battery woes

[mark h]

My recently purchased etz 250 is running a bit lumpy especialy on tickover, carb checked and adjusted, then when looking at the battery I noticed the cells were nearly dry. !! All the electrics were working ok, ive took it off, topped it up and its on a drip charge over night. I didnt smell any acid or notice any discharge leaking, when I refit it tommorrow ill put a multimeter across it. Am I looking for a 14.5 maximum output? And does this sound like a regulator problem? Cheers.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

lead acid battery are a bit fussy depending on who made them
and being a bike from a previous owner did you replace it
or was he not nice to it
they will go dry setting over lay over times
when the bike sets for a while unhook it
and charge with a smart battery tender 6v ones are hard to find
these guys
do battery chargers
if you need a 6 volt one that works from 230 volt ac 50 hz line power or other voltages as well as standard usa power
http://www.a-aengineering.com/
http://www.a-aengineering.com/ChargerPriceList.htm

i do not remember seeing battery tender brand in 6 volt
dave

[radiograf]

Buy a new battery, basically its had it. Check your voltage regulator, change it for an electronic one http://www.sweller.co.uk/mz/mods/mod_12vreg.html will tell you how.
If you need a 6v charger try Optimate's Accumate, as it does 6 and 12v.

[mark h]

Thanks all for the advice. After a full charge, the battery was reading 13.8 through a multimeter, when fitted on the bike and holding 2-3000 revs it was the middle 16s. A new electronic volt/reg has been ordered from "the Mz shop", I think the link for fitting the new regulator will come in very handy, cheers.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

new reg a good idea middle 16s a bit to high and hard on bulbs and other things like the battery

dave

[chromedome]

Sounds like a problem similar to mine a while back, and the regulator was to blame. Contacts were intermittently switching.

Kept having to top the battery fluid levels up, and at one point the battery blew up on a long journey. Remaining acid sprayed up on to my jeans.

At this point the Johnny Cash song "Ring of Fire" sprang to mind.

I've now fitted a solid state regulator and a voltmeter between the speedo and tacho "just in case".