The BSA A7-A10 Forum
Technical (Descriptive Topic Titles - Stay on Topic) => Lucas, Ignition, Charging, Electrical => Topic started by: Greybeard on 11.08. 2022 22:41
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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?
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GB it seams like a cell is dying , i would say your 10 year old battery is doomed
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10 years out of a 'bike battery! I'd take that.
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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.
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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
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Avoid him.....mutter mutter.
Tayna batteries are my recommendation.
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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.
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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*
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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
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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.
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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. 🤗
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I ordered a westco agm battery for the A10 on a saturday evening from Tayna , it was delivered monday morning , cost around £39 inc
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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.
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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.
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does anyone make the original type black 6 volt battery .....?
can they be rebuilt ?
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I picked up a couple of original style SAFA batteries for an early 60’s Ducati Monza I built a couple of years ago but it was not worth the effort, leaked/vented batttery acid all over and marked the chrome pipe. Cut out the guts and used the case to hide a modern AGM that has done me good service since.
Frank
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Sean, as Frank says, find an old black one and replace the internals with modern cells.
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Sean, original black ones are hard to find. You can purchase a modern rubber reproduction of the original Lucas one with no guts to house a modern AGM battery. I did that and used a small AGM battery.
Col
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Thusly
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G'day Fellas.
Went out to the shed after work (snuck in without Deb seeing me *smile*). Was going to colortune last nights adjustments.
Fuel on, tickle tickle, turn ignition on. Kick kick kick WTF. Yep dead battery that was working the night before. Measured 5.6v out of a 12v'er *sad2*
I use https://tinyurl.com/mrxut9tz can't complain it's about 4 years old.
Cheers
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Sean, as Frank says, find an old black one and replace the internals with modern cells.
I have a new original black one bought it 15 years ago put acid in it 2 years ago so I am hoping it will last a while I keep in on a 6v battery maintainer in winter ....just wondered if they were still being made >
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Hi All,
During the earlier years of running my SR it seemed to eat batteries, none survived the winter lay off even with tenders attached..
Fed up with expensive batteries I went and bought the cheapest 7AH one I could get.
I never bothered with a tender over the winters afterwards but each spring the battery still had plenty oomph
A year ago when fitting the electric starter of course the battery had to be replaced
I needed a battery for the 49 Guzzi so stuck the old one in that, Today getting ready for our Rally next week
I checked the headlight and only got a faint glow *sad2*
On removing the battery I noticed the date stamp 2004 *ex* *ex*
I suppose the guarantee has expired *????*
John
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G'day Fellas.
I picked up a new battery today. A bit bigger than the ones I've been using for years but still fits in the rubber case (just). 12v 6A 100CCA. YTX7L FA. Cost over twice as much but it's a purpose built for motorcycles. So now if the dynamo drops out I'll have an hour and a half riding! https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5cez
Cheers