Decided to check the lights on my SR - oh dear, no lights. Obvious first thought - flat battery, so I put it on charge (AccuMate 6/12V set to 6V). Immediately showed full charge, but the green light initially flashed for a few seconds before settling steady green. I think this may indicate a damaged or sulphated battery, but the charger's instructions are not too clear.
Keeping the charger connected, I tried various things and got the following result:
Position 1 front small bulb and rear light illuminate as normal
Position 2 no dipped beam and rear light goes out
Press brake pedal and brake light illuminates, but quite dim
Switch off all lights and press brake pedal illuminates as normal
I then disconnected the charger and tried again:
Position 1 small light and rear work, but very faint
Position 2 as above no dipped beam and rear light goes out
Press brake pedal no brake light
Switch off and brake pedal illuminates, but very faint
Go for a ride, to check what the ammeter is showing:
Needle is in normal position showing marginal charging
Position 1 needle doesn't move
Position 2 needle shows immediate discharge, but then returns to normal position
Press brake pedal and needle moves to the right as normal until brake released
Returned home and checked that brake light works with bike running - it does
Stop bike and check all lights - very faint as before and can see dim dipped beam. This lasted just a couple of seconds before we were back to square 1.
Battery is a Yuasa and three years old, regulator from Dave Lindsley also three years old. All bulbs ok.
I'd be grateful for your thoughts on this and if you think I do need a new battery, suggestions for sealed units would be appreciated. The Westco battery mentioned in another recent post may be too tall to fit under my seat.
Thank you for your time.
Paul
