Campaman Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Hi I have a 1998 XVS650 Dragstar that has a Datatool Alarm/Immobiliser fitted and I have found that if I don't use the bike for about 2 weeks the battery is discharged enough so that the bike wont start. I have been using the charger in this link as it has a motorcycle setting http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7404881/c_1/1|category_root|Garden+and+DIY|14418702/c_2/2|14418702|Car+equipment+and+accessories|14418747/c_3/3|cat_14418747|Car+battery+chargers|14418754.htm I put the bike on charge last night and it said it was fully charged in about 2 hours, went to start it this morning and it turned over once then flat battery. The battery must be about 15 months old I would guess, so is it just that the battery has outlived its self or am I charging it with something that has killed it as looking at the specs for the charger it says 14-120Ah and when I have just looked up batteries on the web it appears that the Dragstar battery is only 10Ah Any advice welcome, Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike1949 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 A battery needs to be used all the time. My bikes battery is six years old, I use the bike every working day and it starts first time every time, if I leave the bike for two weeks in the summer while I go on holiday when I come back and start the bike it will start first time. But. If it doesn't, then it will not start at all. What I'm trying to say is that if you use it every day it is fully charged and will start every time. Leave it and it will start to go flat. While any battery is not being used it will start discharging. Unless you disconnect it first. Hope this helps Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campaman Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 OK that makes sense, unfortunately I can not use the bike every day due to what I need to carry with me for work, unless I get a trailer for the bike. Checked the instructions on the charger I have got and the motorbike setting chucks out 1.2Ah, so that's about right, but its not suitable for leaving permanently connected. New battery now obtained, just waiting for the Oxford Optimiser to arrive then will swap out the battery and get the Optimiser leads connected so I can just plug it in when I am not using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YPVS TONE Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 It is also recommended to make sure the battery is fully charged when new before you put it on the bike otherwise it will never reach full capacity and will shorten it's life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterC Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 It is also recommended to make sure the battery is fully charged when new before you put it on the bike otherwise it will never reach full capacity and will shorten it's life. An Optimate keeps my battery fully charged and I have never needed to take it off the bike. It's 5 years old now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted April 2, 2012 Moderator Share Posted April 2, 2012 +1 for the Optimate. Well worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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