This is not particular to the ST2 but it is my ST2 that I'm writing about. In March last year, the bike was SORNed and I was checking valve clearances. But I had my accident in March and the bike was left for around 10 months. Since I've been home, I have been trying to charge the battery. The Optimate wasn't left connected and it is now at my brother's house near Salisbury where I have another non-runner. I am using a Halfords charger that I guess I bought over 30 years ago. It does have a motorcycle/car setting as well as 6/12 v. It's only on charge during the day and the battery is showing promise. I just felt the battery and it is quite warm but I can rest my hand on it so it is not hot. I've never replaced the battery before (it's still on the bike)and I've had the bike for about 5 years. The bike was new in 1999. So, I may need to replace the battery at some point. Question: would you expect a battery to get warm on charging or is is knackered?
Getting warm ..... nothing to worry about ( and probably a fair bit of fizzing ) Five year old battery , with not much regular use ? .... it probably won't hold a full charge for long . I'd expect to have to replace it . There's nothing basically wrong with those old-style chargers , but a battery left standing unused for months on end is heading for the bin . That's where the modern smart chargers shine .... leave it connected and forget it . My own ST4 would get used for months , then left for many more months when I went away for work I can't count the number of batteries I ruined because I didn't do the smart thing ......
Batteries will get warm, but if they are getting hot, it may be you are either shoving too many amps into it - or it has a dead cell stopping it from absorbing the current being pushed. If it was new in 99 it's almost certainly way past its better years (a bit like me I guess). Most car chargers, especially the older ones push far too many amps for a small motorcycle battery to accept. You really need one of the "intelligent" chargers that proliferate the marketplace now, that monitor and vary charge rates according to battery state. They can be left in place and almost forgotten. If you are going for a battery, I would advise sticking with GS or Yuasa (same brand in the OEM market, different brands aftermarket). They only use new lead in their production, unlike the cheaper chinese batts that appear on Ebay at lower prices. Better lead = more stamina and longer life. That said, there are some spoof Yuasas on Ebay. If its cheap - it's usually shite is always a good motto to abide by
That is useful to know because I did look on eBay and there is a lot of cheaper stuff but you'd stick to the well known stuff. I am guessing that is is not the original battery but lord knows how old it is. It could be a dead cell but what I will do tomorrow is put a meter on it and see what the voltage is. What would you expect from a good battery? 13 volts? 12.5? I can't try starting it because it was last left half-way through a valve check.
You might see as high as 13.5 V with a multi-meter , but part of that may be "surface charge " which disappears as soon as a load is connected . As mentioned above , those genuine Yuasa batteries are worth the extra money , and Varta are pretty good also . There is a great site for info on everything battery related here :- https://batteryuniversity.com
Here's the range that fit your bike.... Have you considered? https://www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-batteries/f/ducati/st2-01-03/
So - an MF type battery with half charge but is recoverable would read 12.4 volts. A fully charged battery will likely read 13.3 or so after being taken off charge and should hold 12.9 volts unloaded after it has had chance to stabilize. If it is connected to the bike, the readings will be a little less than those. Anything less than 12.3v and its almost certainly DOA, unless you have access to a proper pro workshop charger (about a grand or so, they are) that will bang in enough initial amps to break up the plate sulfation, but also only does that for micro seconds so it does not warp the plates. They then pulse charge to gradually revive the battery.
Yes, but static voltage on an unloaded battery is a reasonable home-test way of measuring its capacity. It is something that should be measure more than once, as a faulty battery may present a high voltage on one test but a lower one on a subsequent one. Once it has attained its level, it should hold that level for several days providing it has no drain attached to it.
Temporary delay. I have two meters. One is battery powered with flat batteries and the other I cannot find. I would blame others for this as my house and garage was tidied up when I was away dong my hospital tour! But... a) it is not as though I've never lost anything before and b) It's not s though I can blame anybody else for batteries going flat.... Yes I can. The stupid woman who knocked me off my bike is responsible for all of this! And I don't know how to quantify this hassle monetarily. I want financial compensation for this!!!
