Battery Life (when to change)

[JoeZ]

I still have my original battery in my 2012 NC. Considering I keep the bike attached to a battery tender when it's parked in the garage, I haven't had any issues with the battery at all. BUT..... Considering the bike is now 6 years old should I count my blessings and just change the battery out as a precaution, or just keep riding till it gives me issues? I mean I don't worry about getting stuck cuz I primarily ride local and carry a battery booster in the bike. Any thoughts? Are others riding the 2012 still using their original batteries?

 

[670cc]

I still have my original battery in my 2012 NC. Considering I keep the bike attached to a battery tender when it's parked in the garage, I haven't had any issues with the battery at all. BUT..... Considering the bike is now 6 years old should I count my blessings and just change the battery out as a precaution, or just keep riding till it gives me issues? I mean I don't worry about getting stuck cuz I primarily ride local and carry a battery booster in the bike. Any thoughts? Are others riding the 2012 still using their original batteries?

Well, first of all, I'd think your battery is, at most, just short of 5 years old, not 6, since the NC came to the U.S. in the last week of July, 2012. Nobody would have a 6 year old NC in the U.S. until summer, 2018.

If a battery has not shown signs of failure or weakness, I usually change mine proactively at about 8 years age. You can run a check of the open circuit voltage after a full charge and rest period. The voltage is measured, then you consult a chart which will give you an indication of the percent capacity remaining.

You can also do a load test to assess battery condition.

Since you carry a booster, I'd suggest waiting until signs of battery failure before changing it, unless you're planning on taking a trip to the boonies.

Many people might report far shorter average battery life than what I experience, but I think cold winter storage extends the life of mine. Batteries living in hot climates do not last as long, and in extreme heat they don't last long at all. So, if you live in a hot climate, adjust your battery life expectations accordingly.

 

[JoeZ]

Only said 6 cuz I bought it used . Great info. Thank you.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

I'm still on the OEM battery with a tad over 55,000 miles. I'll wait until it gives me a warning before I order a new one.

 

[netizen]

My 2012 is still on original battery and I haven't kept it on a tender as I should have. It's gone dead a few times (not in the last year) due to not keeping it charged over the winter. But it is still going strong.

 

[Fuzzy]

My 2013 has never been on a tender and has original battery. 43,000 miles on NC. One time it sat long enough it wouldn't start bike. Jumped it from my truck and went riding. It sat under a cover in my driveway 3 months this winter. May have been a bit weak, but stated NC just fine. I don't do many short rides. I live at least 10 miles from anywhere I would ride to and typically ride 50+ miles when I get on NC.

 

[ste7ios]

It's a good idea not to take into account everybody's practices and battery's lifetime because they're affected by many factors like riding distances & time, environmental temperatures, number of charge cycles and parasitic drain. You may have a safer conclusion only by riders in your area with the same motorcycle model and very similar riding habits...

You've to monitor battery's SoC (State of Charge) from time to time and maintain it accordingly...

In hot climates (temperatures above 77ºF) battery's life will be shorter than the expected (~5 years) because of the increased self discharge, grid corrosion and sulfation. (As a general rule, every increase of 15ºF above 77ºF will cut the battery lifetime to the half.)

Keep also in mind, one more problem with our factory activated batteries, that they may not be so fresh when we buy them (and we can't know if they're properly maintained by the store from the time they purchased them) so they may have decreased capacity from the beginning of our usage.

Also note that the usable capacity of a SLI lead acid battery is only about the half of its named capacity (5.5 Ah in our case).


For example, my YTZ12S was good for only two years because of the short distances in the city (less than 20-30' & less than 5 mi. between every engine start), some increased parasitic drain by the alarm & the Scottoiler eSystem, and the hot climate (for a battery) of Athens, Greece. Occasional charging didn't really help. The result was that the battery could never reach a full charge (it's the only way to stop sulfation) and maintain any charge for sufficient time.

I solved that problem with a LiFePO4 battery because of their different properties (there is no sulfation, they've insignificant self discharge rate, and they get charged really fast!).


To answer your question if the battery SoC is bellow 50% (OCV (Open Circuit Voltage) for YTZ: 12.5 V) and while starting the engine the voltage drops bellow 9.5 V its time is close...


Take a look at Yuasa's Technical Manual for more detail. (Always advice your battery's manual about SoC and OCV relationship, etc, ignore general SoC tables. All values refers to temperatures of 77ºF and you may have to compensate them to your temperature).

 

[SergeantChuck]

Count me in with the group of 2012 owners with original batter. Never used a battery tender but I ride year round. Still no battery related issues other than the ones I caused. LOL

 

[Beemerphile]

You will find batteries that last using tenders and batteries that last without. You will find batteries that die young using tenders and batteries that die young without. Many people with a long-lasting battery seem to think that their particular regimen is what caused it to last and they recommend that regimen like religion. Sometimes batteries last and sometimes they just die. Most of us can name an old guy that smoked and drank into his eighties and a health nut that died in his 40's. The difference is that most folks would not conclude that the old guy lived long because he smoked and drank or that the young guy died because of a healthy diet.

I print the dates on a battery when I install it. One of mine was installed in 2006. There is no way I would change it before it croaks because I could put in a new one with Infant Death Syndrome. I do carry a MicroStart though.

 

[DeeJay]

When a battery starts failing the MIL warning light starts coming on. So whenever the MIL warning light ever come on, don't panic - always get the battery and battery terminals checked first.

