As my 696 is now 3 years old, although I keep it on an Optimate trickle charger I'm expecting that in the not so distant future I'll need to change it. Unlike the battery on my 749 which was accessable in less than a minute after removing one of the side panels the access to the 696 / 796 appears to be a minefield of clips / tabs / screws / fittings etc etc. So, has anyone on here ever had to get to the battery on a 696 / 796? roughly how long did the job take? and is it the nightmare job that I've read about?
Hi, I have an 1100 monster and could not believe how much trouble those nice people at the factory had gone to in order to stop us customer from having access to the battery. I had a go but gave up after about 20 minutes as I figured that if I carried on I wouldnt get all the parts back together in order. Mental isnt it, the battery should be accessible without any hassle.
Takes me about 10-15 minutes to get to. Once you know how it's a piece of cake. Get yourself a workshop manual and follow the step by step instructions in it.
Yes, after a couple of goes you can get access in 10mins... Take your time the first time though...you don't want to break anything when taking the tank covers off...
Yes, I have reached the battery on my 696. Yes it is a nightmare (though I'm not particularly mechanically minded) - remove tank covers (endless Allen bolts), remove tank or lift out of the way while trying not to drip petrol all over the garage floor. Suspect other half and I were in the garage a good half an hour. Getting to the battery on my old 400 Bandit simply required me to lift off the seat and undo 2 screws. 2 more screws and the battery was removed and sitting on a bench plugged into a simple charger. Snells fitted the optimate lead for me before I collected the 696 because I knew I didn't want to have to access the battery if I could at all avoid it.
3 years on one battery....? Hmmm. I had a 955i Speed Triple for 6 years & 32,000 miles. I sold it with 34,000 on the clock at 7 years old, still on the OE battery. It never once failed to start first push of the button, despite living outside under a cover for all the time I owned it and never once being charged. The secret? a) No alarm. Alarms are more trouble than they are worth. b) Use the bike regularly. They hate sitting around. More miles are better. PS It was still on the OE chain and sprockets as well...........