Sorry Dudes.... it's all smoke and mirrors without something like this... £16'ish Silverline Car Battery & Alternator Charging System Tester for 6V/12V Batteries https://ebay.us/wd6qc8
A good pro workshop chargers start from £350... https://www.tractioncharger.com/battery-chargers-1/mpl-10 https://www.tractioncharger.com/
I'd like to agree, however I don't want to give hope to the hopeless case of a bad battery. Terminal voltage is no indication of capacity. Self discharge overtime (days) measuring voltage is a good measure of one type of fault. On most home multimeters shouldn't be able to measure the self discharge of a battery over a few days. Note when measuring a battery voltage for self discharge also make sure it is at a constant temperature. You'd be amazed how many intelligent people will prevaricate around just buying a new battery. Instead they play about with a 50-70% working one, insisting it will be ok or some one down the pub knows a way of recovering it. Eventually they all come to the same conclusion, buy a new one. Age of a battery is no indication of its capacity, albeit older ones are more likely to be weak. A battery can be 2 days old and be knackered (technical term) by deep discharge.
We used a pro system - one of these to test https://www.yuasa.co.uk/chargers-and-accesssories/testers-battery-analysers/mdx627p.html or maybe this https://www.yuasa.co.uk/chargers-and-accesssories/testers-battery-analysers/mdx617p.html and a charger that costs about half as much again but will charge several batteries at the same time to maintain/recover sulfated batteries. I cannot see that on the site at the mo and cannot recall the number. Next time I am down at base, I will check.
Sounds good.... I've always wondered about these sorts of testers. Being an electronics engineer I was concerned that they don't present a decent heavy load to the battery... just look at the leads. That said I've never tested one against the old fashioned one pictured above. So that's just a feeling, not anything I could prove or want to argue about. Just a quick cut and paste to help people understand Sulfation. Sulfation is a buildup of lead sulfate crystals and is the number one cause of early battery failure in lead-acid batteries. Sulfation occurs when a battery is deprived of a full charge, it builds up and remains on battery plates. When too much sulfation occurs, it can impede the chemical to electrical conversion. A buildup of sulfates can cause… longer charging times excessive heat build-up shorter running times between charges dramatically shorter battery life complete battery failure All lead acid batteries will accumulate sulfation in their lifetime as it is part of the natural chemical process of a battery. But, sulfation builds up and causes problems when; A battery is overcharged A battery is stored above 75°F A battery is stored without a full charge To prevent sulfation when a battery is stored, even if it’s stored at a full charge, a battery must be charged enough to prevent it from dropping below 12.4 volts. Applying this maintenance charge will prevent sulfates from building up. It’s also important to note that while we mentioned a battery shouldn’t be stored in temperatures above 75 degrees, for every 10 degrees above room temperature, the rate of self-discharge doubles. There are two types of sulfation that can occur in your lead battery; reversible and permanent. Their names imply exactly the effects on your battery. If the problem is recognized early enough, it is possible to reverse the sulfation of a battery. However, doing so should only be done by someone with seasoned experience working with lead batteries, such as the retail outlet where your battery was initially purchased. Permanent sulfation occurs when a battery has been in a low state-of-charge for weeks or months. While these can sometimes be salvaged, it is unlikely that restoration is possible. The best way to prevent sulfation is to practice proper battery maintenance and follow charging best practices. While there are anti-sulfation devices available that will apply pulses to battery terminals to prevent and reverse sulfation on a healthy battery, they will not reverse the damage completely and are not always recommended. Sulfation is the number one reason you should not store your battery with an empty charge. Once sulfation of the lead plates has occurred, reversing the effects is highly unlikely, so it is critical to take care of your batteries from the start.
All very interesting stuff... I'll need to have a good study and I am not saying anything is wrong or right - said the man who cannot get a basic voltmeter to work!
