Clawdog60
Well-Known Member
Has anyone tried cycling the key 3 or 4 times before starting after long down time? That’s what I plan to do and see what happens. Mines been sitting for almost a month now without a start.
HARD START
- Thread starter Dirt_Dad
- Start date
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
My finger is currently poised above the "Buy Now" button for this one:
https://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/lithium-iron-batteries/sstz14s-fp.html
Seems almost every start is taking a lot of cranking and the dash is going blank when doing so. This is even right off of the tender and it's turning over really slow. It's always started so far but I'm getting nervous about it.
tntmo
Well-Known Member
I've never heard of that brand, but I haven't dug into it much. I had two Shorai batteries crap out on my Tiger. One was my fault, I accidentally left the key on and ran it dead. Lithium batteries are not forgiving of that. The other one worked perfectly one day and was dead the next.
If you ride anywhere cold, lithium batteries are not the best choice for you. They don't work well in the cold weather. Definitely a weight savings and they seem to have a lot of extra "chooch" compared to the AGM batteries.
I won't be buying one for my replacement on the S10, just my input at this point.
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Scorpion has been around a while as has Batterystuff.com. I bought a conventional Scorpion lead acid battery from them for my '05 ST1300 after it was about 2-years old and the OEM Yuasa was starting to turn the bike over too slowly. That battery always cranked better than the OEM and was still in my ST1300 when I sold it last year, admittedly it was about ready to be replaced which I communicated to the buyer.
Tenman
Well-Known Member
I had a semi hard start on my gen 1 with my engine warm. I got it started after I let it 10 minutes or so. Got home and cycled the key a bunch of times. Fired right up. Fixin to go do it again for science. Cold motor 40f here cycled the key 10 times. Fired up instantly. HMMMM
thughes317
Well-Known Member
10k miles on this one and heading into year #2 with it: https://www.motosport.com/product?adpos=1o5&cc=us&creative=281208249518&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQiAg_HhBRDNARIsAGHLV500h3AFkP50EY8PY7NThHVIRMAg_8u7cxYB7eEokwMyopkioH9-crYaArlEEALw_wcB&key=Battery-Tender-Smart-Lithium-Engine-Start-Battery&matchtype=&mmy=yamaha;xtz12;2017&mmy_source=pdp&mrkgadid=3301756349&mrkgcl=500&network=g&product_id=BTN000I-X001-Y002&pssource=true&rkg_id=0&segment=badger&variant[BTN000I]=BTN000I-X001-Y002
240 CCA, 3 year warranty.
As mentioned, if it's really cold out you have to warm the battery up to get full cranking chooch out of it. If it's below freezing I just tap the starter momentarily enough to get the headlights to switch on, let it sit for 30 seconds powering the lights, and then fire it up. I have no trouble starting it down into the single digits. YMMV, of course.
The 7lb weight savings is pretty nice too.
Clawdog60
Well-Known Member
cycled mine 3 times tonight. waiting about 10-15 seconds after key on before off. 4th time hit starter button heard a slight pop then engine fired off. This is after being off for a month. Might sound weird but I think you have to get the injectors primed up. My ktm is the same way.
Battery has been on the tender the whole time; still seemed to struggle some. I think you need the max cranking amp battery you can get for these beasts.
Clawdog60
Well-Known Member
The LifPo battery that came with my KTM wasn't worth a quarter. I'm gun shy now.
Clawdog60
Well-Known Member
yuasa= only gets 1 star from me.
Clawdog60
Well-Known Member
mine was in the garage 35*
Cycledude
Well-Known Member
My 13 always seemed to crank hard, experienced the no start issue twice, fortunately both times was at home in my garage, so last August before taking off on a Alaska trip even though the original battery still load tested good I bought a brandnew battery with more cranking amps, it cranked significantly better with the new higher amp battery. When I traded the 13 in for a new 18 I put the old original battery back in the 13 and it seemed way weaker.
The new 18 with the stock battery seems to crank a little better than my 13 ever did.
