R.I.P. Battery

[greenmonster]

My bikes' battery gave up the ghost last weekend. Amazingly, it's the original battery that came with the bike (ZX900R) when I bought her brand new in the spring of '98! Thats nearly NINE years of service! Ive never had a battery last so long. Maybe 5 years, tops. So before I replace it, I have some questions:

Ive heard that a new battery needs to be intially charged for several hours in order to give it a 100% capacity. Some dealers rush the charging process and end up selling a battery at less than full strength, meaning it will never be able to get any stronger than it is when taken off the charger.

So just how long should it take to fully charge? I want to know before heading to the dealer and they tell me they'll have it "in an hour or so".

Ill bring in my old one....if I remember correctly, dealers are supposed to take in old batteries...and pay a turn-in fee? Like $5 bucks? I dunno...been so long since Ive had to go this route.

I believe my old battery is a Yuasa....pretty much the standard for new bikes to come with. Any opinions...on whether to get another Yuasa, or are there other batteries on the market just as good but less expensive? A new Yuasa will run what...$50-$60? I wanted to check out all this stuff with you guys before risking being screwed by the dealer. Anyway, any input will be appreciated!

[dhuze]

Do you have a battery tender/charger? If not you should get one when you buy the new battery. Take it home and do it yourself. All you need to do is add the electrolite to the battery put the caps on and place it on the charger. They even come with directions telling you how long to charge it before use. I don't remember how long I think it depends on the rate you charge it at.

[SVRACER01]

if you buy a maintenance free battery then do it yourself. the acid comes with it. throw it on a charger or tender and leave it

[SVRACER01]

Do you have a battery tender/charger? If not you should get one when you buy the new battery. Take it home and do it yourself. All you need to do is add the electrolite to the battery put the caps on and place it on the charger. They even come with directions telling you how long to charge it before use. I don't remember how long I think it depends on the rate you charge it at.

DONT PUT THE CAPS ON WHEN YOU INITALLY CHARGE IT. let it charge THEN put them on.

[dhuze]

DONT PUT THE CAPS ON WHEN YOU INITALLY CHARGE IT. let it charge THEN put them on.

Do what I mean not what I say.

[Punjistick]

I just got a new battery for $27 shipped off ebay from a seller named motobatteries. I would have gone to the dealer but I'm broke.

[greenmonster]

if you buy a maintenance free battery then do it yourself. the acid comes with it. throw it on a charger or tender and leave it

Yep...the now "deceased" battery is a maintenance-free type. Maybe that helps explain its' long life. That may be the way to go with the new one. Rye gave me some input about Sears having a model called the GS-12, branded under the DieHard name. Hopefully they come in the maintenance-free flavor. Worth my looking into, at least. Thanks for the feedback, guys!

[Punjistick]

The last battery I bought at sears I had to add acid to. Maybe they carry others that you don't need to do this. Worse case scenario, you need to buy a battery tender to charge it. It's a good idea to have a tender on the battery for over the winter or when you are not riding it for long periods. I got a second battery tender at Walmart for about $18.

[Rye]

Adding acid is no big deal. Pretty idiot proof. Be sure to let the battery sit for 24 hours, or alternatively put it on a trickle charger for (I think) 6 hours. I've always let them sit for the full duration. GS or Yuasa are the best. The Sears Diehard is a rebadged GS (Actually I think GS merged with Yuasa...not sure though). I can't recall the exact model name but it is something like BXT-12???

[Punjistick]

The battery I got from ebay is a GS.