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Need A New Battery, Looknig For Recommendations

TOYJ

TOYJ

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The battery on my 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250 is not holding a charge so I think it's time to get a new battery but since I'm new to motorcycles I could use some help with recommendations. My friend's dad has an account with Spark Auto so I can a get shop discount so I just need to know which brand/type of battery I should get?

Could the issue be something other than the battery? I searched the forum and saw some posts about a "stator" and I have absolutely no clue what that is or if it's even relevant to my issue.
 
If it's indeed "not holding a charge" as if not keeping a charge after the battery is fully charged - then you need a new battery.
Stator/rectifier (aka voltage regulator) are two electric modules used for recharging/maintaining your battery when bike is running.

Try charging up the battery with a tender to its fullest capacity and then leave it for a couple days sitting still. Then on third day test how much of that original 100% charge is remaining. A healthy battery should not drop below 75-80%. If you have no electrical draw that it, of course.
 
Hi there! I may be new to the site but don't let that phase you please, I can help you. Before you invest in a new battery I would suggest having someone check the charging on your machine. In a motorcycle there is a charging system made up of a couple different components that keep your battery charged up. One of those parts is a stator. When someone checks the charging on your bike this test will tell you if the problem is your battery, or if the problem is in your charging system. If it is in your charging system the mechanics will further diagnose what component needs to be replaced. But if it is the battery you need I would recommend the brand Yuasa. They are really great batteries and as long as you take care of them (trickle charge in the winter) they will last a LONG time. The battery you will need is a YTX7A-BS, that is the Yuasa part number. It is not a super common battery but you should be able to get it ordered anywhere that sells Yuasa batteries. The battery you need retails for about $82. If you have any more questions feel free to ask :)
 
AL3RT said:
If it's indeed "not holding a charge" as if not keeping a charge after the battery is fully charged - then you need a new battery.
Stator/rectifier (aka voltage regulator) are two electric modules used for recharging/maintaining your battery when bike is running.

Try charging up the battery with a tender to its fullest capacity and then leave it for a couple days sitting still. Then on third day test how much of that original 100% charge is remaining. A healthy battery should not drop below 75-80%. If you have no electrical draw that it, of course.
Click to expand...

I first noticed the battery was dead on Monday afternoon so I bought a Noco Genius 1100 charger from CT and charged it overnight on Tuesday and rode to work Wednesday with no issue. To be safe I charged the battery again overnight on Wednesday and rode to work on Thursday with no issue. This morning (Friday) I hit the start button and the engine would not crank and it was the same dying noise as Monday so it doesn't appear to be holding a charge after three days. Since there's supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and raining on Sunday and Monday I was going to pull the battery and take it to 109 Cycle to have them load test it but Pegasus' comments make me wonder if I should charge the battery and ride it over instead so I can have the charging system checked.
 
Pegasus said:
Hi there! I may be new to the site but don't let that phase you please, I can help you. Before you invest in a new battery I would suggest having someone check the charging on your machine. In a motorcycle there is a charging system made up of a couple different components that keep your battery charged up. One of those parts is a stator. When someone checks the charging on your bike this test will tell you if the problem is your battery, or if the problem is in your charging system. If it is in your charging system the mechanics will further diagnose what component needs to be replaced. But if it is the battery you need I would recommend the brand Yuasa. They are really great batteries and as long as you take care of them (trickle charge in the winter) they will last a LONG time. The battery you will need is a YTX7A-BS, that is the Yuasa part number. It is not a super common battery but you should be able to get it ordered anywhere that sells Yuasa batteries. The battery you need retails for about $82. If you have any more questions feel free to ask :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I'll charge the battery and ride it to the shop or have CAA tow it over and have the charging system checked before I purchase a new battery.
 
TOYJ said:
I first noticed the battery was dead on Monday afternoon so I bought a Noco Genius 1100 charger from CT and charged it overnight on Tuesday and rode to work Wednesday with no issue. To be safe I charged the battery again overnight on Wednesday and rode to work on Thursday with no issue. This morning (Friday) I hit the start button and the engine would not crank and it was the same dying noise as Monday so it doesn't appear to be holding a charge after three days. Since there's supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and raining on Sunday and Monday I was going to pull the battery and take it to 109 Cycle to have them load test it but Pegasus' comments make me wonder if I should charge the battery and ride it over instead so I can have the charging system checked.
Click to expand...

Ok, so we are getting somewhere here...
You said you rode to work on Thu after having the battery pluged in for a charge overnight. Did you put the battery re-charging after you got home the same day?
If you didn't - looks like your stator went bad.
If you did - invest into a new battery.
 