In my opinion the Yamaha starter is just not powerful enough for the job, if they would have put in a more powerful starter we probably wouldn’t be hearing about so many no start issues.
The new 18 with the stock battery seems to crank a little better than my 13 ever did.
In my opinion the Yamaha starter is just not powerful enough for the job, if they would have put in a more powerful starter we probably wouldn’t be hearing about so many no start issues.
Grumpy
Getting old is not for wimps
The cause of my last hard start was me forgetting my own advice . I had done a few jobs on the bike and fired it up for a few seconds, then turned it off before letting it warm up enough for the tickover to settle. Half an hour later and kitted up for a ride, I tried to start her and......
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Tenman
Well-Known Member
This hard start is really weird. I've started my 2013 with a cold motor a bunch of times moved a little and killed it and it fires right backup. I've tried to reproduce it. I've never got stranded from a hard start. But I've had a couple of close calls in the boondocks. I carry a quikstart just in case now. I put the stand down to kill it and forget to turn off the damn key about once every 6 months. Stupid I know.
Tenman
Well-Known Member
These hard starts remind me of a healthy person having a heart attack. I went 2 years between hard starts with a good hot battery. Then one day bam. Come home and can't make it do it.
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Well, I guess I'm brave (or stupid) enough. I pulled the trigger on the Scorpion LiFePO battery discussed above. 387 claimed CCA baby! It comes with a couple of Lego-like spacer legs that snap onto the bottom of the battery. Except for the shorter height, all the other dimensions are a match for the OEM. With the Lego legs in place, it's a perfect fit. There's also a small gap now where potential farkles could be fitted.
The bike cranks robustly now and the dash remains fully lit so it seems good so far. Time will tell. The engine seems to catch with fewer revolutions on the starter too.
On a side note, shipping rules dictate that Li based batteries can be shipped with only about 30% charge, so if you order on-line you'll have to have a lithium charger ready to go when you receive the battery. I bought a Battery Tender Jr. 800 that's switchable between lead acid and Li batteries and used that to initially charge the battery. Seemed to work fine but the charger "locked up" as soon as it seemed to have finished charging. All the green lights for both battery types remained illuminated, even when disconnected from any battery and the button to switch between battery types became unresponsive. Had to send it back for an exchange, the replacement should arrive today. In spite of the claim that Scorpion makes that no special charger is needed, in conversation directly with the experts at Batterystuff.com, they still recommend using a LiFePO specific battery charger.
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Nikolajsen
"Keep it simple"
Looking forward to hear how the battery behave over time.
bnschroder
2014 Super Tenere ES
Interested in your verdict, WJBertrand. I am probably long overdue for a new battery: Still an original Yuasa in my 2014 ES w/ 28k miles. Three times so far it wouldn't start. Once in Colorado after a cool night of camping, then at 3 am right before my Iron Butt return from CO, after a night in a warm garage, and one more time at home. Each time a little jumper pack got me going within minutes and the bike would fire up again the next start.
Now it's non-stop on the tender and has the usual asthmatic starts, but it works. Would hate to throw out a battery that still does the trick, so the jump starter is always with me. Peace of mind, like a tire plug kit and pump
Now it's non-stop on the tender and has the usual asthmatic starts, but it works. Would hate to throw out a battery that still does the trick, so the jump starter is always with me. Peace of mind, like a tire plug kit and pump
Clawdog60
Well-Known Member
This cell balanced charging thing on LiPo still has me on the fringe. Very pricey to correctly charge individual cells with a battery that’s capable. I hope technology can catch up.
Clawdog60
Well-Known Member
I know a guy like that. He finally got stranded in Utah for 2 days (bmw rt) so had to locate a special battery. He knew it was bad when he left home. ?. I wasn’t with him thank goodness. He’s retired so not too big of a problem.
Grumpy
Getting old is not for wimps
Luckly my hard starts have been at home. I now carry a jump starter when touring, but should I need it, do I attach it to both battery terminals, or find an earth on the frame?