Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Multistrada: Enduro / Pikes Peak / V4 / V2 / 1260 / 1200 / 1100 / 1000 > Battery Life

[luckywhiteheather]

Went to start up the MS couple of weeks ago after it'd been sitting in garage since beginning of Dec. I was having withdrawal symptoms and just wanted to hear those Termis again. No chance!

Battery as flat as the proverbial pan-cake! Couldn't get battery to take any charge ober a period of about four days so took it to my local dealer. Even they had difficulty and a few attempts to get it to charge.

My previous SS and 996 each used to sit in garage between Oct/Nov and Feb/Mar with only the occasional warm-up and on each and every occasion they fired up first time. They too had alarms fitted so it couldn't be just that.

I'm told by dealer that my previous bikes had lead acid batteries but that the MS has new 'gel' filled sealed unit (excuse my complete technical ignorance here, I only ride the thing!) which are prone to rapid loss of charge. They even reckoned I caught mine just in time, any longer unattended and it could have been goosed!

Permanently on trickle charge now but has anyone similar experience of MS battery. Can someone explain in layman's (OK simpleton's) language why I should now have this problem?

[KeefyB]

First off,shame on you for not looking at the bike for two months!
The 'old' lead acid batteries as fitted to SS's and the like are better for holding their charge.They also recover better from complete discharge.There is a good post from paulmort on the SS board that explains it all.Look under gel battery HELP.

BTW,Ducati have had a few gel battery failures.My 999 had a new one under warranty because it would'nt hold its charge.Marko had one on his ST4 for the same reason.
My Multistrada has been as good as gold,mind you,I do ride it regulary!

[paulmort]

a bit of the tecky stuff now...

... when you hit the starter button the demand for CURRENT, not volts is really high. Lead acid batteries have the capability of drawing loadsa current from the battery for a short time, but gel batteries dont quite have that same "reaction time" for high currents. Its to do with the electrolyte and how the electrons flow across the plates, so sometimes, and I emphasise, sometimes, the reaction for gel types is a little slower than lead acids. If not, why havent all vehicles gone over to gels, and its not just because of cost.
Lead acid type batts even have the power to recover themselves a bit, as deposits on the plates work away and therefore the initial voltage seems a little higher. Remember trying to start the car and running the battery down, and yet 5 mins later theres just enough charge to finally get you started. Gels cant react that fast due to their composition and the jelly electrolyte cant recover as quickly.
However in this case seems like a dud cell, where the cell (1 of 3 in a six volt battery) and 1 of 6 in a 12 volt battery) will discharge across the plates and not out through the terminals, its called, not surprisingly, internal discharging, which is what happens when you leave a battery without a charge over a long period of time (often known as "shelf life"
Well I got so wrapped up in this threafd, Ive forgotten the original........oh yea, why cant I start on gels but ok wiff lead acids.......maybe thats the answer
doh, I'll get me coat
btw a guy called Leclanche, frog 'e woz, invented the original battery called............................................ ......................................you guessed it The Leclanche Cell

Straight jacket fer me, pint of drambuie shandy for KB, smillies all round for Nelly
Time to reach for the wine methinks
a very sad sober Mort
Bestest
mort
oh ferk forgot to mention that optimum charge VOLTAGE for lead acids 12v battery is 14.2 volts, but gel types better at approx13.8, how do I know. Aint got a ferkin clue but just do.

LWH, why not fork out on a lead acid battery so you dont get these probs in the futre, 30 squid will get you a reasonable leadacis one, when compared to the costs of not being able to ride is unmeasurable
bestest
mort

ps srri its a long reply but when it comes to tecky electical things, sometimes there is no short answer, and why use ten words when a hundred will do!!!???

[belthead]

Is the battery in the MS in a daft place like it is in the ST's , ie low down near the crud, water and general filth ? 'Cos I had
weak 'n feeble starting with mine, and if the temp dipped below 5 deg. no good at all as the gel congeals. On a bike that gets used very day, or did, and the guys at CMW said , wire in a couple of easily identified , ie colour coded 35A cables with bullet connectors to the bat. terms and when its cold start it with a "pony" car battery , which I got for £nil = from the local tyre place. Works a treat, spins up like a good 'un , even in sub zero temps, so no probs.
However, there is a thread in last years
sites about batts, and the pooches pods
is an Osprey , or some such name, but I think that it was Shazaam who wrote about these things.
Over & out.

[KeefyB]

The battery sits in the L/H side fairing panel at the front of the bike.It will lose its charge naturally after a period of time because its constantly in use keeping the CPU and clock memory going.Add an alarm and the battery drain will be greater.
The battery sits at an angle so a lead acid jobbie is out of the question.
I guess the solution is to buy an Optimate charger.I have fitted the permanant lead to my bike and the socket is tie wrapped to the frame just under the side panel.Get the lead with the rubber cover to stop the crud getting in there when its not in use.

[luckywhiteheather]

I'd like to say I'm a bit wiser now but I was just about losing the will to live reading PM's post. Far too technical for me!:P

But seriuosly thanks for all your input at least I'll not look quite so naive when dealing with my Dealer in future over battery issues!. I'll just be able to hand over the print-out of PM's post!

By the way KB how could you accuse me of being so negligent? It wasn't that I hadn't looked at bike for two months, it was only six weeks and I was out the country for four of those.

Anyway, fired her up and warmed her up on Saturday no problem. Great to hear those Termis again...roll on some decent weather!

She's now on permanent trickle charge which is not too problematic as that side panel pops off and on relatively simply. Like the idea of permanently accessible Optimate lead though. Might well give that a try!

By the way, how sad am I? Forget fantasies about Jordan, Demi Moore and the girl who works behind the bar at the Rugby Club......can you believe that last night I dreamt that I actually fitted the DP comfort seat that's been sitting in box in garage since last November?

I need to get out more....

[Iconic944ss]

Thanks to Paul Mort .... as he provided by far the best response to my original HELP !!!! thread - LOL.

I'm still stuck with my gel battery.....but it does hold a charge beautifully - shame its still in the box

ANYWAY......here is a link to the manufacturer website for the peeps who made the Gel battery I have - there is all sorts of info there....

http://www.odysseyfactory.com/ody_why.htm

Good Luck

ps - Interestingly my oxford oximiser that really does work wonders on my Lead Acid battery specifically states it DOES NOT work with Gel batteries !!!

[AK]

Gel batteries are in the new monsters too (in a really accessible place - under the tank, on its side), and in the 18 days that I have owned mine, I had a wee prob with it.
Obviously, I can go back to the dealer as under warrantee, but cannot use an optimate, as no electrics within 1000 metres of our garage!

Any other ideas, so I dont do a stoppy, when it hasnt been ridden for 5 days?
Last monster was a poppet, and fired whenever asked, and also had the gel battery. Maybe the twin spark drains it more???

[Iconic944ss]

Hmmmm...I've 'jump started' my Duke off my car battery a few times when she refused to start

(before I got the oximiser)

Perhaps you have an old car battery somewhere you could utilise

Not a real solution I know as the battery obviously shouldnt discharge...but I guess youve tried eveything else already !

Good Luck - Frank

[Edited on 10-2-2004 by Iconic944ss]

[AK]

Cheers Frank, we do have the spare 'jump battery', and also the starter 'unit thingy' too (often used for the other older bikes in the winter), but am not happy at having to resort to other means with such a new peice of machinery really............. gosh: feel another stroppy coming on....