Draining Battery

A

Alan Christman

New Member
I have a 05 Ridgeback and for the last couple of months something is draining the battery. I put in a new start button, a new starter and just bought a new lithium ion battery 480ca. It been cranking the last couple of days but it is taking about 6-8 hours to recharge on the battery tender. Any advice on what else it might be or anybody having or had this problem. I've had the bike for 6 years with only standard maintenance needed. Thanks for any help I receive. Alan Christman
 
TapioK

TapioK

Well-Known Member
Well, if you have to use tender, have you checked your charging? Or maybe the battery is crap. With 480cca should crank like crazy. If I remember correctly Lithium ion can be pain in the ass to charge, it has internal control to drop the VR charging voltage. Lithium iron would be much safer and easier to charge without a risk of the battery exploding.
I may well be wrong again though.


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P

pauly

Active Member
I had lithium iron (the safer type) in my bike for about twenty minutes. It has fried my voltage regulator in just two miles.

Paul.
 
Alexey

Alexey

Active Member
type of battery? Any battery designed for vehicles is charged by the voltage regulator. If the battery is not charging, run the motorcycle engine and measure the voltage. If below 13.7 is bad. If the above 14.8, this is very bad.
 
TapioK

TapioK

Well-Known Member
pauly said:
I had lithium iron (the safer type) in my bike for about twenty minutes. It has fried my voltage regulator in just two miles.

Paul.
Click to expand...
What the heck happened to the battery? How can a battery fry VR? There is even a fuse on the line btw battery and VR!


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TapioK

TapioK

Well-Known Member
Alan Christman said:
Going to take it Friday to have the voltage run, going now to see if I can find the fuse between the VR and the battery. Thanks
Click to expand...
It is a fuse or a breaker rather close to the battery on the wire from VR to batt. Shouldn't be hard to find. In breaker there may be a button to reset. Remember, if the fuse blows or breaker opens, there is a reason for that...


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P

pauly

Active Member
TapioK said:
What the heck happened to the battery? How can a battery fry VR? There is even a fuse on the line btw battery and VR!


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Click to expand...

I have circuit breakers and they only blow if there is a short.
I have started the bike three or four times before going for a ride and the battery wanted all the power back too quickly. I guess it has put too much strain on the voltage regulator and it failed.
My head globe has burn out at the same time too and that is how I knew there was something wrong.

Paul.
 
Alexey

Alexey

Active Member
pauly said:
I have circuit breakers and they only blow if there is a short.
I have started the bike three or four times before going for a ride and the battery wanted all the power back too quickly. I guess it has put too much strain on the voltage regulator and it failed.
My head globe has burn out at the same time too and that is how I knew there was something wrong.

Paul.
Click to expand...
You're right, but not completely.
All batteries have three main options.
1. Voltage. With this clear.
2. Amp-hours. In motorcycles 18 - 30 ampere-hours. On machines 50-70 ampere hours.
This is what we call the volume of the battery.
3. Start-up current. CCA. this is clear.

Many people buy a larger battery size (large ampere-hours). They think that it is correct. What more powerful battery. But any generator targeted at granting certain voltage parameters. During engine operation, VR charges the battery up to the desired level. With increasing charge, comes back the declared capacity of the battery.
But if the battery is installed a very large volume, VR can not then charged it completely. Because of this charge is always. As a consequence of the heating and combustion of VR.
 
BadDawg Bill

BadDawg Bill

Well-Known Member
Alexey said:
You're right, but not completely.
All batteries have three main options.
1. Voltage. With this clear.
2. Amp-hours. In motorcycles 18 - 30 ampere-hours. On machines 50-70 ampere hours.
This is what we call the volume of the battery.
3. Start-up current. CCA. this is clear.

Many people buy a larger battery size (large ampere-hours). They think that it is correct. What more powerful battery. But any generator targeted at granting certain voltage parameters. During engine operation, VR charges the battery up to the desired level. With increasing charge, comes back the declared capacity of the battery.
But if the battery is installed a very large volume, VR can not then charged it completely. Because of this charge is always. As a consequence of the heating and combustion of VR.
Click to expand...
In English: If you put in too big a battery the VR can't charge it completely so it keeps charging at the highest rate over heating the VR and not fully charging the battery.......
 
TapioK

TapioK

Well-Known Member
Alexey said:
You're right, but not completely.
All batteries have three main options.
1. Voltage. With this clear.
2. Amp-hours. In motorcycles 18 - 30 ampere-hours. On machines 50-70 ampere hours.
This is what we call the volume of the battery.
3. Start-up current. CCA. this is clear.

