A battery is a battery is a battery, right?

[Vance]

Okay - so based on a few things I'm thinking Dita is in need of a little new SPARK in her life... as in... a new battery.

I get this because after 3 hours of delivering Pizza on her, right around the 3 hour mark, she's giving me grief starting, like she's drained and tired from being ridden all evening long like Dita should be...

Anyway...

Before I go out and pick up just something off the shelf of wherever... is there anything I need to look out for, or know, about batteries in modern bikes (remember - my previous ride was an 88, like pre-grunge era people)???

Thanks for any/all input.

[Nick_Ninja]

I drained a battery on a long ride one time (just old equipment). Went to Wal-Mart and got the YUASA equivilant for $30 + they gave me $$ for bringing my old battery in for recycle. It lasted 4 years with out a problem. I saved a bundel of bucks.

[Anonymous]

Yup, that will work; you can also try Batteries Plus down there off University and County Line. Just make sure you get the right one for your bike, so it fits and all that.

[Hozerking]

question... once it starts are your headlights nice and brrght? even when the thing is hard to start? also fo you have a good connection to the bat terminal are they clean and such! ...

if yes you need a new batt! otherwise it could be just the contact or your regulator is not charging as it should?

-al

[Vance]

Yeah --- everything otherwise is good save AFTER if finally turns over... its acting like it doesn't have enough juice to keep running, and it wants to tach down and die on me.

So... am I thinking wrong and this IS NOT the battery???

[Hozerking]

if you really want to know if the battery is good you need to test to see how well it is holding a charge diconnect it from the bike... charge it fully and measure the voltage it should ~13.0 volts or more then leave it there for a few hours check it again like 12 hours later or a day later if the voltage has dropped significantly than the battery needs replacing!

If you have trouble getting the battery voltage up to 13 than definitly the battery is dead! ....

If the bike want to die even after it has started is probably not the battery... on some systems if the battery does not make a good connection therefor it appears is if it is not there .. but the fact that you can suck enough juice out to get the thing started the electronics sees the battery they are just not recharging it...... look at the head light does it get brighter when you reve the engine ... you should definitly notice a difference from just bellow optimum idle for your engine and just above the

other way to see if the bike is charging is to measure the voltage on the battery with the engine off and with the enging on, there should be significant difference if not than you are not chargin the thing..... if the battery voltage is low and the alternetor/regulator is not doing its job than your ignition and other electronics like ECU/injectors(if applicable) are not functioning correctly therefor the thing does not want to run right!

-al

[Anonymous]

Also remember that at idle, you do not generate enough power to keep it charged, so if the battery is dead then you're fighting a losing battle. Does it want to die once you rev it up a little Vance? Idle doesn't count much...

[Vance]

Also remember that at idle, you do not generate enough power to keep it charged, so if the battery is dead then you're fighting a losing battle. Does it want to die once you rev it up a little Vance? Idle doesn't count much...

When I rev and hold it - anything about about 2000 (I'm not precise enough to bring it from it's norm of around 1100 only 400 higher to 1500 - which is where it used to idle before I changed the plugs actually), it holds steady... no problem... no fluctuations. If I rev it, hold it, then let it down... no it still tries to die out on me.

As for headlights and such --- everything SEEMS normal. Headlights shut off at ignition to fire back up as soon as it turns over. They seem just as bright as ever when I am applying throttle. I guess the one thing I haven't checked is if the injectors or pump or whatever is priming when I turn the switch to "on"... mainly because I have the helmet on and it's hard to hear!

Oh - and as for checking voltage and such... I don't have the equipment... so that would be hard.

[Dysco]

I have the technology and the time. PM me and I'll do the voltage stuff with you. Also you may want to consider going to a meatier oil to help with heat problems and charging your battery at night- all easy stuff.

[Vance]

I have the technology and the time. PM me and I'll do the voltage stuff with you.

I might just have to take you up on that... only problem is... WHEN. At this stage I'm thinking --- invest in a new battery (it looked like, on cursory scan yesterday, that it is the original Triumph batter - so it's 5 years old) to start with just because its probably a good idea anyway.

Also you may want to consider going to a meatier oil to help with heat problems and charging your battery at night- all easy stuff.

Clarify "meatier oil". I really think a lot of my heat problems has to do with the fact it's... well... BRITISH. I have the odd feeling the wankers didn't take altitude or potential standard heat ranges into consideration... thus up here... Dita gets a little TOO hot and TOO bothered TOO quickly in stop & go traffic.

[Anonymous]

Vance, yeah if your battery is 5 years old and it's giving you fits, replace it. You'll be thankful when it gets cold out...

Also - define TOO hot. Does it keep brushing with the "oh crap" limit, or does the fan stabilize the temp and at least keep it from rising any more? In stop and go, especially in the summer like this when it's 90+ degrees outside, it will get hot. I've yet to see a bike that doesn't. That little fan does not move nearly as much air as when you are travelling at speed and the air it does move is already warm and stagnant. I don't know if oil is going to help you just because you're not riding hard; when I started going to the track I switched up to Sikolene 15w-50 synthetic. It's $40 a jug but kept the engine much cooler since I'm at redline a lot more. Street, I'd still use 10w40 or something like that. You can also try flushing out and changing your coolant, sometimes that helps. The Honda 50/50 premixed stuff is great.

