Without Dennis' permission, I am reposting his reply to a similar question back
in October. I need to get a new battery, and the local dealership agrees with
Dennis' comments. I will be replacing an under 1 year battery from Walmart,
that has stranded me several times. (Anyone else carry a home-made motorcycle
weight jumper cable?) I was quoted a price of $50 for the Yuasa as opposed to
the $35 from Walmart. A single "no start" is worth the $15! I believe my
starting problems are due to my '84 CB650SC needing full voltage to spark/fire,
even though it will crank good on less.
Gene
----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Hammerl
To: nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, October 11, 2008 12:49 PM
Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Charging issue?
OK, here goes. One time only for all to see what Honda has to say about
all of this. (remember I'm one of those evil stealership people you all love to
hate)
The charging system is engineered around a certain set of parameters. The
regulator/rectifier is set to decrease output when a predetermined battery
voltage is reached.
In the case of brand X batterys, this may never happen so the charging
system will continue to run at high output. Over a long ride it WILL boil out
the electrolete. Taken over a long time the whole system may fail due to
running at such a high level. The OEM battery is a Japanese made Yuasa with a
wing logo on it. This signifies the battery excedes the criteria agreed upon by
Honda. A battery without the logo is good but not as. The standard is VERY high
for those. The Yuasa batteries made here in the USA by Deca are not as good as
the Japanese editions. Still better than any other. Now how this applies to
anybody is seen in cases such as yours. The aftermarket battery may never
achieve the the voltage level needed. Please do not plague me with the argument
that all batteries are alike...BS. The preperation of a battery is crucial to
this whole system. A battery must be filled and left to sit for at least a half
hour and then charged for 45 minutes at 1/10 it's rated capacity before being
put into service. Failure to do this results in a battery with only 80% of it's
rated capacity and the inabilty to make the charging system perform at optimum.
The battery is an essential component of the charging system and serves to
complement the regulator.
In short, yours does not. You cannot ever improve upon a battery that has
been improperly prepared and put into service. Once the damage is done, it's
done.
Our facility does not sell any other brands of batteries. Just ain't
fair, is it ? You have the responsibilty of your own bike, I have (effectively)
the responsibilty of the several thousand that pass through our shop each year.
Our reputation for customer satisfaction dictates that we use only the highest
quality replacement parts...this
----- Original Message -----
From: Creative Residential Designs
To: nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 12:02 PM
Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Battery
Just get a new battery. It's not worth being on the side of the road just to
'experiment" with your old one. Be sure to buy the right battery too...these
'hawks are particular and it's important with the weak charging system that
they have to have the proper voltage battery.
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Prince
To: nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 8:09 AM
Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Battery
Its seems that the battery on my 84 700S is getting tired. I have a
battery tender on it for the winter but the old battery seems to be through. I
have read about people recharging their old battery with some success but I
know nothing about it. There is some guy on ebay selling information about how
to do this. Do any of you have successful experience in doing this? What do
you think - should I just go buy a new battery? If so, is there a better brand
to search for?
Thanks for your help! In the time I have owned my bike, you folks have
helped me a lot!
Mike
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