Many people buy a larger battery size (large ampere-hours). They think that it is correct. What more powerful battery. But any generator targeted at granting certain voltage parameters. During engine operation, VR charges the battery up to the desired level. With increasing charge, comes back the declared capacity of the battery.
But if the battery is installed a very large volume, VR can not then charged it completely. Because of this charge is always. As a consequence of the heating and combustion of VR.
Click to expand...
Well, I don't know much, but stator and our simple Voltage Regulator pushes the same voltage no matter if the battery is empty or full. If battery is full it just grounds the excess current. I think regulator may actually get hotter if battery is full.
Battery may suck in many ways, but it does not suck current from VR.
Think battery as a bucket or rather a weak container, VR as a water valve and a hose. When container is full, VR just sprays the water to the ground, it does not close the valve. Faulty VR is like trying to fill a small container with a fully open firehose. A Big mess and the container will eventually break from excess water pressure.
Not very scientific but I hope this gave you a basic idea.
Charging system in a car is bit more sophisticated system.


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Alexey

Alexey

Active Member
TapioK said:
Well, I don't know much, but stator and our simple Voltage Regulator pushes the same voltage no matter if the battery is empty or full. If battery is full it just grounds the excess current. I think regulator may actually get hotter if battery is full.
Battery may suck in many ways, but it does not suck current from VR.
Think battery as a bucket or rather a weak container, VR as a water valve and a hose. When container is full, VR just sprays the water to the ground, it does not close the valve. Faulty VR is like trying to fill a small container with a fully open firehose. A Big mess and the container will eventually break from excess water pressure.
Not very scientific but I hope this gave you a basic idea.
Charging system in a car is bit more sophisticated system.


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Click to expand...
I understand the idea. Just someone wrote battery burned VR. I explained that this can not be.
 
Th3InfamousI

Th3InfamousI

Administrator
Staff member
TapioK said:
Well, I don't know much, but stator and our simple Voltage Regulator pushes the same voltage no matter if the battery is empty or full. If battery is full it just grounds the excess current. I think regulator may actually get hotter if battery is full.
Battery may suck in many ways, but it does not suck current from VR.
Think battery as a bucket or rather a weak container, VR as a water valve and a hose. When container is full, VR just sprays the water to the ground, it does not close the valve. Faulty VR is like trying to fill a small container with a fully open firehose. A Big mess and the container will eventually break from excess water pressure.
Not very scientific but I hope this gave you a basic idea.
Charging system in a car is bit more sophisticated system.


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Click to expand...
Spot on VR puts out the same voltage regardless of battery being full or empty. It doesn't know the difference it's pretty stupid. The only difference in voltage output from the VR is due to the output difference at the stator. As the RPM increase the stator spins faster creating higher AC voltage 30-50Volts. The VR is designed to convert AC to DC and obviously as the AC voltage increases at higher RPM so does the DC output.

Car system really works the same car battery is always charging too. Only difference is the alternator houses both the stator and the diodes to convert AC to DC. Basically just slaps both of our standalone products together into one.

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Last edited:
P

pauly

Active Member
I will not argue but there was another post by forum member where the same thing happened.
After installing lithium battery his voltage regulator shit it self.
Who knows how many Big Dog owners had the same experience with the OEM regulator.

Paul..
 
TapioK

TapioK

Well-Known Member
pauly said:
I will not argue but there was another post by forum member where the same thing happened.
After installing lithium battery his voltage regulator shit it self.
Who knows how many Big Dog owners had the same experience with the OEM regulator.

Paul..
Click to expand...
Well those OEM regulators are worth shit, thats why there was a recall..! Often the real reason for bad battery is bad VR. You hear new batteries going to shit in days or weeks... crappy VR does that.


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bigkelk9

bigkelk9

Well-Known Member
Alexey said:
type of battery? Any battery designed for vehicles is charged by the voltage regulator. If the battery is not charging, run the motorcycle engine and measure the voltage. If below 13.7 is bad. If the above 14.8, this is very bad.
Click to expand...
Sorry.. Kinda gotta disagree there.. My bike idles and charges at about 12 even when cokd and about 12.5 warm at idle.. About 13.5 -13.9 while riding.. And thats about the same with all american bikes ive owned except idle.. Its lower then.normal on this. But I have conpared to other k9's and its about the same...
 
Alexey

Alexey

Active Member
bigkelk9 said:
Sorry.. Kinda gotta disagree there.. My bike idles and charges at about 12 even when cokd and about 12.5 warm at idle.. About 13.5 -13.9 while riding.. And thats about the same with all american bikes ive owned except idle.. Its lower then.normal on this. But I have conpared to other k9's and its about the same...
Click to expand...
My friend ... I love the technical debate. And I'm even going to surprise you.
You are absolutely right. And I totally agree with you. But let's try to understand it. You're right and your voltage, good. If there are no problems with the battery. If we have a problem with batteries, there diagnostic card. And check the charging system begins with this test. Precisely, if the indication less than 13.7 volts. But this does not mean, that the motorcycle to serviceable, is not enough for charging. understand what I'm saying?
There are obvious faults. And there are hidden, indirect faults. That's what would have to start the test a hidden fault, need to go far away.
I repeat once again: 13.7-14.3 is a completely normal value for battery charge. On a working system of charging and serviceable motorcycle.
 
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