06 RSV Battery

[STAR RIDER]

Today my battery on my 06 RSV stopped working after a 8 mile ride. While sitting in the parking lot at a park in Florida. I had shutoff the engine and left the key in ACC while I was adjusting my GPS and radio. This only took about 10 min. until I tried to start the RSV. All I heard was the clicking noise from the starter. I jumped started the RSV and rode home about 10 miles and tested the battery with a load-tester. It's just on the boarder-line, but it looks like it needs to be replaced. I'm slowly charging it now and will try again later to load test it.

 

Questions:

1) How long does these battery last (YTX20L-BS) 12V 18 AH ?

2) What does the stamped dial indicator mean on the bottom of the battery, I have three dail indicator stamped on the bottom. The first number is 3, second 1, and third is 5. Is this battery 2005 or 4 years old?

3) The final question, what battery should I get that will last more than 2 1/2 years and should I look for a higher amp hour battery?

[Sylvester]

Good question my friend.

 

My first battery lasted 2 1/2 years also. When I replace it (with the same brand "Yuasa") my dealer's shop foreman told me to get a battery tender. Bottom line is that now for almost 4 1/2 years I have run on the 2nd battery. I just plug in the tender when I park the bike in the garage, and I don't live in the cold climate like many others.

[STAR RIDER]

What's name of your battery and size?

[V7Goose]

First, the battery in my 05 is over 4 years old, and I know quite a few others with at least four years on a battery in these bikes, so don't start to believe that 2 1/2 years is either normal or acceptable.

 

I have no idea what kind of electrical load you have on your bike, how often you ride it, how long, how fast, etc., so I make no pretense of trying to tell you what went wrong. But I can point to a few possibilities (which have been discussed in detail in many other threads here).

 

The most likely cause of premature battery failure is that it has not been reaching full charge on a regular basis. The only way to monitor the on-going health of a battery is to regularly check the voltage level at rest (meaning at least three hours after the engine was last shut off). The Yuasa technical manual states that this battery must show between 12.8 and 13.0 volts to be at full charge, so if you don't see this level every time you get ready to start your bike you should be forewarned LONG before the battery is damaged or begins to fail.

 

There are many many reasons why your battery might not have been reaching full charge, and I won't try to list them all. The most likely one on these bikes is to much electrical load. Our charging system does not have a lot of extra charging capacity, so it doesn't take much extra to cause problems. Just replacing the normal 30W driving lamps with a pair of 55W bulbs is enough to push you over the edge in some situations. If you are running just a bit over the nominal charging capacity, the bike will run normally for a long time, even years, but the battery slowly damaged by rarely ever reaching full charge.

 

Other things that often contribute to the same problem, either alone or in conjunction with extra accessories, include not riding often enough, not riding long enough, not spending enough time at high enough RPM, etc.

 

A good volt meter on the bike will tell you a lot about the condition of your battery when checked BEFORE you start the engine, but IMHO, to actually monitor both the battery and the charging system while you ride you need both an ammeter and a volt meter. I guess that is enough for now. I'd be happy to talk with you in more detail if you want to post more specifics or give me a shout.

Goose

[STAR RIDER]

As far the load on my 06 RSV I have changed my front, rear, and stop lights to LED's. Added a GPS by IWAY 500C and my head light has the capibility to blink when I put it in high beam for the drivers that don't look when they go into your lane. I just tried another load test on the battery and it dropped to 11 volts and jumped backup to 12.1 volts. This battery looks like it's on the cutting edge of failure. I might take it down to the motorcycle shop and get a second look to see if I'm right. The BIG question is what type of battery is the best one to replace mine?

 

I drive my RSV everday to work about 7 miles each way at 70+ mph all week long and go on long rides with our riding group S.T.A.R. twice a month all year long.

[ediddy]

Hey Star Rider,

 

I don't why your battery would need replacing but see that you have gotten some advice from other people. Just wanted to let you know that I bought my 05 venture in september 05 and the original battery is still going strong.

[V7Goose]

I drive my RSV everday to work about 7 miles each way at 70+ mph all week long and go on long rides with our riding group S.T.A.R. twice a month all year long.

Well, sounds to me that you just identified why your first battery only lasted 2 1/2 years. 7 miles per ride, day in and day out, is not enough to completely replace the starting current used. Of course I am still generalizing and guessing, as the whole picture would have way more information.

