How Long Do Motorcycle Batteries Last In Thailand?

[PeaceBlondie]

dave boo and RichardBKK were joking about a battery for a tiny electric scooter, but it brings up two questions about batteries.

I finally replaced my CBR150R's battery after 4.7 years and 53,000 km. It was starting to get cranky about cranking the motor in the morning. It seemed to be running the headlights dimmer at idle, too. The new replacement Yuasa cost 1550 baht, and looks identical to the OEM: almost a cube, and sealed, with no vents or openings for water to get in or out. It came in one week after we ordered it, using a private mechanic out by San Kampaeng.

My partner made a big deal about the battery being sealed, or as he keeps saying, "dry." I insisted it was wet inside, not a true dry battery. The new unit does spin the starter motor faster, but the headlights are still noticeably dim at idle speed. That may be due to the alternator system more than the battery (?).

Are other motorcycle batteries sealed now? How long do batteries last in Thailand? Would the CBR150R and the Phantom have larger capacity units than the little bikes, or have the dual headlights and starter motors made most bikes have stronger units now? Last question: are the old style batteries (or the new ones) shipped so that they must be charged for several hours before being mounted in the bike?

[goldfish]

The electrical side of a vehicle is not really my strong point but suspect the power for your lights come from the generator. Maybe pop out the windings and give the magnets a quick clean. Hopefully someone else can advise you better here. Am impressed at 4.7 years tho. I've had problems with batteries here. A new battery wants to be putting out 13.5 to 14 volts. You need a minimum of 12.5 volts to turn the engine and give a decent spark. I've bought 4 batteries for mio's. One of them was sealed and I never checked but 3 weren't and were putting out 12.4 to 12.6 volts from new. Two are still working, one was no good from the start. Maybe it's poor quality acid, I don't know, but will not buy another un-sealed battery here

[MJo]

Also depends how often you use your bike. If you let it to sit frequently for long periods at the time (with battery connected) you might end up buying new battery every year. When used daily it tends to last longer.

[ajahnlau]

All batteries here generally last about 2-3 yrs. Even original bat. imported from US and cost 5-6,000bht. Most bat. in the west are sealed.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I just changed mine on big bike, it was 3 years old, new was 6500, i dont have to tell i was a HD battery, do i.

and it was sealed, and it has to be chaged first.

edit: Forgot to tell that its 1600cc but have compression release on it, so its not that hard on the battery

Edited April 5, 2008 by HDRIDER

[Pikey]

dave boo and RichardBKK were joking about a battery for a tiny electric scooter, but it brings up two questions about batteries.

I finally replaced my CBR150R's battery after 4.7 years and 53,000 km. It was starting to get cranky about cranking the motor in the morning. It seemed to be running the headlights dimmer at idle, too. The new replacement Yuasa cost 1550 baht, and looks identical to the OEM: almost a cube, and sealed, with no vents or openings for water to get in or out. It came in one week after we ordered it, using a private mechanic out by San Kampaeng.

My partner made a big deal about the battery being sealed, or as he keeps saying, "dry." I insisted it was wet inside, not a true dry battery. The new unit does spin the starter motor faster, but the headlights are still noticeably dim at idle speed. That may be due to the alternator system more than the battery (?).

PB, I'm pretty sure sealed batteries contain a gel.

Are other motorcycle batteries sealed now? Most are sealed How long do batteries last in Thailand? Depends on the battery - the cheap Chinese ones last about a year but the quality ones such as Yuasa last a lot longer. Would the CBR150R and the Phantom have larger capacity units than the little bikes, or have the dual headlights and starter motors made most bikes have stronger units now? Batteries are rated by amp/hour - look at a battery and you will see something like 7AH or 7H this means 7 Amp Hour (typically good for something like a SuperFour). I think H-Ds run up to something like 32AH as they need a good strong battery to turn over the big V-Twin lump. Last question: are the old style batteries (or the new ones) shipped so that they must be charged for several hours before being mounted in the bike? Most batteries are ready to go now - certainly the sealed ones anyway.

[jdinasia]

I have had my bike for 4.5 years ... and changed the battery once but that was after the bike say for a year.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, especially to Pikey, for the answers so far. The mechanic gave us back our old Honda brand OEM (which is almost surely a Yuasa). How do we dispose of it? It might make a nice doorstop.

I failed to mention that when I bought the bike in July 2003, the originally installed battery died at 945 km (I was using it daily to drive almost 100 km, at high speed). I figure that it came from the dealer with a defective or inferior brand installed, and I caught them at the game early in the warranty period. Similar thing happened with the battery in my new Suzuki GS500E, but it lasted almost two years.

[Pikey]

No prob for the answers. For disposal, there must be some kind of drop off point in CNX but I don't know where. Batteries contain sulphuric acid so shouldn't just be chucked in the bin (but T.I.T )

Vehicle electrical systems contain a regulator which (surprise surprise) regulates the amount of current produced by the alternator that reaches the battery to recharge it or keep it topped up. A faulty regulator can fry a battery pretty quickly or will fail to provide sufficient charge, making you think you have a duff battery. Having said that, the cheap Chinese batteries do seem to fail pretty regularly.

Cheers,

Pikey.

[dumball]

dave boo and RichardBKK were joking about a battery for a tiny electric scooter, but it brings up two questions about batteries.

I finally replaced my CBR150R's battery after 4.7 years and 53,000 km. It was starting to get cranky about cranking the motor in the morning. It seemed to be running the headlights dimmer at idle, too. The new replacement Yuasa cost 1550 baht, and looks identical to the OEM: almost a cube, and sealed, with no vents or openings for water to get in or out. It came in one week after we ordered it, using a private mechanic out by San Kampaeng.

My partner made a big deal about the battery being sealed, or as he keeps saying, "dry." I insisted it was wet inside, not a true dry battery. The new unit does spin the starter motor faster, but the headlights are still noticeably dim at idle speed. That may be due to the alternator system more than the battery (?).

Are other motorcycle batteries sealed now? How long do batteries last in Thailand? Would the CBR150R and the Phantom have larger capacity units than the little bikes, or have the dual headlights and starter motors made most bikes have stronger units now? Last question: are the old style batteries (or the new ones) shipped so that they must be charged for several hours before being mounted in the bikes

'Wet' batteries are shipped dry , they need to be filled with acid and allowed to set for a few hours , then charged for the time specified by the manufacturer , failure to do so can drastically reduce the life of the battery , they should be kept up to the level indicated on the side , with distilled water . Normally , the larger the engine , the more capacity the battery needs to crank the engine .

[Gonsalviz]

Then there are the gel batteries. Can be mounted in any position except upside down.

I had a girl friend like that.

[Soi Sauce]

Hallo,

replaced the battery on my wave 100 last service after 5 years 10months. The cost robbed me blind. Service, oil change, new battery etc. TOTAL 670baht. Uotrageous.

This was at a Honda dealership. Sure cheap charlies could go elsewhere,

Ride on