[Vance]

Ralph --- by too hot I mean that "oh shit --- gotta move gotta move" marker. And no - as I've been told the fan on these Daytonas is renknowned for it's weakass assistance to heat levels. I've unfortunately learned (actually from the St. Patrick's Day parade) how to use red lights and such to turn the bike off so the fan can do some good for a minute or two... but I just wish I could figure a way to cool her down more reliably.

I've changed the oil --- 10W40 right now...
I've flushed the radiator and refilled with premix...
And she's doing BETTER than she was earlier this year... but she still gets VERY close to getting TOO CLOSE to that scary "oh shit" point.... like 80% to redline.

Needless to say that is one of the only pieces of Dita that bothers me --- the fact that she, in her infinate beauty and grace, LOVES to fry my nads to the point she's trying to make sure I never reproduce again!
I'm not sure how the new ones do with the redesigned and updated triples. I'd be curious to find out how they handle heat actually.

Still --- I know more about mechanics than I ever did before... flushing radiators, etc... and now it's time to move on to changing the pads and bleeding the lines (Me = Officially scared to death of this mechanical expedition!)... so I owe Dita those thanks in bushels.

[Dysco]

...I don't know if oil is going to help you just because you're not riding hard; when I started going to the track I switched up to Sikolene 15w-50 synthetic. It's $40 a jug but kept the engine much cooler since I'm at redline a lot more. Street, I'd still use 10w40 or something like that. You can also try flushing out and changing your coolant, sometimes that helps. The Honda 50/50 premixed stuff is great.

That's sorta what I'm referrring to. At the track, you have speed to cool you down. Delivering pies in a neighborhood has similar heat ranges as riding Mach 1 on a track since the bike never gets a sustained cooling period. I'd recommend a good synthetic 15/50 for the hot months- at least give it a try and see if it makes a difference. When the weather cools down 10/40 will be fine. If the battery is that old it might be worth testing anyway just to save $. I've seen too many people make the mistake of buying a new battery to fix another problem. Fix one thing at a time.

[Hozerking]

if the bike is 5 years old ... .the thermostat is 5 years old... they aren't that expensive and it could be the reason you are running hot! they can stick and or open late ... both off which would cause you to run hot. If possible you could get a lower temperature one so that water starts circulating through your radiator beforethe engine gets all that hot! I have found that stock thermostats are always too high! for my tastes!

... other than that the actual sensor could be a little off! ... its just a variable resistor that changes with temperature.... these types of sensors do exhibit "drift" over time (I took a class on it) ... thus when the bike was new @ temperature 'a' was at a certain location on the dial but because of drift that same temparature will register a different value on the gauge!

those are two cheap things to check,

-al

[Mel]

Being that it is soooo hot outside, unless you actuall hit the oh shit mark, you are still in the clear, at least when you are stopped. If you are still that hot when you are steadily moving, or if it does not start to go down when you move, then you may have a problem. I am not sure what all the Trimuphs have, but I know when I hit that "oh shit" point on my bike (one time only) it popped a fuse and shut itself off. Took me able an hour on the phone to my dad crying in a parking lot to realize it was only a fuse (and not the whole bike) but it seemed to be some kind of a safety thing.
Another question, do you just have a gauge (good, to oh shit) or an actual temp reading?

[Vance]

if the bike is 5 years old ... .the thermostat is 5 years old... they aren't that expensive and it could be the reason you are running hot! they can stick and or open late ... both off which would cause you to run hot. If possible you could get a lower temperature one so that water starts circulating through your radiator beforethe engine gets all that hot! I have found that stock thermostats are always too high! for my tastes!

... other than that the actual sensor could be a little off! ... its just a variable resistor that changes with temperature.... these types of sensors do exhibit "drift" over time (I took a class on it) ... thus when the bike was new @ temperature 'a' was at a certain location on the dial but because of drift that same temparature will register a different value on the gauge!

You lost me at "thermostat"
Okay --- well, sort of. I MIGHT need to recuit some help with working on that. I'll have to check Haynes and see what's what in there.

Being that it is soooo hot outside, unless you actuall hit the oh shit mark, you are still in the clear, at least when you are stopped. If you are still that hot when you are steadily moving, or if it does not start to go down when you move, then you may have a problem. I am not sure what all the Trimuphs have, but I know when I hit that "oh shit" point on my bike (one time only) it popped a fuse and shut itself off. Took me able an hour on the phone to my dad crying in a parking lot to realize it was only a fuse (and not the whole bike) but it seemed to be some kind of a safety thing.

Another question, do you just have a gauge (good, to oh shit) or an actual temp reading?

Well so far she's been good about cooling down in motion... so I know at least THAT portion of functionality works. I guess the good news is I've always managed to shut her down and let her cool for at least a minute (red light sequencing of shut off - cool down a bit - start up - overheat in stop-n-go traffic again - shut down...) so I'm honestly not sure what would happen if it ever actually broke into the "red zone". It's gotten right to the bottom of the red... but never in it so far.

Which sort of answers your other question... I just have a gague, not an actual temp reading. Triumph didn't go digital until the next year with the 99... and even then, I don't think the temp gague went digital for them until 2001... but on that I could be wrong.

There are times I wonder if I shouldn't heed some people's advice and look at the concept of trading her in for a new model Daytona or even my only choice in the Japanese MFG'd bikes. Still... I don't know that overheating is a big enough issue to make me want to get rid of her.