 

My suggestions are simple:

 

1. Before you replace your current battery, I would try to recondition it with a good constant current charger, possibly with a somewhat high charging voltage for a while. Full information on how to do this would take several pages, but it is easily found. You might as well give it a try - if you are ready to buy a new battery anyway, you have absolutely nothing to loose!
   
2. If you don't have a quality volt meter on your bike, put one on ASAP; preferably a digital one.
   
   If you decide to replace your battery anyway:
   
3. Replace your battery with stock brand and size.
   
4. Make CERTAIN the battery is properly prepared BEFORE it is installed. This means the correct initial charging cycle before it is ever put into use. You can get this information from Yuasa's tech manual (and many other places). Do NOT rely on the shop to do this for you - 99.999% of all shops and garages will simply grab a new battery out of the box and throw it in, guaranteeing that the battery will NEVER reach full capacity and last only about 2/3s as long as it should.
   
5. You probably need an external charger to regularly bring your battery up to full charge. Lots of options here, but you don't want a simple battery tender or maintainer, since you probably need to CHARGE the battery first, not simply attempt to maintain a full charge. Just make sure you buy one that is specifically labeled for a maintenance free battery, since these batteries need a higher charging voltage and different taper cycle than standard batteries.
   

Based on the little bit of information I have so far, my guess is that if you simply plug a good charger/maintainer into the bike once or twice a month for an overnight or weekend charge with your current riding pattern, your problems will be solved. You will know how often this is needed simply by checking the voltage each day before you start it up.

Goose

[yammie]

I drive the 06 and just replaced the battery as well. I normally get a few more years from batteries for my other bikes and thought this was a little early for replacement. At 160.00 bucks I hope this is not the norm for this bike.

[V7Goose]

I drive the 06 and just replaced the battery as well. I normally get a few more years from batteries for my other bikes and thought this was a little early for replacement. At 160.00 bucks I hope this is not the norm for this bike.

$160???? Yikes! I recently priced batteries for the RSV, and the average price I found was about $85. Interestingly, I checked out the batteries at Sam's Club and found that even though they have a different name on the box, the battery I looked at was absolutely made by Yuasa.

 

I know you are in the Frozen North, so maybe you don't have any better choice for a battery, but I think I would try and tape a bunch of Nicads together before I'd pay $160!

 

Goose

[N3FOL]

Your commute to work is really short in my book and that the battery is not getting a full charge (My '08 Prius will not even like that short drive). As mentioned earlier, a good battery tender or conditioner will do the trick. Now that I saw this thread, I may very well plug in my battery while I watch the football game. (No riding for the next 4 or 5 days).

 

One other possibility could be that your stator is not charging your battery properly and your current battery is at a slow death (IMO). Let us know how it turns out, once you plug in your battery...Regards.

[wild_thing]

When charging a battery on RSV you MUST use one made to charge sealed, jell batteries. Must NOT charge at more than 2 amps or you will "burn" the battery.

[RedRider]

Replace it with an Odossey. Better battery and longer lasting. Then invest in a Battery Tender. Should get 5 to 7 years out of a battery.

 

If you live in the north, take the battery out when you put the bike away for the winter. Hook it up to the battery tender. When spring rolls around, reinstall and ride with confidence.

 

RR

[GeorgeS]

PC-680 , check on E-Bay, I got mine for $85 2 years ago.

 

They can be shipped, UPS.

 

However if you get one of these you will have to buy a Real Battery Charger !!

 

Charge the one you have at 2 AMPS for 8 to 12 hours, it might be OK.

( With a battery charger, not a trickle charger )

[Squidley]

I will say this, it's not uncommon for a Venture battery to puke out. I have seen it several times, sudden death syndrome I call it. It's not an epidemic, nor should my statement be taken as it happens all the time. I have seen them be great 1 day and dead the next for no apparent reason.

One thing I will say is that the Ventures, all of them, are very marginal with the charging/power systems on the bike. They are very finecky with power and will run like crap and give lots of headaches with dirty connections and whatnot. The Oddessy is a good battery, but I have had great luck with the factory Yuasa. I personally swap out my batteries in my Ventures about every 3 years. To me it's cheap insurance to not have an issue when I am 1000 miles from home.

[Eck]

I like the Odossey battery my self and suggest you plug it up to a Battery Tender when not riding...

[Vance]

I've got Odyssey batteries in my lawnmower, Sea-Doos, and Venture. They are made to Military Specifications, and provide more starting power than the original batteries did.

