Battery Stress and 95 degree Heat

[babuski]

Something weird happened a month ago (nothing major but..)
and it occurred again yesterday. On both days the temperature was in the mid 90s and very hot and humid. I was driving in stop and go traffic both times.

I stopped briefly to make a quick phone call and turned the motor off. Bike was running a little hot judging by the temp gauge but I couldn't determine if the fan was on--which would drain current wouldn't it?

both times, when I went to start the bike...the starter seemed very weak....but eventually did start the bike. I'm wondering, do extreme hot temperatures effect battery efficiency the way extreme cold temps do? If the fan went on, I thought that might be taxing the battery load. An hour later I had the bike home and cooled down...it started right away. the battery is 2.5 years old and is hooked to a trickle charge the whole winter (I drive the bike in winter too)

Or is there something else.

 

[DAB]

Could be that the stop/go traffic means the battery wasn't getting recharged enough (low rpms?) - bear in mind that your low beam is on all the time as well as the fan.

Or maybe you need a new battery?

 

[shenoyp]

Heat that you are mentioning should not technically reduce the efficiancy of the battery. I presume it's time to get yourself a new battery

... 2.5 years is almost full life for a motor battery IMO

 

[Churchkey]

A trickle charger is OK if you put it on a timer. Run it once a week for 10-12 hours. Continous trickle charging will harm a battery

A battery maintainer is a much better choice.

Heat is a  battery's worst enemy. Excessive heat causes the battery to sulphate. If the battery sulphates it will only hold a surface charge, just enough to turn the motor over a few times then die.

40 degrees is the optiium temp for a battery.

To check for sulphation install a battery charger (10amp max for a bike battery) & charge for 15 minutes. With the charger still connected & turned on check the battery voltage with a volt meter. If the voltage is 16 or higher the battery is sulphated & needs to be replaced immediately.

A starter that is worn will also drag when it gets hot causing poor hot starting.

You need a good battery to check for starter drag. Connect a volt meter between the selenoid starter cable connection & the connection on the starter. Engage the starter & read the voltage while the starter is in operation. If the voltage drops to 8 volts or lower the starter needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

 

[nitrousjunkie]

I'm in a 115-120 plus enviroment, so far, so good.

 

[babuski]

Can a starter go bad in less than three years?

I baby this bike
It has NO mods
I can understand the battery needing replacement, but the starter? Doesn't make sense....

 

[babuski]

btw its a 2003 and in perfect condition with all maintenance done at factory recommended intervals. It rides terrific and has never given me a problem...ever (except for nails in tires) Its just the hot weather combined with stop and go traffic along with the engine being turned off for only a minute or two has caused me to wonder about this issue.

 

[bronc3]

Replaced my '03's battery at just over two years. Same symptoms.

 

[BusaCruise]

download the posted shop manual....charging system doesn't "charge" below about 4~5K rpm....or so I recall.

stop and go ....especially with a fan running could do a number on a battery that wasn't top notch to start with. Batteries have defects too....

 

[BusaWhipped]

A trickle charger is OK if you put it on a timer. Run it once a week for 10-12 hours. Continous trickle charging will harm a battery

A battery maintainer is a much better choice.

Heat is a  battery's worst enemy. Excessive heat causes the battery to sulphate. If the battery sulphates it will only hold a surface charge, just enough to turn the motor over a few times then die.

40 degrees is the optiium temp for a battery.

To check for sulphation install a battery charger (10amp max for a bike battery) & charge for 15 minutes. With the charger still connected & turned on check the battery voltage with a volt meter. If the voltage is 16 or higher the battery is sulphated & needs to be replaced immediately.

A starter that is worn will also drag when it gets hot causing poor hot starting.

You need a good battery to check for starter drag. Connect a volt meter between the selenoid starter cable connection & the connection on the starter. Engage the starter & read the voltage while the starter is in operation. If the voltage drops to 8 volts or lower the starter needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

Excessive heat will kill a battery faster than excessive cold. Also, what he said ^.

 

[babuski]

Now that I think of it....the bike and battery are less than three years old...but I do have nearly 20,000 miles on the bike and during its first year of operation got a lot of stop and go miles....then I discovered rural Illinois where I almost never have to stop. But the two times it did this was in heavy stop and go traffic with temps exceeding 95 degrees and humidity up the wazoo.

I will get a new battery and see what happens....


Any other input will be appreciated especially type of battery....should I go with stock replacement battery? Something with more cranking amps...

any opinions here on batteries..?

 

[theemrrdkill]

<- has a '03" busa .. every yr so far I have had to "replace" my battery .. ur call..

 

[justintime2]

The heat you are talking about will not affect the internal plates of the battery. Why throw darts at a board for repairs and buy a new battery? Have that one load tested. This is not a perfect test but will give you an idea of it's effectiveness.