AL3RT said:
Ok, so we are getting somewhere here...
You said you rode to work on Thu after having the battery pluged in for a charge overnight. Did you put the battery re-charging after you got home the same day?
If you didn't - looks like your stator went bad.
If you did - invest into a new battery.
Click to expand...

As soon as I got home Tuesday I hooked up the charger and as soon as I got home Wednesday I hooked up the charger. By Thursday I thought maybe I was in the clear and didn't charge the battery and this morning I went to start the bike and the bike struggled to turn over and didn't so I knew the battery was out of juice again.
 
What he is saying is charge it over night. Then dont touch the bike for a day and see if its good.

Charge monday. Dont ride or charge tuesday. Does bike wokr Wednesday?

If Bike works Wednesday then battery = good

If you charge monday. Ride all day tuesday then tuesday night it doesnt start stator = bad.

Best thing is get a multi meter and check voltage of battery when not running then check voltage when bike is running then check voltage when bike is revving 5000 RPM

If voltage does not go up with Revs your stator is bad. If does go up your batter is bad.
 
gnatwest said:
What he is saying is charge it over night. Then dont touch the bike for a day and see if its good.

Charge monday. Dont ride or charge tuesday. Does bike wokr Wednesday?

If Bike works Wednesday then battery = good

If you charge monday. Ride all day tuesday then tuesday night it doesnt start stator = bad.

Best thing is get a multi meter and check voltage of battery when not running then check voltage when bike is running then check voltage when bike is revving 5000 RPM

If voltage does not go up with Revs your stator is bad. If does go up your batter is bad.
Click to expand...

Thanks I didn't think what I did and what he suggested would make that much of a difference. I'll charge up the battery tonight and the bike will probably sit all day tomorrow because of the rain/thunderstorm we're supposed to get tomorrow and then try starting it up on Sunday. I'll grab a multi meter from CT tonight. Thanks for clearing that up.
 
Just a follow up question. If it is a bad stator how much are we talking about to repair it at a shop? Is it an expensive repair? I know if it's the battery a Yuasa battery is going to cost me about $84. I just don't want to be in for a nasty shock. No pun intended.
 
It could be stator or rectifier more troubleshooting is required then. Parts are one thing then it depends on who does the labour.
 
I stopped by 109 Cycle after work today and explained my situation and they don't think it's the stator and more likely a dead battery so they told me to bring in the battery and they'll load test it for me. If it's the stator they said the part will be $300 and labour on top of that so they estimated $500 so let's hope it's just a dead battery.
 
A rectifier is very easy to swap out with basic tools right on your driveway. A stator - a bit more complicated, and I would recommend to take it to a pro. It's an expensive part and it's easy to screw it up. One thing for sure - you don't want to pay for it twice.

If it's a battery: YUASA's are high quality and they last. Ballistic are light as a feather, but their technology is relatevely new and they require a special charger/tender.
If it's a rectifier: go with Rick's Motorsport Electrics. OEM fitment and MOSFET technology (doesn't get hot).
If it's a stator: use nothing but OEM. Those suckers are nasty.
 
I agree with all the ideas for to figure out what's going on, but after AL3RT mentioned it early on , I didn't see any more comments in the thread about checking for any kind of draw on the battery. Leaving it to sit could easily drain it to less than 75% if there's something drawing current that shouldn't be. Of course, it's stil most likely just the battery.
 
If anyone is looking I have a brand new Yuasa that fits a lot of bikes all except my son's SV650 version sigh.:(

YTX12-BS - decent deal for someone.:rolleyes:
 
Thanks for everyone's input. Looking forward to getting this issue resolved and back to riding. :eek:
 
So it turns out it was a dead battery. I think I'm the 6 or 7th owner of this bike and I'm sure the battery has never been replaced. Got a Yuasa from 109 Cycle and life is good again. :cheers:
 
two cents...cheapo Crappy tire batteries can last a long time with a battery tender, and even the best batteries will die of neglect over the winter.
 
CafeRay said:
two cents...cheapo Crappy tire batteries can last a long time with a battery tender, and even the best batteries will die of neglect over the winter.
Click to expand...

+1 I have hooked my battery up to a Battery Tender every winter and it still seems to be going strong, even though its 5 years old. On my last bike, I didn't use a Battery Tender and the battery was done after the first winter. Those Battery Tenders are quite a bargain!

Has anyone used those new lithium ion batteries yet? They save quite a bit of weight. One downside that I can see is that Lithium ion batteries don't seem to give much warning when they are going to fail.
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