Why did the battery die?

[Fuzzy]

Bike sat in drive way under bike cover since July 1. Started up fine yesterday. OEM battery and bought NC in July 2013.

 

[dakotamiles]

Okay, I've been riding off and on for a month now. The bike sits for over a week at a time, and then I roar off on a trip of 100 to 1200 miles, then I come home and the bike sits again for another week or two. I haven't had a lick of trouble with the battery since that one episode. And I keep forgetting to plug in the battery minder.

I have made a point of NEVER turning the bike on unless I am going to start the engine within a few minutes. The one time my battery died, that's what I did - I turned it on to read the odometer, didn't start the engine, turned it off again, pulled out the key, and the battery was dead after less than a week.

Others have had similar unexpected and unexplainable dead batteries that come to life after being charged. I think there's something going on with the electronics and I don't believe the OEM batteries are so flaky that they will die and resurrect themselves like that. If there is a battery doubter reading this, I am willing to bet you a $20 gift certificate to a bike store that my battery will last for another couple years - until, say, August of 2016. Any takers? I am going to pull the battery out around November, and store it on a battery minder in the basement until May or so.

 

[PadrePoint]

I just bought a 2013 new and a few weeks later the battery had nothing one morning. I tried to charge it but wasn't seeming to absorb much. I've heard from a mechanic that original batteries on cycles are notorious for not lasting a typical 3-5 years (no doubt this NC was sitting around at the dealer for a while.) I simply decided to get a new one.
Good point on turning the key without starting the engine. It's probably just worth developing the discipline of starting and shutting down whenever I check odometer or fuel level.
I have another ten days of vacation so I'll have a chance to see if the new battery holds for a few weeks.

 

[Harald]

Good point on turning the key without starting the engine. It's probably just worth developing the discipline of starting and shutting down whenever I check odometer or fuel level.

I highly recommend not doing this unless you are going to ride for a while. Starting the bike will draw down the power in your battery and idling for a few minutes will not replace what was taken out. The battery won't be fully charged for your next start.

 

[dakotamiles]

Basically, I won't turn the key unless I'm going for a ride soon.

 

[dakotamiles]

Progress report:

I have had no more battery problems since my first report here. I used the trickle charger for most of the winter when I wasn't riding (sorry, OCR, I wanted to stay off the ice) and it's been parked and ridden alternately since the summer began, no trickle charger used since the first of June. The starter cranks the engine vigorously anytime I ask it to. I'm no longer paying attention to the battery voltage because things seem to be working. My flat battery seems to have been a one-time problem. I do turn the key to read the odometer without starting the engine, but usually I do this at a gas station. I never turn the bike on and then off and walk away. If I have to turn it on and I'm not going to ride it soon, I start the engine.

So far so good!

 

[Therapy]

dakotamiles and others.

I came across this thread and read with interest.
Too bad there is no conclusion but there is definitely a gremlin about in some NCs.

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-mods/7080-battery-drain-problem-deeply-pondered.html