Forum

[RocketRR]

Hi All I am new to the forum after recently buying a 2015 GT from Trade Sales in Berkshire.

Recently I have not been using the bike as much, have an old Suzuki for the wet, and keep finding the battery goes flat very quickly over a couple of days.

I have now resorted to leaving it on an Optimate to keep it topped up, the bike starts and runs fine no warning lights but leave it a couple of days after that and a flat battery and a kick start again?

Is it just a poor quality battery to start with or is this a known failure?

If battery whats the best replacement?

Thanks and glad to join the forum

[geoffro]

Contact Burlen Batteries, i have them on all my bikes and they hold their charge for months when not in use.

[Rattlebattle]

As the bike is virtually new I wouldn't have thought it's the battery. Whilst they're not much cop they usually last longer than a few months. On the other hand the wiring on these bikes isn't much good. I would test for dark current ie constant leakage when all is switched off. Disconnect the positive cable from the battery and then connect a multimeter set to milliamperes between the positive cable and the positive battery terminal. Any leakage will show then, from which you can calculate how much is drained in an hour. If there is none it is probably the battery. While BOM batteries are good for old bikes for the electric start on the CGT you need one with good cold cranking power. I would recommend a Motobatt 14amp one; it's what I'm going to fit to my C5 when I sort out the appalling negative battery terminal issue that afflicts these bikes.

[Rattlebattle]

I forgot to add, there's a useful thread on the Motobatt battery on forum.classicmotorworks.com.

[Les]

Looks to me like you have a battery or electrics problem my efi Bullet which I would guess has a similar wiring set up has no load on the battery with the ignition off, do you use the electric start many times and only go a few miles ?, if it is a 2015 model should be under warranty

[jefrs]

Is this a Fiamm (India) as on mine current C5? I expect similar. In which case they are, not the best maybe but decent batteries - I have had no problems at all with mine. Do check the electrolyte level. Perhaps they failed to fill it?

Otoh "Trade Sales", is that the huge place on the Bath Road at Cippenham, I know the place, erm ...

[papasmurf]

I had three duff new batteries in a row on our motorcycles. The mechanic we use now no longer stocks a certain well known make of battery that shifted production from Japan to America.

[Thunderdird 2]

Yu asa try a different make then?

(sorry, I'll get me coat then!)

[jefrs]

I'm guessing the 2015 CGT is a nearly-new because "Trade Sales" only do used motors so far as I recall, they buy huge job lots at auction and flog them practically as-is. It is possible your battery was never properly filled with acid (because they're shipped dry) because that lot won't have prepped the bike. Other cause of battery dying is sediment shorting the cells but you battery is not old enough for that.

Either way it is probably BER dead battery now. There's a place near here, probably largest distributor of vehicle batteries in the south, flogs batteries at trade over the counter.



I learnt to ride in Slough and then the car examiner had me doing hand signals in the pouring rain at 'The Three Tuns' in the rush hour, he queried why I used the indicators as well (go figure). The land that huge emporium is on belonged to Normans (garage), part of it is reclaimed marsh, I knew the family.

[RocketRR]

Hi and thanks for all of the replies.
Yes the bike is brand new and under warranty but I didn't want to bother the dealer with a minor problem.
Trade Sales in Berkshire / Silchester also sell brand new bikes and are a registered RE Dealership they had a selection of new bikes when I looked and their service so far has been helpful and excellent with the bike prep work being done to a good standard that I was happy with.

The battery is full to the correct level and yes is an Indian Fiamm type.

I checked and no leakage current at all when off so I suspect the battery but I do use the electric start all of the time and also have been doing short runs so far with only just over 300 miles on the clock.

Maybe I just need to get my A##e in gear lol

Also contacted RE Customer Service just so they have a note of the failure.

Thanks