badcherrys Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 As above really, the battery on the mille has died! i phoned HG near me and they wanted £90!!! Now i know that Mille's like a good battery,but if im going to pay £90 i want a better battery than a HG one! So where do you get your battery from and how much do you pay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 How do you know its dead? I know youve been on your hols so its been idle for 2 weeks, is the bike alarmed? This might have just totally drained it. Before you write the battery off i would be inclined to check the electrolyte levels and top up if needed then put the battery on charge overnight and see if it holds a charge. I have an Optimate and a good old fashioned 12v car battery charger and between them they have revived most of my batteries. But check the electrolyte first as if its low a battery wont hold anywhere near as much charge as a full one. And if you dont have any de-min or deionised water to top up then ive used the ice that collects in the ice box as frost. Once its thawed its as near as damn it pure water (but check for rogue peas in it first!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcherrys Posted August 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 How do you know its dead? I know youve been on your hols so its been idle for 2 weeks, is the bike alarmed? This might have just totally drained it. Before you write the battery off i would be inclined to check the electrolyte levels and top up if needed then put the battery on charge overnight and see if it holds a charge. I have an Optimate and a good old fashioned 12v car battery charger and between them they have revived most of my batteries. But check the electrolyte first as if its low a battery wont hold anywhere near as much charge as a full one. And if you dont have any de-min or deionised water to top up then ive used the ice that collects in the ice box as frost. Once its thawed its as near as damn it pure water (but check for rogue peas in it first!) Hi Andy,No the bike has no alarm,i put it on charge using my Oxford Maximiser yesterday, it was on there for 4/5 hours,and it went green.So went out to the bike this morning went to start totaly dead! the bike voltmeter reads 11.7 volts.i'll check the water and see how much water is in it.and give it a go.Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vale Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 rule one with a mille is if the battery goes dead get a new one. don't try and charge it otherwise you'll be a world of hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millerich Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Would agree with the above. Have heard too many tales of knackered sprag clutches on Milles from weak batteries. I've averaged a battery every 18 months on mine, and that's with an Optimate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcherrys Posted August 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Thanks guys.i was thinking of a new one,The sprag clutch has been done on mine,I was worried about fucking it up,So i left it alone.I don't fancy a £400 bill! Where is the best place to get one from online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorenzo Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Having had a big(ish) twin in the past, I've found it's worth paying the extra to get a gel type rather than a normal lead/acid one, they seem to offer a good difference on colder mornings, giving you a good healthy bit of power when the oil etc's at its thickest. Money well spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcherrys Posted August 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 I was thinking of a gel one.any good place to get them from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 Would agree with the above. Have heard too many tales of knackered sprag clutches on Milles from weak batteries. I've averaged a battery every 18 months on mine, and that's with an Optimate. Why would a particular bike be so hard on batteries? Surely if a battery is maintained and looked after it should last more than 18 months? I do think that many people think a lead acid battery is a fit and forget item when it does need periodical maintenance/checking. To be honest ive not got a lot of confidence in Optimate and have found to my cost that leaving a battery on an Optimate for weeks on end can result in a dry and dead battery. It does seem to boil off the electrolyte so now i just put it on the battery once a month for 12hrs or so if its laid up just to keep the battery charged up and will always keep an eye on electrolyte levels now. Lesson learned and wallet dented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millerich Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 I thought it was a big twins in general thing rather than a Mille specific thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcherrys Posted August 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 Why would a particular bike be so hard on batteries? Surely if a battery is maintained and looked after it should last more than 18 months? I do think that many people think a lead acid battery is a fit and forget item when it does need periodical maintenance/checking. To be honest ive not got a lot of confidence in Optimate and have found to my cost that leaving a battery on an Optimate for weeks on end can result in a dry and dead battery. It does seem to boil off the electrolyte so now i just put it on the battery once a month for 12hrs or so if its laid up just to keep the battery charged up and will always keep an eye on electrolyte levels now. Lesson learned and wallet dented. I worked on cars for a few years after leaving school,i have an NVQ L3 in it.it does seems harsh to go through a battery in 18 months.I don't disagree with you at all millierich, just makes me wonder if milles have a constant live that drains the battery? i don't know fu*k all about bikes. I agree with you AndyJ about fit and forget, im one of them! i'll hold my hands up to that.Next battery will get lots of love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burntout Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 3 years with my RSV, same battery and it was on there a while before that. Sits for a fornight with the alarm on and still fires up. If it's battery problems its more likely relating to the charging system, reg / rec, "brown connectors", stator etc which have been known to cause issues. I keep it tendered now to make sure - dont want my clocks resetting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taqman Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 Try here: Tanya Batteries I've used them for years - I have a Westco Gel batt on my Falco - it's been on there 3 years and is just starting to struggle. Just check the battery dimensions as the westco is a bit taller than standard. Taq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcherrys Posted September 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 Try here: Tanya Batteries I've used them for years - I have a Westco Gel batt on my Falco - it's been on there 3 years and is just starting to struggle. Just check the battery dimensions as the westco is a bit taller than standard. Taq Thanks Taq,yeah they look good! Just what i need for the mille.thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foo Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 I put one in a Falco the other day. Yuasa YTX14-BS £37.90 delivered, from here. If you have a look on Apriliaforum.com, you'll see that there are some electrical issues with the Aprilia V twins which can make them hard on batteries -- specifically, crappy wiring between the generator and the reg/rect. The starter solenoids are also a bit suspect. The fixes are described in detail on the forum, and quite a few have done them with good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.