Some interesting tid bits in the owners manual...

[pqsqac]

Hey Mark good news for me I spoke with Deltran today and my charger is just fine for the S10 battery so I'm good to go time to move on to bigger and better things. Thx for the help.

If you have one of the older models which is not marked "Plus", it probably won't work very well. When connected to an AGM, it will initially charge, but will prematurely shutdown, even if the battery needs further charging. Time to upgrade.

- Mark

 

[markjenn]

Hey Mark good news for me I spoke with Deltran today and my charger is just fine for the S10 battery so I'm good to go time to move on to bigger and better things. Thx for the help.

Well, I can't get my two older non-plus models to charge an AGM. Maybe you'll have better luck. You can't do any damage - they simply will prematurely shut off before bringing the battery to full charge.

- Mark

 

[pqsqac]

Mark check your charger and see if it reads 750 miliamp on the back. Deltran told me as long as it is rated at 750 it is good for AGM batteries except for BMW bikes for some reason.

Well, I can't get my two older non-plus models to charge an AGM. Maybe you'll have better luck. You can't do any damage - they simply will prematurely shut off before bringing the battery to full charge.

- Mark

 

[gazxt1200z]

Hi, I checked the wording with my dealer and it's just another name for a trickle charger so you cannot get better than my OPTIMATE 4.

 

[GrahamD]

Mark check your charger and see if it reads 750 miliamp on the back. Deltran told me as long as it is rated at 750 it is good for AGM batteries except for BMW bikes for some reason.

Don't tell me that you need a special BMW charger for the special BMW battery! :

I used to be a bit of a fan of BMW but they do get painful sometimes with their "specialness".

Anyway, wrong forum, back to the scheduled programming..... 8)

 

[Motorcyclisted]

I was reading through it today and most of the info was cut and dry I did learn on page 3-15 you can set the brightness on the instrument cluster.

Pqsqac,

How do you set the brightness on the instrument cluster? Is it a dial or a switch and where? :question:

 

[pqsqac]

Here you go right off of page 3-15 of the owners manual:
This function allows you to adjust the brightness of the LCD, and the tachometer panel and needle to suit the outside lighting conditions. To set the brightness
1. Turn the key to “OFF”.
2. Push and hold the left button.
3. Turn the key to “ON”, and then release the left button after five seconds.
4. Push the right button to select the desired brightness level.
5. Push the left button to confirm the selected brightness level. The display returns to the odometer or
tripmeter mode.

Pqsqac,

How do you set the brightness on the instrument cluster? Is it a dial or a switch and where? :question:

 

[colorider]

Here you go right off of page 3-15 of the owners manual:
This function allows you to adjust the brightness of the LCD, and the tachometer panel and needle to suit the outside lighting conditions. To set the brightness
1. Turn the key to “OFF”.
2. Push and hold the left button.
3. Turn the key to “ON”, and then release the left button after five seconds.
4. Push the right button to select the desired brightness level.
5. Push the left button to confirm the selected brightness level. The display returns to the odometer or
tripmeter mode.

Interesting! Many of the functions on the SuperT are the same (or similar) to the FJR. I wonder if this little trick is available on the FJR................

That said, I have always been quite impressed with the "readability" of the FJR in virtually all conditions (unlike my ST1300, which I found hard to read in bright sunlight).

 

[pqsqac]

I'm looking forward to having that big digital display for the speedo on the S10. I've always had needle gages.

 

[2XADV]

The digital display is nice and very reliable and very exact. No needle povot to wear out like previous bikes I have had.
I like the instant readability of a quick glance at a needle, but that is more critical for RPM.
The exact MPH is important for avoiding a ticket.

 

[markjenn]

The digital display is ....very exact. The exact MPH is important for avoiding a ticket.

I wouldn't have high hopes that the digital speedometer shows precisely the right speed. If its like most Yamahas, it will have a built-in design bias of about 5-7% high. I recall some of the Euro riders saying that the speedo, like most, reads high.

- Mark

 

[ptfjjj]

I wouldn't have high hopes that the digital speedometer shows precisely the right speed. If its like most Yamahas, it will have a built-in design bias of about 5-7% high. I recall some of the Euro riders saying that the speedo, like most, reads high.

- Mark

This is because the manufacturer faces steep penalties/fines if the speedometer is found to read slow. All motorcycle speedometers will be "optomistic" unless calibrated later by each individual owner. Once calibrated, the manufacturer is no longer responsible for later errors.

 

[Motorcyclisted]

I'm looking forward to having that big digital display for the speedo on the S10. I've always had needle gages.

LIkewise. And thanks for the brightness adjustment details.

 

[colorider]

The digital display is nice and very reliable and very exact. No needle povot to wear out like previous bikes I have had.
I like the instant readability of a quick glance at a needle, but that is more critical for RPM.
The exact MPH is important for avoiding a ticket.

I agree on the digital display makes it easier to tell speed at a glance (although the speedo is NOT accurate). I had a digital speedo on my Honda S2000 and loved it!!

 

[Yamaguy55]

I was reading through it today and most of the info was cut and dry I did learn on page 3-15 you can set the brightness on the instrument cluster. I also learned something about charging the battery on page 6-28 since it is a VRLA type which I never heard of:
To charge a VRLA (Valve Regulated
Lead Acid) battery, a special (constant-
voltage) battery charger is required.
Using a conventional battery
charger will damage the battery. If
you do not have access to a constant-
voltage battery charger, have a
Yamaha dealer charge your battery.

