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1500 TELL TALE BATTERY ISSUE

2K views 20 replies 8 participants last post by  DBohrer 
#1 ·
Been noticing the bike was slowing some on starting,normally just touch the button and it starts but lately I notice some starting issues and having to hold the button down a bit before it started,TODAY the weather was cool and pressing the button seemed to take too long and it never started,let off the button only caused a slight hiccup and no start,put the charger on for a few hours and as usual it popped right off when the button was pressed.
The battery is AGM and 5 years old but nothing lasts forever,must get the new one soon.really don’t like it setting while we we have great weather in Texas,so if you have had your 1500 for a while and are familiar on how it starts and notice irregular starting other than having let go of the button,check your batter first.
 
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#3 ·
and get a Battery Tender, and make it a Habit to always plug in the Battery Tender when the bike is idle.

Nothing makes a battery last longer than proper standby maintenance, not a trickle charger; those things kill batteries fast!

I have six Battery Tenders around here, every vehicle, Scooter, 1800, RV, Zero Turn mower, has its' own dedicated Battery Tender.
 
#4 ·
I have a tender SOMEWHERE, my bike don’t sit more than a few days though,I’ll check the alternator,it is compufire
 
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#5 · (Edited)
I have a tender SOMEWHERE, my bike don’t sit more than a few days though,I’ll check the alternator,it is compufire
OEM alternators are not the only ones that can fail.....!!

Discharging and recharging does have some affect on battery life expectancy. Using a Battery Tender to keep the battery fully charged while sitting (even for short periods of time) is a good plan.

There is a small amperage draw for (clock, radio and CB "if installed") memory even with the ignition OFF.
 
#6 ·
Checked the battery out and with key off the battery voltage is 12.8 and key on and starter button pressed it drops to 8.9 but comes right back up when it starts,lternator putting out 13.6.
 
#7 ·
it is marginal, should not drop any lower than 10.6-10.8 while cranking the engine.

on the 1500s, the ECM will NOT fire the plugs if the battery is lower than about 11.5 or so while cranking. that is why they won't start until you release the Starter button, the battery recovers fast, and the ECM fires the plugs.

get a new AGM battery and quit fussing with it.
 
#8 ·
Yeah that’s what I was thinking 👍 Thanks
 
#11 ·
Yes it is,we see so many owners having starting issues and I bet more than half are battery issues,mine was cranking ok but not enough volts to supply the starter and ecm.
the guy at AZ said you have 12 volts,said I know but it drops when when cranking,still scratching his head I guess
 
#13 ·
They are close and battery price was good
 
#15 ·
Went for a ride and noticed some difference in the idle,before the new battery the idle was not real smooth but idle like it had a hot cam in it and now it’s just as smooth as new and in the last few weeks it died at two stop signs rafter the initial start,all I can relate those issues was it was low on voltage after cracking and ECM did see enough voltage,all is well now
 
#16 ·
I have a '95 GL1500A and just yesterday installed a new AGM maintenance free battery from Chrome Battery, Item YTX24HL-BS for $65 and free shipping. This is the second Chrome brand battery I've had and the first one lasted five years with occasional Battery Tender use when not riding every 2-3 weeks (I don't winterize even in PA but try to ride both bikes occasionally to keep them up to snuff), and my old battery still functioned fine as of a 300 mile round trip ride Saturday - I only replaced it because my battery tester said its CCA was dropping and it was finally starting to go bad with a possible failed cell and I didn't want to get stuck somewhere due to sudden failure.

My only hesitation in reordering was that my first battery didn't have a way to secure the nuts and made it a bear to catch them with the bolts (until I used backing on them) but Chrome now welds a small holder into the terminal so the nut stays in place when attaching the bolt. Not saying it's better or worse than any other brand - I just find that for the price for a five year battery this brand has been excellent for me.

The Chat person was nice enough to confirm the specific battery was still the best one for me to order and asked me to confirm terminal placement and size - a good idea whenever you buy a new one. And it arrived in two days, filled, charged and ready to use.

Just an option if someone is looking for a low cost replacement and you don't want to leave your home before installing the new one.
 
#17 ·
65 $ is a great price,that’s wet cell price.👍
 
#18 ·
Yes, I'd be happy to get three good years for that price, but my last one only cost in the 50's and went five years, so hopefully I'll do as well this time. Plus shipping from some of the other sites is crazy high - this is free shipping and was a two day delivery so I feel like I got a really nice deal. I'll be trying batteries for some of my other stuff, too and hope they work as well as this has.

I'm really high on the Clore BA9 battery tester, too. It's saved me a couple times now by telling me a battery was ready to fail before it actually did, whether a car, bike, generator, mower, etc. Hard to put a price on the inconvenience of getting stuck somewhere or find something dead when you need it, but it's paid for itself in my mind. I've learned to check all my batteries twice a year or so and sometimes it really bails me out before I hear that dreaded click when I was really needing to do something!
 
#20 ·
After I installed a 90 amp alternator in my 99 it starts MUCH better than ever before! It all ready had a AGM battery (new) when I bought it, but it would not keep charged very well. I would hook the battery tender on it and it made a slight difference. I also had a regular battery that served well until I put in the 90 amp alt.
 
#21 ·
I will assume your '99 Wing SE had a lot of additional electrical "amperage" demand over and above the OEM requirements.

My '99 Gold Wing SE with the four Honda optional lights (fairing, saddlebags, trunk and center light between the saddlebags) and OEM alternator had no issues keeping the battery fully charged.

Actually no problems when pulling my Kompact Kamp cargo trailer and when using the Gerbing electric jacket liner. Pulled the trailer 55,436 miles.

This was over 222,905 miles............!!!
 
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