That damned Beelzebub

Oh aye, there have been great strides forward in the modern hammer and
chisel.

 

Various people are of the opinion that Italian V-twins don't get along
with those batteries. I'm inclined to agree, based on my own experiences.

 

Decided I couldn't wait and popped over to Ducati Glasgow and picked up
a Yuasa MF YT12B-BS as a precaution. Haven't had a chance to fit it yet
and the bike had a lot of starts today as I joined the Scottish Ducati
Club in the Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade.

 

I'll spank yer bum

 

How odd I wonder why. BMW twins thrive on them.

 

If 'Italian V-twins' = Ducati, it could be the heat from underseat
exhausts. Quite a few MVs have needed new shocks & swingarms after the
batteries started leaking a bit due to the heat. Mine was nearly a
victim, but I spotted the rusting battery tray in time.

 

Dunno; this comes from Roy at Italsport (a man who knows his Ducatis),
via another Elefant owner. Apparently "Ducati engines prefer lead acid
batteries".

My Elefant seems to have killed the Odyssey battery that I got earlier
in the year. No-load voltage indicates that it's fully-charged,
according to Odyssey's manual, but it's no longer up to the task of
starting the bike.

The lead-acid battery that was in it previously, which I thought was
knackered and had been left sitting on the garage floor since before
Christmas, fired it up with no hesitation.

 

You have suggested that twice now ;o)

 

AGM batteries are *lead-acid* batteries

I think it is most likely the capacity of the alternator on Italian bikes
is not up to handling an AGM battery.

"Due to lower porosity of the lead peroxide paste on the plates compared
with other batteries, the Odyssey® battery does require a slightly higher
voltage than conventional filler cap batteries and a charge current which
is relatively high for the rated capacity"
http://www.accumate.com/pro/12v7a/

My BMW has ABS & heated grips so BMW fit a 19Ah battery & suitably robust
alternator. It's worked fine with the Hawker for 4 years or so.

 

http://www.odysseyfactory.com/powerbenefits.html

"Extreme temperature tolerant
Operating temperatures from -40°C (-40°F) to 45°C (113ºF), for models
without a metal jacket and from -40ºC (-40ºF) to 80ºC (176ºF) for models
with a metal jacket."

 

Yes, I know. I'm sure he meant "normal" lead-acid batteries.

If that were the case, the no-load voltage would indicate that the
battery wasn't fully charged, wouldn't it?

 

Must admit I thought I'd misread the specification for the Yuasa MF
YT12B-BS I picked up from Ducati Glasgow on Saturday. 10Ah, CCA 125,
Amps 1.0 (shurrelly shome misshtake).

Bike had loads of starts yesterday with no problems on the old battery.
Still, after slagging off Champ for wondering whether it was worth
replacing a suspect battery I thought I'd better put my money were my
mouth is ;-).

 

With conventional batteries the no load voltage may seem okay but collapse
when asked to deliver a current. Is this not possible with an Odyssey
battery if the plates get contaminated?

looking at http://www.batteryfaq.org/ which links to
http://www.rversonline.org/ArtAGM.html the chap opines that over-voltage is
the killer for AGM batteries. That Accumate link I posted earlier uses an
algorithm that does not exceed 14.6V.

 

I would imagine so.

If that's what's caused it, it's most likely to be the alternator on the
'Fant that's done it, if the output is not sufficiently regulated.

 

Gets my vote. And ISTR that the 916 series had probs because the
alternator wiring wasn't even man enough for the current, or some such.

 

You have very poor taste then.

 

You did indeed, however TBF you have significantly raised your game of late.

 

ITYM waiting obediently in deferential silence?

 

Well, it had to get better, eh?

 

An Italian motor vehicle with sub-standard wiring? Quick, call MCN and
tell them we've got an exclusive!