A load bank to check condition and repeated charging cycles to determine failure is SOP here. Our charger is a rather unique item as it can "shock" sulfate The diagnosis they gave may be an accurate one, I don't know if they have the equipment to make an evaluation. What's done is done. How to keep a battery in good condition for such a long period of inactivity is a trick if you can't be there to monitor it. We offer a service to customers where they leave their battery with us and we have to tend it. I never thought about it for a customer, but dry-charged batteries are drained and stored for very long periods. Drain a battery ? Maybe, if it was done carefully. I'd refill it with fresh and not the stuff drained out. I don't put much faith in tenders for that long a time. My experience has been that the battery has a reduced capacity from that treatment. We use a tender on our forklift and it works out fine but the lift gets used at least once a week for an hour or so. Maybe somebody has another idea.
--- On Tue, 12/8/09, Dennis <[email protected]> wrote: From: Dennis <[email protected]> Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] In New Zealand with Battery woes To: "Nighthawk Lovers" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 9:56 PM Hi all, I'm in New Zealand now. I arrived down here about two weeks ago. While I was gone, my motorcycle here sat for about 9 months with the battery in it. Needless to say, it was flat when I got back. I put the charger on it and got the bike ('85 CB700SC) started and all seemed well - until two days later when the battery was flat again. Another charge and two more days of good running and then flat again. I took it into a shop today to make sure the alternator was putting charge into it and it seemed to be. So, after chatting with the mechanic, I stepped up and bought a new battery. Now that I'm home, I'm wondering if that was the right thing to do or if I should have been more patient and debugged things a bit further before pulling out my wallet. The folks at the shop told me that a battery can definitely be ruined by leaving it in a bike like that for so long. They said something about 'sulfation' - which I didn't really understand. I also asked them how I should store a battery if I'm going to be gone that long and their only suggestion was to buy a 'battery minder' and use it to keep that battery topped up while I'm gone. That seemed a bit extreme to me for six to nine months. Surely there must be another way? You thoughts and comments would be appreciated. Dennis G. - Seattle, Washington - Christchurch, New Zealand -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