 

[JimTid]

I replace all of my lead acid batteries at 5 years regardless of performance or use of a battery tender history. I buy the best replacement I can find. This is an insignificant cost when amortized over a 5 year period. Just good preventative maintenance in my opinion, just like tires and oil.

 

[Red Rider]

I replace all of my lead acid batteries at 5 years regardless of performance or use of a battery tender history. I buy the best replacement I can find. This is an insignificant cost when amortized over a 5 year period. Just good preventative maintenance in my opinion, just like tires and oil.

As sensitive as these bikes, particularly the DCT, are to the state of the battery, that seems like a good plan. I used to milk the last months and weeks and days from a battery but I don’t think I’ll be doing that with this bike, those few extra pennies aren’t worth the hassle of a no-start event.

 

[ste7ios]

A fixed maintenance / replacement period can be misleading, wrong... Battery’s lifetime depends on many factors like environmental temperatures, riding habits, duration, etc. For example, with the temperatures of Greece, and my usage (relatively short distances in city traffic) an AGM battery can not last more than 3 years...

The right way to do it is only with measurements of (open circuit) voltage and a load test. To be on the safe side, the rule to replace a lead acid battery is when it reaches 50% of its named capacity, i.e. 12.5 V for Yuasa, Varta and other AGM batteries, or when it fails a load test.

See Yuasa’s Techical Manual for more detail.

 

[670cc]

^ Agree. It makes sense to use an assessment of the battery’s condition to determine whether it needs replacement, rather than a defined time interval. The OCV test seems to be a good indicator, as well as load testing. Since I live in a cooler area, I get 6-8 years from a battery. Someone in Arizona may get 3 years. “Your mileage may vary”.

I changed my Goldwing battery for the second time last week. The bike is now 16 years old, so each battery lasted 8 years. The NC700X battery is coming up on 6 years old and it’s still strong. OCV is 12.78v. There is no reason to change it now.

 

[ste7ios]

Also note that NC seems to have a disadvantage: the location of the battery box, right above the hottest part of the engine, is not ideal. So we can expect shorter battery lifetime than other bikes even on cool climates...

 

[showkey]

Agree ^^^^^^^^^

We talked about this prior........but..........”sudden death” seems more common failure with all vehicle batteries those days vs slow crank and other symptoms giving you an indication the battery is dying.

“Sudden death” being starts fine on the start of a trip ...........next start and click no start. Even witha charging system in good working order.

 

[TonySilver]

Hello,

I have been reading about the battery everywhere, and I think mine is coming up with needing replacement pretty soon... I still need to do a load test, it will be done later this week, still here are some of my detailed information, hoping it helps others here, or just for mere entertainment.

Details:
Bike: 2012
Location: Chicago
Tender: Most of the time (90%)
Currently I have been charging it, and it has made it to 14.1 and after 8 hrs. of sitting inside the house in basement (65 degrees) it has gone down to 12.7, in another occasion I charged and it only made it to 13.1 and after 7 hrs. it went down to 12.6 I do not know if this is helpful at all, but observations I have made is that if I charge it to the highest, (inside the house) to like 13.5 (in one of the occasions) then placed it (about 38 degrees) in the bike, and after 3 days, when I went to start the bike, it would not start, it was missing the extra push to start, I took the battery out again took it inside and it was reading 12.4 (inside, after it warmed up) to 65 degrees, I think I will be buying the motocross version from amazon, at the end of the week, after load test, I think the lower temperatures are affecting it.


thanks for reading if you made it this far...

 

[670cc]

Hello,

I have been reading about the battery everywhere, and I think mine is coming up with needing replacement pretty soon... I still need to do a load test, it will be done later this week, still here are some of my detailed information, hoping it helps others here, or just for mere entertainment.

Details:
Bike: 2012
Location: Chicago
Tender: Most of the time (90%)
Currently I have been charging it, and it has made it to 14.1 and after 8 hrs. of sitting inside the house in basement (65 degrees) it has gone down to 12.7, in another occasion I charged and it only made it to 13.1 and after 7 hrs. it went down to 12.6 I do not know if this is helpful at all, but observations I have made is that if I charge it to the highest, (inside the house) to like 13.5 (in one of the occasions) then placed it (about 38 degrees) in the bike, and after 3 days, when I went to start the bike, it would not start, it was missing the extra push to start, I took the battery out again took it inside and it was reading 12.4 (inside, after it warmed up) to 65 degrees, I think I will be buying the motocross version from amazon, at the end of the week, after load test, I think the lower temperatures are affecting it.


thanks for reading if you made it this far...

Is the reason it's not stored installed in the bike that there is no power nearby for a charger?

 

[TonySilver]

It is due to discharge..

Hi,

Thanks for asking.

It is actually due to discharge, at the end of last season (December), and in the beginning of this season (March) the tender has not been able to find the battery outside in the cold, however after I bring battery inside, and allow it to warm up, then the tender is able to find it and then charge it. Unfortunately my garage is not heated.

I am pretty sure I need to replace it, still forking out $100 bucks its quite difficult, tragic... but eventually will have to be done, especially as the days continue to get better, with today as the exception..

Thank you,

 

[ste7ios]

Cold is slowing down the electrochemical reactions so the battery can not perform. It can’t give us enough (cold cranking) amps.

Heat is speeding up it up...

With the first sign of weakness you’ve to replace it.

A charger / maintainer can’t do anything about it. It may prolong its lifetime but nothing more...