Tip to Reduce Aggravation

[Chrisj CMA]

Ok so it’s COLD. I rode to church yesterday. No problem. Bike sat in the parking lot for three hours and when I went to leave it was a different story. I probably should have used choke (enricher) but I didn’t. First try on the starter no start. Second try kinda weak. Oh crap.

Bottom line I had to get a jump.  Ran fine restarted after that fine and still held 13V engine off but I just didn’t trust it  

Gotta love Walmart sometimes. Lol.




Ok, I never do anything special to the little square nut thingy but this time it wouldn’t start threading. I came up with a perfect fix. You know those little felt pads you stick on a door to make it quiet when it closes. If you stick one on the bottom of your nuts it lifts them up just enough to get them started first try.

[ridingron]

I usually slip a tie wrap behind the nut. Pull it out when the threads engage.

[RonW]

I thought the square nut solved that problem. Apparently not.

[John Schmidt]

I have some odd bits of clear small plastic tubing laying around so I just cut a 1/2" long piece and slip under each nut and leave it there for the next time. Been doing it for at least 50 yrs. or longer....probably longer. 

[Jess from VA]

If you stick one on the bottom of your nuts, it lifts them up just enough to get them started first try.

   (cheaper than viagra too)

The problem with the battery post and square nut is; gravity holds the nut in the bottom of the post channel.  If you have one or two cables or extra wires to thread on top the positive post (I think I have 5 or 6 because I'm too stupid to wire up a fuse block) then the screw does not reach down to the square nut in the bottom.

I've used foam earplugs, a small piece of vacuum hose, or anything small and spongy that's not metallic.

And use dielectric grease to fight corrosion.

Another thing I like to do is write the month/year on the top of the battery with bold magic marker so any time you're in there you get immediate notice of it's age.  I keep a pretty detailed journal for each vehicle and bike with dates, bike mileage, and things done (oil/filter, fluids, tires, batteries) but I don't have to hunt it up and try to find my last battery entry, if it's just written on the battery itself.  

[Chrisj CMA]

If you stick one on the bottom of your nuts, it lifts them up just enough to get them started first try.

   (cheaper than viagra too)

The problem with the battery post and square nut is; gravity holds the nut in the bottom of the post channel.  If you have one or two cables or extra wires to thread on top the positive post (I think I have 5 or 6 because I'm too stupid to wire up a fuse block) then the screw does not reach down to the square nut in the bottom.

I've used foam earplugs, a small piece of vacuum hose, or anything small and spongy that's not metallic.

And use dielectric grease to fight corrosion.  

The felt pad (pictured) is perfect because it stays. If you use it on the battery nut and not your testicles. That way if you have to disconnect the battery it will go right back together no matter where you are and you don’t need to find something to stick in there

[Jersey]

Great Idea with the Felt Pad.  I'll use that next time.

[Moonshot_1]

Pretty neat idea with the felt pads. Will remember that next time I need to pull the battery. Never fails to be an "aggravating" endeavor to get them started.

We may need to add a Testicle board now though. May eclipse the political posts.

[Chrisj CMA]

Another tip. I think I may have discovered an early warning sign of a soon to be bad battery. By soon I mean weeks or months not minutes or days so this gives you plenty of heads up time.

If you have an on board volt meter gauge so you can monitor voltage while riding (if you don’t you need one). The alternator not charging fully until say 1,000 rpms or higher could be a sign the battery isn't holding a good charge.  Especially if it used to stay at 14V at idle and now it doesn’t.

That’s what just happened to me and I thought it was the cold. As soon as I put in the new battery the volt meter pegged at 14.2V even at 900 rpms.

My battery was around three years old and I probably could have kept using it for a long time but once a motorcycle battery lets me down, I don’t trust it any more.

[Jess from VA]

Even without a meter, this is also a poor man's early warning system

My bikes sit on battery tenders 24 X 7 X 365 when not running (or on trips) for over 10 years. (never cooked one either, and only ever lost one battery tender).

In perfect tune and choked (enriched) (and absent real cold or frozen oil/motors), my bikes generally always fire up nearly instantly.

Several (or even 5+, on my tenders) years after a new battery, when they begin to need to turn over even a couple seconds before firing, I know a new battery is coming.  Though I have gone many more months after first signs of slower starts, before changing them.

This may not work as well for those who don't use tenders and let the bike sit for weeks between running.  In any event, if your bike generally starts a certain way, and then it begins to consistently take more cranks before firing, there's your sign.

[CoreyP]

I don't use a battery tender but I have one. My bike isn't parked not close to a plug along with I ride year round. I never get more then 3 years out of battery, car or motorcycle. The heat kills them where I am and I think the heat may be worse then the cold up North? I just have never had a battery last for more then 3 years in any outside vehicle.

The battery I have right now is Walmarts finest. Ever start baby.