terminals should read about 12.6v. If it's lower, the battery is not in good condition. Crank the starter. If the voltage drops below 10v, the battery is probably bad. (While you are at it, you can get an idea of your charging system's condition. Note the voltage at idle, which should be about 13.1v. As you rev it up, the voltage should increase to around 14.5v, and in any case not above 15v, before leveling off or falling as the regulator cuts in.) Even if your voltage reads low after charging or while cranking, you can sometimes bring it back by "the old aspirin trick". Use a mortar and pestle (If your kids have ever been into the recreational use of Ritalin, they will have one you can use) to crush three aspirin tablets. Distribute the powder among the six battery cells in roughly equal portions. Charge the battery. If you are lucky, a battery that would not hold a charge overnight may now get you through another season. It has worked more than once for me, but I would recommend a new battery anyway if you are going to South America.

[Bogdan Swider]

Re: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Battery Rehab Question

[quote]but if you have a multimeter (you do have one, don't you?   (While you are at it, you can get an idea of your charging system's condition. Note the voltage at idle, which should be about 13.1v. As you rev it up, the voltage should increase to around 14.5v, and in any case not above 15v, before leveling off or falling as the regulator cuts in.)

I try not to work on our car anymore but when the battery went dead I got out my cheapo, $10 multimeter. Did the test that Jud described above and determined the alternator was not charging. It looked like a pain to take out so I took it to our mechanic. I watched as he rolled out his macho diagnostic machine and got the same reading I got with my Harbor Freight special. Nice to have it, ensconced in an zip lock bag, in my tank pannier. Bogdan [/quote]

[revmaaatin]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "eddiebmauri" wrote:

> > Ya'll I have a question, "I did not ride my KLR much this winter, and my battery is a tad weak. It will start the bike, but I get a backfire sometimes. In the past, a backfire at start up is a pretty sign of a battery that is on its last legs. My battery is not all that old, I hope that by riding it will be "revived". So my question is, how many of you all have seen a battery come back from the brink of death? Or should I begin to plan on a new battery? BTW, I use a wet batt. > > Eddie (03' KLR650 - "la poderosa" >

Eddie, Others have told you the checks: here is the longivity gouge. I have had extraordinary 'luck' with the slosh battery. 4+ years on the OEM, 4+ years on the current Walmart replacement (Yusa?). It will not pass the 'test' this spring....I got my monies worth! The secret, I think, is never let them get low on water--no lower than the paper tops, Check them at least every 1000 miles when it is really hot, NLT each oil change; refill with distilled water only, and battery-tender them once a month through the winter. and I have left them in -20F garage all winter, but used the battery tender religously. I have noticed the replacement battery required much less servicing...but no idea why. revmaaatin.

[stealth007007]

Speaking of flying a KLR, I've got to tell my story. I was in Mexico riding on the mexican side from Ojinada to Juarez along the rio grande river. We rode a total of 17 hours and went only about 300 miles in tough sand and deserted road. If you know what a cattle guard is, well there was this bridge make of round piping about 8 inches in diameter with approximately 4 inches between them. The bridge was about 15 feet above a dry creek bed. Now normally with a cattle guard you go across them. This bridge though had the piping going in the same direction I was traveling. It was about 40 feet long with metal bracing in the center. It was night and before I knew it, I was upon this bridge (no warning) and had no time to slow down or stop. I went on the bridge and the wheels went in between the pipes and I was riding on the motorcycle's skid plate. When my front wheel hit the bracing my bike flew up and I thought I was going over backwards when my rear wheel hit and reversed my rotation. The guy behind me said he was able to see the bottom of my skid plate when my front wheel went into the bridge for the second half of the bridge. I then went through the same gymnastics when I came to the end of the bridge and finally 'landed on my feet' so to speak. The other guys stood there in disbelief and couldn't believe I had made it across uninjured. I could hardly believe it myself. No damage to my bike but I do have a torn up aluminum skid plate as a trophy that did it's job. The oil drain plug was half ground down as half it stuck below the plate. Being out in the boonies and about 5 - 6 hours of hard traveling one way to civilization... that, my friends, was a close one. Didn't have GPS but now I wouldn't ever do it again without getting prepared.