Ok.. thanks for all the suggestions. I have returned the halfords battery even though had it for 3 days and no leaking and worked well. I went to a local motorbike store and talked to the guy who seemed quite knowleagable. He explained that all the new batteries including the one from halfords where you have to fill in the acid as soon as you fill in the acid it is absorbed by whatever is inside of the battery leaving no liquid there thus nothing to leak and no battery water to ever add nor acid to ever add. However for peace of mind he offered a gel battery by motobatt which is ready sealed nothing to add and it should have no problems at all with leaking. Installed and works great thus far. I still ensured to have the extra ground lead just in case as per suggestions.
I to had starting issues, changed the battery then the starter soleniod stuck so changed that, would start fine but not tick over, changed plugs made it no better, I did the extra cable on the negative to the engine and it started very quick but again won't tick over. I think I'm going to have to gt the TPS done, any one got any idea how much will it cost to get done.
On that note. I'm thinking I may install the race ecu that came with the termis on my bike. I was told I will have to reset the TPS, does anyone know a place anywhere close by Reading UK where I could get this done cheapish? or does someone have the diag cables near by to do this for me? Thanks,
Salmore, there is some odd advice coming out for you on this thread which you may want to check yourself by reading the recommendations of the battery manufacturers and accepted industry practice. Also whatever battery you get follow the maintenance instructions you get with it as many people don't bother and then wonder why their batteries only last a year or two. The Bosch M6 range of batteries is fully sealed once you have filled it. If that is the battery you got from Halfords it was OK to use, if however it was an M4 it was not suitable. For any bike battery on your Ducati you will need a battery charger (preferably a switch mode charger like the Optimate or CTEK Motorbike ones mentioned) otherwise your battery will gradually die on you or the bike will let you down more and more. As most bikes do not get used daily all year round they will need to be kept close to fully charged when not in use, especially over the winter as one of the quickest ways of killing it is to leave it over winter with no charge. Whether you get a CTEK an Optimate or something similar is a matter of preference as both are pretty reliable and pretty effective. Your bike must not have a conventional lead acid battery, it will work with an AGM lead acid battery that specifies 100% sealed (like the Bosch M6) or a gel type. Do not get confused like so many do with a gel and an AGM as they are not the same despite the claims by many sellers on ebay and parts shops. Most bike batteries these days are AGM where the acid electrolyte is poured in, the case sealed and an absorbent sponge (or Absorbent glass matt) between the plates soaks most of it up holding it adjacent to the plates to ensure reliable performance. If the case on these get damaged they will still leak some electrolyte BTW but it wont be anything like the quantity you lose if a conventional battery is tipped over or the case is damaged. Gel batteries use a jellyfied electrolyte and often do not use lead/acid like most AGMs do. If you got a Motobat make sure you get a charger that is suitable for that type of battery (read the Motobatt maintenance instructions) as IIRC they have higher than normal charging specs, also the usually specified Motobats are AGMs not gel. Do not use a car charger (as suggested above) as they can stick out typically 4x the amps and often far too many volts than a bike battery can cope with. Most bike batteries can be damaged with a charge voltage over 15v and a current over 1.5A as the plates can be buckled and the electrolyte overheated or even boiled. Again check the spec for the battery you bought and the charger you buy. Also over winter it is not necessary to keep the bike connected to a switch mode charger all the time and it is better to only connect the charger when it needs it maybe every couple of weeks. Despite the claims of the battery "tender" manufacturers they can damage batteries when left connected for months. If you follow the constantly connected mantra you never get to understand the true condition of the battery and end up turning your battery into an optimate junky so that when it is left disconnected it loses charge very quickly because it is fecked. If you follow the maintanence specified for the battery it is easy to get >5 years out of a good battery, if you don't follow the recomended maintenance regime or use an inapropriate charger you will be lucky to get more than two. The poor maintenance of the charging system connections and battery are an achilles heel for Ducatiti twin reliability and they need regular attention. Finally the additional earth cables mentioned are a good idea, however the additional wires can mask underlying faults which if left unattended will eventually lead to further reliability issues. It is better to make sure the hi amperage wires to the frame and main 12v supply cables and connections are maintained clean (use petroleum jelly on the battery connection lugs and ensure all the earth connections are kept clean and corrosion free).
Hi denzil. Thanks for all your pointers. I guess I didnt have to replace my bosch battery... thats ok I now have the gel type which should be fine on its side as well as you said. I actually use the bike for commuting and joy riding so its used 5 to 6 times a week. From what you said it may be better to not use a charger if its used this often. Its probably better that the battery gets used to the bikes alternator than a charger. I will look at the instructions about the maintenance later today, but the bosch one said no maintenance required. Ill keep the extra lead from negative to engine box as from what all have said including you no harm this will cause, but as you said this sjould not be used instead of keeping the bike clean. Thanks again
Salmore you need to use the charger when the battery needs a charge, a simple way of monitoring it is checking the voltage before you start it in the morning. You will find it will need a short charge now and again throughout the year more often as the weather gets colder. For battery maintenance that means maintaining it close to fully charge and making sure the battery posts have clean connections (with a light smear of petroleum jelly on them). And just to be sure it is the cable connections that need to be kept clean which means every year or so checking them, maybe disconnecting and cleaning them if they are showing signs of oxidization (white dusty film).