Every bike I have, and know of, made since about 2004 has these batteries. A battery tender will float charge them fine. I use a Sears charger set to "deep cycle" with a halogen bulb in line (series) and when the lamp goes out, you're charged. A guy that works at DEKA told me that one. We're in the middle of batteryland around here, with DEKA and Yuasa, Exide and a few more. I've done this enough to be satisfied that it works, as I just changed the battery in my 2004 last year, and the JD has a battery from 2002. Certainly doesn't kill them.

 

[markjenn]

Every bike I have, and know of, made since about 2004 has these batteries. A battery tender will float charge them fine. I use a Sears charger set to "deep cycle" with a halogen bulb in line (series) and when the lamp goes out, you're charged. A guy that works at DEKA told me that one. We're in the middle of batteryland around here, with DEKA and Yuasa, Exide and a few more. I've done this enough to be satisfied that it works, as I just changed the battery in my 2004 last year, and the JD has a battery from 2002. Certainly doesn't kill them.

Not exactly sure what you're recommending and perhaps we've discussed it previously in this thread, but my understanding of all lead-acid batteries (AGM, gel, or wet) is that deep-cycling (meaning where you discharge the battery nearly completely before beginning a charge cycle) is specifically NOT recommended as it dramatically shortens battery life.

- Mark

 

[toompine]

I'm looking forward to having that big digital display for the speedo on the S10. I've always had needle gages.

I am looking forward to a big digital display so I can actually be able to read it :

 

[Yamaguy55]

Not exactly sure what you're recommending and perhaps we've discussed it previously in this thread, but my understanding of all lead-acid batteries (AGM, gel, or wet) is that deep-cycling (meaning where you discharge the battery nearly completely before beginning a charge cycle) is specifically NOT recommended as it dramatically shortens battery life.

- Mark

By placing a halogen headlight bulb in series with the charger, you limit the current flow. The bulb will glow, becoming dimmer as the battery reaches full charge. When the bulb is out (dark room) it is fully charged. I'm sure a milliamp reading meter would detect it, but that's getting more complicated than it already is. What you're doing by using the deep cycle charge is making sure you charge longer, not faster, from my understanding. By placing the bulb in line, not only do you have a visual indicator, but a form of series current limiting. I tried this a few years back on a neglected battery, and found that it worked very well, and that battery is still usable today. The valve regulated batteries are sealed, really sealed, unlike the ones that you can pry the caps off of. I'm thinking the complicated charging method has something to do with the hydrogen gas created by charging. If you charge too much, too fast, the gas could possibly cause the case to rupture or at least leak. I'm not sure of the complete mechanics of this, but it has worked this way for me after I was told by a battery guy from the battery company. others may get different advice, maybe my source was incorrect, but I can't argue with the results.
I swapped out the battery in my FZ either last season or the one before, and have kept it around just to see how long it would take some sort of charge. The original reason was it wouldn't keep more than about 12.4VDC after sitting a day after being on the charger, ridden for a while, or a combination of the two. Since the bike is very electrical oriented, I decided to get a new one rather than risk a problem on a ride. Even after basically sitting since I removed it, the removed battery hasn't gotten any worse. The new one charges up to about 12.8-12.9 VDC, and holds that for days of sitting. Since that time, since the older battery is just a testing device, I have tried all sorts of things on it, too see if anything I do, will do it in. Nothing so far. But I noticed my method mentioned above will give it a better, more thorough charge than either the battery tender or the sears charger straight up. Sometimes I can get it to hold a 12.6 VDC charge for a week after a charge. It makes for a nice test object.
Again, I don't claim to have the answers here, just what I have found works for me.

 

[markjenn]

By placing a halogen headlight bulb in series with the charger, you limit the current flow. The bulb will glow, becoming dimmer as the battery reaches full charge. When the bulb is out (dark room) it is fully charged. I'm sure a milliamp reading meter would detect it, but that's getting more complicated than it already is. What you're doing by using the deep cycle charge is making sure you charge longer, not faster, from my understanding....

The halogen bulb idea is clever and will reduce charging current while providing a visual indicator of how much a battery is charging. That being said, I doubt it is necessary with any of the current smart trickle chargers (e.g., Battery Tenders) being sold for motorcycle use which have relatively low charging rates to begin with, well below generally-recommended guidelines for charging currents. And I wonder if it would screw up the charging algorithm in a smart charger.

On terminology, I'd never describe what you're doing as "deep cycle charging" which generally refers to discharging a battery almost to depletion, then charging it fully.

- Mark

 

[Yamaguy55]

"Deep cycle": I wasn't referring to the process, but the setting on the Sears charger. And the bulb isn't necessary for a smart charger, but a automobile style such as the Sears. Works like a champ, and you can use what you have without trotting down to the dealer every time you think the battery isn't fully charged. Since motorcycle charging systems really aren't up to charging a discharged battery, having a readily available charging method is mighty handy. I like not having to go out and buy another charger since I already have a car model. But I do have a battery tender which I use to float charge the off season stuff.