Hey guys im looking for a little diy advice before i bring my Swing in to have a professional look at it. I bought a car 3 weeks ago and decided to hang up the riding gloves for the winter. I rode all last winter and loved it but now im going from sac to sf a little too often and decided to shell out the big bucks for a car. After letting the bike sit for two weeks i put stabil in the gas tank and was about to unplug the battery but decided to try to start her up just to make sure all was well. Much to my chagrin, my baby would not start. I hooked up my battery tender, it said the battery was just about fully charged but i let it charge for 24 hours anyway. The next day it still didnt start. I changed the spark plugs and still nothing.

It will turn half way over but wont go the rest of the way. You can tell its really trying to start but it just doesnt get that last bit of juice to turn it all the way over. Does anyone have any ideas of what my problem might be. Id really like to avoid taking it in. I dont have a lot of know how but im generally successful with whatever mechanical endeavors i try(thanks in no small part to Jeff R's and everyone else's amazing pictorials). Thanks guys, any help/advice/ideas are appreciated.

Hello La Moto Mota

From what you've described, it sounds like it needs a new battery. If your battery is over five years old, it's usually time to replace it anyway.

You can buy another battery for $30 on eBay Shipped

Sure sounds like a new battery is needed. You can have the battery tested at most auto parts store for free. It's just not holding any amps, is what it sounds like to me.

Would you guys wait til spring(when ill be riding again) or just go forward with it to make sure it is the battery and not something else? Obviously id unplug the battery after testing it if i got it now. Thanks everyone.

For your own piece of mind, get the battery now and give it a whirl. Then make sure to charge it once a month until spring...have fun!

LMM,

That sounds like a classic case of a 'duff' battery to me too. If you don't intend to ride the bike for the next few weeks/months then I'd be very tempted to shell out - sorry 'spend' a little extra cash on a sealed for life 'GEL' type battery. These are a far better bet than the wet lead/acid type.

When it comes to batteries the old saying 'the more you spend, the better it is' is very true. I haven't checked, but if you can get an Oddesey Battery for your bike then get it, they are great, and made in the USA I believe.

If you can't get one, then buy a replacement from a well known manufacturer like 'Yuasa' , 'Varta' or Exide', buying a cheap alternative is asking for touble a short ride down the highway!

The problem is most folks tend to ignore their battery until its packed up, when really they should be viewed as a consumable, rather like brake pads and tyres. Due to their size, and what they have to do, motorcycle batteries only really have a life of about 3 years, and not using them doesn't necessarily mean that they last longer either.

By the same token, charging them over and over doesn't do them much good, esp if its done at the wrong rate! The purveyors of so called 'fast chargers' have a lot to answer for when it comes to ruined batteries.

My best suggestion is to buy the best battery you can afford and fit it according to the manufactures instructions the day before you intend to ride the bike. Also for what its worth put some 'fuel stabiliser' (English spelling) in the tank, that will stop what you have from going off, making the bike hard to start later on.

If it is the batter .... a battery desulfator may be able to recover the battery.

If the bike is garaged, why not disconnect the battery and take it down to the battery store to have it checked out. As mentioned earlier, it lies on its side, so do NOT use a wet lead acid battery as it will leak acid all over your pride and joy and destroy it!

Hey rogerscoot,

Welcome to the forum and yes always install the correct battery.