[STAR RIDER]

Today I took my Yuasa 2 1/2 year old battery to Sears to double check and make sure it's was the same thing that I was indicating on my battery load tester. "The battery failed the sears test". But I took it home and re-charged the battery with my NEW Schumacker battery Tender I bought at Walmart for $20. today. The battery went up to 13.5volts, but dropped to 12.5 volts with it in RSV running with all the acc. on. Should be about 14.1+ volts with the RSV running. When I turned off the running lights, radio, & GPS it jumped back to 14.5 volts. That tells me the battery voltage is clasping and is ready to fail. So I read all the website forum and I came up with the conclusion that the Odossey PC680MJ (Military Battery) is the one for me. I found BatteryMart.com to be the cheapest place around for $111.95 + shipping. Should be at my house in a couple of days. Mean while I will keep all my acc. off and hope the new battery gets here before my Yuasa battery dies .....

[kingsnake]

I am not Sure but I think its a pc-545 for a second gen not a pc-680:think:

[Redneck]

I am not Sure but I think its a pc-545 for a second gen not a pc-680:think:

You are correct the 680 is for a first gen the 545 is the second gen battery.

[STAR RIDER]

Your right, but it's to late I had already install the PC680MJ in my second generation RSV. I had to slice one corner side of the battery holder to make it fit. According to the spec's the PC680MJ is a much better battery than the PC545. The PC680MJ is almost the same as the Yuasa battery that was taken out.

 

 

 

 

PC 680 / PC 680mj Specs:

• 680 cranking amps for 5 seconds
  
• 595 cranking amps for 10 seconds
  
• 525 cranking amps for 20 seconds
  
• Short circuit current over 1800A
  
• 17Ah
  
• 25 minute reserve capacity with 25amp load
  
• CCA - 220
  

PC 545 / PC 545mj Specs:

• 545 cranking amps for 5 seconds
  
• 495 cranking amps for 10 seconds
  
• 420 cranking amps for 20 seconds
  
• Short circuit current over 1200A
  
• 14Ah
  
• 18 minute reserve capacity with 25amp load
  
• CCA - 185
  

MFG:Yuasa

VOLT:12.0

CCA:250.0

Edited January 22, 2009 by STAR RIDER

[99silver]

I will say this, it's not uncommon for a Venture battery to puke out. I have seen it several times, sudden death syndrome I call it. It's not an epidemic, nor should my statement be taken as it happens all the time. I have seen them be great 1 day and dead the next for no apparent reason.

 

One thing I will say is that the Ventures, all of them, are very marginal with the charging/power systems on the bike. They are very finecky with power and will run like crap and give lots of headaches with dirty connections and whatnot. The Oddessy is a good battery, but I have had great luck with the factory Yuasa. I personally swap out my batteries in my Ventures about every 3 years. To me it's cheap insurance to not have an issue when I am 1000 miles from home.

Brad,

Have you kept a bike that long !!!!

I was thinkin I might have to a calculator to count them.

 

[Jbo24]

I wish I had read this post sooner! My name is Joshua Bohannon with Bohannon Battery in Palatka Florida. I sell the PC680 for $120 including shipping, missed opportunity for me.

 

The Odyssey batteries are definitely the way to go. Built to military grade specifications, they are much more durable, withstanding heat and vibration much better than the chinese made batteries.

If anyone is interested here is a link to my site with pricing on odyssey batteries:

http://www.bohannonbattery.com/html/odyssey.html

 

There is also another brand of battery I consider comparable to Odyssey which is the Deka, manufactured by East Penn. It is an American made battery just like the Odyssey. Much higher quality with the American made products! The Direct replacement Deka battery is the ETX20L, found here:

http://www.bohannonbattery.com/html/deka.html

 

The Odyssey's and Deka's are both AGM, Absorbed Glass Matt Batteries. I always recommend them if they fit the application.

 

I would like to point out one problem that could persist. Regardless of whether the old battery was failing, the voltage should stay around 14 Volts with the motorcycle running and all accessories on. In some rare cases a bad battery can cause what I call a false reading, but these are few and far.

 

With the new battery installed, did you re-check the output voltage with all ACC on? Its possible you may have a charging issue with all ACC on.

 

Joshua Bohannon

http://Http://www.BohannonBattery.com

"For All Your Battery Needs!"