Battery issues

[jellero]

first off, thanks to panhead for getting back on the board after problems logging in.
i am trying to restore my old battery on my '61 fl, nothing new. it was showing a bit over 4 volts. this time around i dumped out the electrolyte then filled with water a couple times after banging on battery with a stick thinking maybe i could dislodge whatever crap was in there, then refilled with fresh sulfuric acid. had it on the charger for an hour or so but am giving it a break now. it was taking a charge though. in the meantime, i have been trying to find out what the stock amp hours those batteries came with. nobody knows at the harley shop, j&p, etc. and the batteries are not marked. i found a sealed battery for $41 online that is18 ah. i would love a sealed battery in there, plus it is smaller so i could mount it to allow air circulation around it. does anyone here know what stock ah is? my right hip is shot so will need to use my left leg and i don't want too kick it many times. thanks. j

[UPSROD]

The original battery is 22 amp hour. It should be charged at 1 1/2 amps.

[jellero]

opinion on this battery? how much would 18 instead of 22 amp hours make in starting? we all know what a low battery will do to starting ability and i am not aging gracefully. is that why all older hd riders limp?? i always wondered about that. j
check it out- http://www.interstatebatteries.com/cs_e ... 4279225439" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cdndewey]

Without looking at it I can tell you it won't make much difference at all. Your coil only draws a couple of amps and you could use one of them square 6 volt flashlight battery's and start no problems. Starting problems due to a battery are because the battery isn't up to charge. The coil is basically a step up transformer and if you start with less voltage going in the primary windings you will get less voltage coming out the secondary windings and less voltage to fire the plugs. Add into account plug wire resistance, plug resistance etc and it doesn't take long to really pull that weak secondary voltage down where it won't fire enough to light the charge.

[hplhd]

check this one out also http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CFMQ8wIwAg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
hope the link works. i only have 100 miles on it so i cant speak on longevity but i wanted to stay away from the tab ends like the one you showed. these batrees seem to be a crap shoot by reading thru these threads. cotton had a good idea of pulling a trailer with any batree you want. that idea tickeled the shit out of me.

[jellero]

i've thought about mounting a tractor battery in a saddlebag myself. the stock battery setup has always seemed pretty lame. i will look at that battery as i am trying to avoid buying another hd. j

[Cotten]

Folks,

The only time I didn't have enough battery was when I had eleven lamps on my hack, including five halogen passing lamps.

Since I didn't run a brake on the hack, I whipped up an alternator to charge a second battery, mounted upon the frame.

AC/DC?

HACKALT.jpg (94.69 KiB) Viewed 1550 times

Although I probably could have run a microwave oven,
I realized I should shelve some lamps instead!

....Cotten

[jellero]

i ordered the battery from interstate today. they give a full refund up to 45 days for any reason and it is the only one that will fit. the old one charged but was back to about 3.5 volts in a couple of hours so screw it, i'm out $4 for the acid which i suppose i could pour into a jug for later. j

[john HD]

Although I probably could have run a microwave oven,
I realized I should shelve some lamps instead!

cotten,

that is hilarious! you could have had regenerative braking! and cooked supper at the same time!

way ahead of the hybrid crowd for sure!

john

[kitabel]

In my experience, unless something is wrong with the charging system, "restoring" a battery is just wasting your time and asking to get stranded - again.
The A/H has nothing to do with how the bike starts, unless it's very, very low (like 5).
Since the generator doesn't charge at idle (and very low speed, depending on your adjustment and sprocket sizes) a low A/H puts you at greater risk of going flat if you ride in traffic with the lights on for too long. A 22 A/H gives a greater safety margin.

[jellero]

i'm stranded at home and just want to see if i can start it with my left leg as my right hip needs to be replaced. i am not buying another one of those piece of junk stock "lookalike" batteries for $120+. psyched about going AGM too. i have four other bikes with electric start so don't ride the pan so much anyway, certainly not long distance with a bmw sitting in the garage (no offense intended anyone). j

[jwindol]

Randy Lee, motorhead from hell put a shovel left side case on and ran alternator. TOok an oil filter and stuck it in the gennie hole. That boy'll make two spoons run. Had a '58 an did the same thing and added a shovel inner and outer primary cover and cut an inch off the oil tank so he could run a starter. His daddy was getting old for kicking. Yall aint still doing 6 volt are you? I like originality as much as the next man but I got tired of being the Brown Mountain Light. Go to a swap meet or get a 12 from V-Twin and bite the bullet.

[john HD]

i must just have good luck.

i had a regular 6 volt battery in my pan for 10 years with minimal trouble until i dropped it and cracked the case. the replacement has been running for 5 years now. elcheapo accel regulators are good for a year on average... get an original delco they are worth the price!

in my 45 i have had a regular 6 volt battery for a couple of seasons with good results too.

dim lights on a 6 volt bike are usually due to undersized wire and poor connections. both mine work properly and are nice and bright.

unless you cannot source lamps i really do not believe converting i worth the trouble.

john

[jellero]

bike won't start... and i no longer live on a hill. first time this year so i got my puddle of $9 per quart oil puked out. got my new battery, the 6 volt/18ah agm. installed with new connectors, smaller than i would like. did the usual gas on, 5 prime kicks with fill throttle/choke, then throttle down, ignition on kick and nothing. pulled plugs and they were dry. kicked over and have blue spark. i remember white. shot some gas down carb with turkey baster and it started for a couple of seconds but sounded like only one cylinder. waited a couple of days and just tried again, not firing. gas smells o.k. i am wondering why plugs are dry though. she usually starts right up. my hip is in bad shape so i cannot just keep kicking it and shouldn't have to. last fall she ran fine, i just parked and took out the battery for winter as usual. ideas, besides getting someone else to kick it over? j

[Cotten]

Jellero!

Blue, white, green or whatever means little.
If you have spark, that's not the problem.

And you do not need wet plugs.
That's called "flooded".

The problem could be a simple one, or two or three simple ones.
If it came into my shop,
A manifold test would be first priority, and while the carb is off, its inspection would be second.

Then comes timeing, valve adustment etc.

Zillions of bikes ran fine when they were put away.
Few wake up without being cranky.

....Cotten