looking to rent or borrow a dualsport while in poway next week

[revmaaatin]

List- just when you think you have seen it all. Doing the Spring fresh up--AWAKEN oH KLR! It listens about like my dog. cough. When I put her to bed in Nov, her battery was weak--deciding to wait until Spring for a new battery, rather than have the warranty run out and never even use the battery. so... Bought a new slosh battery at Walmart on Tues. $43.xx w/ exchange. Took my 14 y/0 ox (son) down to the work bench and let him help service the dry battery, making it a wet cell. Learn-teach-coach something here while we are at it. Safety glasses: ON. "Read the directions--tell Dad what we should do." No, not the Spanish ones, the English ones. (showoff) He reads, he comments, "ACID!!! They let civilians have this stuff!!!!" I just laughed. Oh so carefully we followed the directions. Fill with acid to the 'full' line. All cells basically equal. Let sit for an hour (it sat 2 hours). Check to see if air bubbles trickle out, etc. Looks good. Charge 3-8 hours at 1a/h. Did that. overnight. Using a Battery Tender. = we followed the directions. 12.8 v. Looking good. smile. Check the fluid levels. what? Now all cells, are over full. The volume is one increment of min to full (~3/8 inch) over the full mark after it is charged. They are not all equally over-full. My guess: that the charging process trapped air between the plates, (some is visible--some was shaken out) and what I hope will happen, is that after installation, shake and baked a little, the apparent volume will decrease. Comment? Your experience? I don't ever recall a lead-acid battery making fluid after it was charged (aircraft nicad battery do, but this is a std lead acid; with a/c nicad, you actually charge, then add fluid). The only thing that makes sense to me: the charging made bubbles, which are sticking between the plates. If there is an actual excess, it will vent over the side as self level the volume. It is the same battery as I installed 5 years ago: An EverStart ES14LA2. Many here use the no-maintenance battery with for various reasons. I use a wet cell because (historically)it will give indications that it is failing(slow crank); the maintenance free, glassmatt variety generally just work really good to the point that they die, and dying without much notice. The manufactures graph resembles a marble rolling off the table-- g-o-o-o-o-o-o-d-b a d others may have had a different experience =ymmv. Not that I have anything against glassmat batteries. My 2d KLR (new to me in May 08, a 98' w/20Ksmiles) has an ODESSY battery installed by the PO. I am thinking it is now at least 3 years old, and still shows 12.6v. I do watch it carefully as I don't want to push this pig if it will not start...as my belly is to big and my horse is to tall for his cowboy to be bump-starting on the 'flat'. 5-year battery life: I service the wet-slosh battery ~1500 miles = each oil change; the goal being to never let it get below MIN. Drop the oil plug, remove the battery while the oil drains and service the battery. I use only distilled water and fully charge with the battery tender after service. Oddly, this Everlast required a lot less servicing at/between oil changes than the OEM, which lasted 4 years. (I was the third owner, of this A15 2001 w/2505smiles, new to me in Oct 2003, so who knows how well it was maintained prior.) The OEM went from full to min every oil change, and sometimes would hit MIN at 1000 miles. OAT may have something to do with that as well. revmaaatin. ps. Be sure to check your tire pressure if it has been sitting for more than a week. (some check daily. shrug. I colour outside the lines.)

[k650]

Just give the battery a few taps with your hand. Watch the bubbles come up and the acid go down. Walt

> Now all cells, are over full. The volume is one increment of min to > full (~3/8 inch) over the full mark after it is charged. They are not > all equally over-full. My guess: that the charging process trapped > air between the plates, (some is visible--some was shaken out) and what > I hope will happen, is that after installation, shake and baked a > little, the apparent volume will decrease. Comment? Your experience? > > revmaaatin. >

[Craig Kahler]

I'll be in Poway, CA next week. I'll be working during the day, but would like to do some riding evenings.   Craig Kahler Fredericksburg, VA