New Deka battery and voltage meter reading

[shikano53]

I installed a Battery Bug voltage meter along with a new Deka battery on Friday last week. When I installed it the Battery monitor told me it was at 100% capacity. I keep it on the Battery Tender all the time. This morning when I went out to the garage it was reading 99% and I took the bike for a short ride and now it is down to 97% but is reading 14.2 volts charging.

 

I'm wondering if this is normal or if there is something wrong? I installed a new high output stator two weeks ago as well. Is this normal? Or should it say 100% for quite a length of time before it begins to tell me that the battery capacity is going down or could I have a charging problem?

 

Thank you for your comments and help.

 

Chris

[Guest]

Try and disconnect the Bug for about a minute to re-set it. It should go back up to 100%. 97 is still a good reading. After 1 2/2 years my Deka is reading 76% on the bug which is still a good indicator.

[Chinto]

I have the bug on what was a new battery for one year now. Bug reading started at 100% gradually decreased to the current 81% and seems to be holding for the past several months. I think the key numbers to watch are when the bike is running the bug should read 14+ v telling you the battery is charging. Plus when the bike sits overnight the bug should be reading a fully charged battery of 12v something. When these numbers are less, there is trouble. Otherwise you are good to go.

 

 

The reason I got the bug last year was due to what I thought was a dying battery which turned out to be a bad stator. The bug showed the electrical consequences of a bad stator on a new battery. I could literally watch the battery discharge while driving with the bugs alarms going off. I love my bug

[shikano53]

Thanks for the information guys. I haven't really taken the bike out for a long run yet since I installed the new battery last Friday but the short rides I did take the Bug tells me the battery is charging at 14.2 volts while I am driving and it is holding steady at 97%.

 

So I think everything is just fine.

 

Chris

[shikano53]

Try and disconnect the Bug for about a minute to re-set it. It should go back up to 100%. 97 is still a good reading. After 1 2/2 years my Deka is reading 76% on the bug which is still a good indicator.

 

Hi Ruffy,

I went out for a ride this afternoon, about 100 kilometers. When I started the bike the bug showed 94% as opposed to yesterday when I started it and it said 97%. When I got home I did as you said, disconnected the bug for a minute and then hooked it back up and it is back up to 100%.

 

I don't understand the electrical theory behind this. Why would it loose 3% for two days in a row that I started the bike and went for a ride, and then when I reset it it went back to 100% battery capacity?

 

It is charging at 14.2+ volts all the time I am on the road riding.

 

Is there a point at which it stabilizes and then will stay at a certain percentage for a period of time or can I expect to loose 3% every day that I start the bike and go for a ride?

 

If I loose 3% each new day I start the bike then in 33 days my battery will be down to 0% capacity. Like I said, I don't understand what is happening with the battery and the bug monitoring the battery.

 

Chris

[Condor]

Hi Ruffy,

I went out for a ride this afternoon, about 100 kilometers. When I started the bike the bug showed 94% as opposed to yesterday when I started it and it said 97%. When I got home I did as you said, disconnected the bug for a minute and then hooked it back up and it is back up to 100%.

 

I don't understand the electrical theory behind this. Why would it loose 3% for two days in a row that I started the bike and went for a ride, and then when I reset it it went back to 100% battery capacity?

 

It is charging at 14.2+ volts all the time I am on the road riding.

 

Is there a point at which it stabilizes and then will stay at a certain percentage for a period of time or can I expect to loose 3% every day that I start the bike and go for a ride?

 

If I loose 3% each new day I start the bike then in 33 days my battery will be down to 0% capacity. Like I said, I don't understand what is happening with the battery and the bug monitoring the battery.

 

Chris

 

The bug doesn't read amps like a gas guage reads gallons, but Volts. It probably has a default voltage set or assumes that the battery is at 100% the first time it's hooked up.

[Guest]

Hi Ruffy,

I went out for a ride this afternoon, about 100 kilometers. When I started the bike the bug showed 94% as opposed to yesterday when I started it and it said 97%. When I got home I did as you said, disconnected the bug for a minute and then hooked it back up and it is back up to 100%.

 

I don't understand the electrical theory behind this. Why would it loose 3% for two days in a row that I started the bike and went for a ride, and then when I reset it it went back to 100% battery capacity?

 

It is charging at 14.2+ volts all the time I am on the road riding.

 

Is there a point at which it stabilizes and then will stay at a certain percentage for a period of time or can I expect to loose 3% every day that I start the bike and go for a ride?

 

If I loose 3% each new day I start the bike then in 33 days my battery will be down to 0% capacity. Like I said, I don't understand what is happening with the battery and the bug monitoring the battery.

 

Chris

 

Chris, the bug will read the available power of the battery. It has something to do with a "top" charge, whatever that is. It was explained to me at some point but I just dont remember it all. If the bug is reading a steady drop in % then maybe you have another issue. Make sure your connections are clean and tight, including your ground point. Since its showing a good charge then its safe to say your bike is charging as it should. Clean and tighten up your connections and see what happens. But all in all its probably nothing to worry about.