possible charging issue?

[Adski]

Well my bike's struggling to start again, so in the absense of an optimate and no power in my garage I'm now driving round at higher than normal revs so I don't get stuck anywhere!
My battery's been replaced by SLM though maybe the altenator's on it;'s way out?

It's a 1998 non-ABS model with 8k on the clock which I've owned since the start of the year.

I'm thinking that as my general daily use is between 4-8 miles per journey ( ) do you think that could be causing the battery to not recover enough?

I do have some heated grips but haven't used them for the last few weeks, so I know that's not the cause.

Any ideas much appreciated!

cheers,
Adam

[crucial]

In my experience if the battery is not in tip top condition on the s, it can be a pig to start. 4 - 8 miles is not really enough. Time to run an extension lead,buy an opitimate and plug it in at night

[Adski]

Yeah that's kinds what I thought. Bugger.
There's no way I can power the garage as I live in a council house and it's a seperate garage block.

Maybe I should move further away from work...or buy my neighbour's cityfly.

[crucial]

or take the scenic route to work

[Adski]

To Croydon? You're asking a lot!

[oyster]

Can you charge it at work?
Your short journey is certainly the problem, allied with the frosty mornings lately.
A chap I knew got his Norton Commando up to his seventh floor flat in the lift. He was a big bloke. The R weighs about double the Commando, so I dont think that's a good idea after all.

[Adski]

Nope, it's parked around the corner in the bike section of a public car park.
Could possible park it by my front door once a week for a bit of a charge, that's probably the best idea. Guess I could have the lead coming out the letterbox without too much bother.

I didn't realise just how little the battery gets charged in a 20 mile ride with the lights on - it very nearly didn't start after a meal at the pub!
I rode back very carefully with just the side lights on.

[Adski]

Right, I've got an Optimate 3 on the way.

Wonder how long my UPS will last if I use it to power the Optimate in the garage? Hmm.
Think I'l stick with the plan of parking it by my front door every now and then.

[Ade B]

could you take the battery out and give it a full charge and put it back the next day. Its a bit of a faff but would keep you going for a few days.

Failing that just give it a good run out one evening (a circuit round the M25 would do the trick

I found that when my previous battery was on its way out last winter, exactly the same problems - even with an optimate on overnight the battery would struggle to turn the engine after a couple of trips into town (about 4-6 miles). New battery solved the problem.

[Adski]

It is a new battery, about 3 weeks old after being replaced by the dealer.
I'm running around a lot at the moment with dipped beam off as it barely seems to charge with the lights on.

I can't be arsed taking the battery out only to put it back in again.
I'll just connect up the optimate lead and then park next to by front door every now and then for a charge.

[Adski]

Right chaps,

Sorry to being this topic back up to the top but I'm still sure something isn't quite right.
I've been usingthe Optimate on her most weekends until it goes in to maintainance mode, and generally leaving it there for a couple of hours before disconnecting her to go back in the garage.
I had her on the Optimate yesterday and it's only been used since today, and I've just had to put her on it again as she very nearly didn't start.
Here's a summary of the day's use to see if you think that was the cause.

14 mile run, 30 mins, lights off, heated grips on min
10 mile run, 15 mins, no lights or grips
4 miles run, 10 mins, no lights or grips
0.1 mile run, 30 seconds, no lights or grips (i had to make a phone call!)
8 mile run, 20 mins, no lights or grips
1 mile run, no lights or grips (started slowly)
1 mile run, no lights or grips (started...just)

Now this was a hell of a lot more little runs than normal, but surely not enough to kill the 3 month old battery in a single day?

[boxerpan]

Should be no problem to charge a battery on those times, the alternator kicks out a hell of a lot more juice than an optimate if it's working ok. One thing to check is whether they've fitted the taller battery with more oomph which should be the case with heated grips (and ABS) but even the shorter style should be OK for a year or so.
It is possible to get a duff battery and the only way to say for sure is to do a load test on it which is a pain where the battery is fitted on the S.

[Adski]

One thing to check is whether they've fitted the taller battery with more oomph which should be the case with heated grips

They're after-market grips, and the battery's the standard gel one.

I really don't want to have to resort to going back to a smaller bike for shorter journeys...

[Adski]

Well this morning the battery was pretty much dead despite being charged for a few hours on the Optimate last night and not used since, so I'm back on the Hornet today.

Guess I've got a power drain somewhere, but the only dodgy thing I've got is my heated grips wiring, but that's plugged in to a power socket that's only on when the ignition's on so it surely can't be that at fault.

I'll take her back to SLM later today..again.

[bigblackfalco]

Well this morning the battery was pretty much dead despite being charged for a few hours on the Optimate last night and not used since, so I'm back on the Hornet today.

Guess I've got a power drain somewhere, but the only dodgy thing I've got is my heated grips wiring, but that's plugged in to a power socket that's only on when the ignition's on so it surely can't be that at fault.

I'll take her back to SLM later today..again.

Check carefully in and around your 12v power socket;I had a problem with corrosion building up inside the socket causing a gradual short circuit.Also check at the rear of the socket as the wires can also fuse together with bad corrosion over time.
Bailey.