Its
inevitable that the battery on a motorcycle will eventually fail.
But what isn't so obvious is how they fail. A motorcycle battery is
a fickle thing. One minute it can be working fine and the next it
doesn't have enough power to run the dash lights.
One
common failure mode is that the bike will crank just fine, but not
start. While a no-start condition can be caused by a multitude of
things, a bad battery is one of them. The reason is because the
bike's ECU requires a minimum of about 9 volts to operate. Below
that, you wont get any spark. When you press the starter button,
there can be enough current to crank the engine, but the process of
cranking drops the voltage below 9 volts causing the ECU to fail and
results in a no spark condition.
Jumping
and Charging
The bike
can be started by jumping the battery to another vehicle or by using
a self contained jump starter device. When using another vehicle,
that vehicle's engine should be turned off. The higher voltage of
the car (which is charging at 50-100 amps) can damage the diodes in
the voltage regulator circuit on the bike.
This is
true even when the ignition is off. So when charging the motorcycle
battery with anything bigger than a trickle charger, the battery
should be disconnected from the bike or the main 30A fuse should be
pulled.
Push
Starting
Push
starting is a bit tricky with a Ninja. Chances are, when you last
turned off the bike, you had the transmission in first or neutral.
Because the Ninja has a Positive Neutral Finder, you cannot shift it
to a higher gear and a higher gear is necessary for push starting.
But
before you attempt to push start your bike, make sure that you at
least have enough current to run the dash lights. Remember that the
ECU needs at least 9 volts. If the dash lights don't come on, then
you can push it to the moon and back and still not get it to start.
The
first step is to get the bike into a higher gear. You need to get
the bike rolling before you can shift to a higher gear. Pull the
clutch in and start pushing the bike. After it starts rolling a bit,
you can pop it into high gear.
But
don't stop. Now that you are rolling in high gear, turn the ignition
on and let out the clutch. If its going to start, this will be the
time. Be prepared to pull the clutch and apply the brakes as soon as
it starts. Remember that you are now in high gear and you need to
put it back into first or else when you try to take off, you will
stall out again.
Testing
the Battery
With a
voltmeter you can tell a lot about the condition of your battery. A
total of four measurements need to be taken - key off, key on,
cranking, and running. The basic procedure is this:
- Turn the key off and measure the battery voltage. It should be higher than 12.5V.
- Turn the key on - should be higher than 12.1V.
- Press the starter button and measure while the engine is cranking. It should not go below 9V (preferably not below 10.0V).
- After the bike starts, measure the running voltage . This should be higher than 13.5V.
In most
cases, a bad battery will fail at least one of the above tests.
Battery
Size
Depending
on your model year, your Ninja takes one of three battery sizes.
The
Pregen (1988-2007) takes a 7L-BS battery. It measures approximately
4.5” x 2.8” x 5.2" and has the positive on the right
looking at it with the terminals closest to you.
The 2008
Newgen was an odd year and it takes a 7A-BS which measures
approximately 5.9” x 3.3” x 3.7” and has the positive on the
left.
Other
Newgens take a 9-BS battery that measures approximately 6” x 3.5”
x 4.25” and also has the positive on the left.
The
Pregen can also take a 12A-A battery if you remove the rubber insert
in the battery tray. The dimensions of this battery are
approximately 5.3" x 3.2" x 6.3" with the positive on
the left. The problem is that this battery is only available as a
wet battery.
Shorai makes a Lithium version
LFX14A2-BS12 that has 14 amps and measures approximately 4.5” x
2.3” x 3.5” with the positive on the left. This is a near drop
in replacement for the Newgens. On the Pregens, it requires the
rubber battery tray to be removed. Because the battery is smaller
than the original, it may require foam padding to make it fit right.
Battery
Chemistry
That
being said, I am not a fan of lithium (LiFe) batteries. While I have
not had any experience specifically with Shorai batteries, I have
used other LiFe batteries on my Ninja and they only lasted about a
month before they were totally useless. Others have reported similar
problems and also problems with the batteries not working at
temperatures less than 50F.
But one
thing for sure about LiFe batteries is that they are incredibly light
for the amount of power they produce. If being lightweight is
critically important to you, then a LiFe battery is the way to go.
The most
practical battery chemistry these days is AGM. These are far less
expensive than the LiFe batteries and usually last longer.
A wet
battery is something that brings back bad memories. The electrolyte
is literally a liquid acid that can spill out if you tilt the
battery. If it gets on your jeans, it will eat a hole in them. If
it gets on your skin, it will eat a hole in that too. They used to
be the only kind of battery available, but they are generally
something to be avoided now.
Every
now and then I see a gel cell battery sold for the Ninja. They are
usually more expensive and I can't quite seem to figure out what, if
any, advantages they have over an AGM battery. The only thing I can
think of is that motorcycle AGM batteries usually require the
purchaser to add the supplied acid to the battery and charge it
before use. Whereas the gel battery comes ready to go. Its not
worth the extra expense in my opinion.
Manufacturers
There
are lots of battery manufacturers out there. Most of them will work
just fine - its just a question of longevity. YUASA is a pretty good
one. For better or worse, I ended up getting the lifetime warranty
battery at Cycle Gear. Its a junk battery with a good warranty. I've
replaced it several times and they always have one in stock and there
is no charge for a replacement. If most of your riding is near a
Cycle Gear store, then the lifetime warranty battery will do fine,
but if you ride very far from the local Cycle Gear you might prefer a
better battery like the Yuasa.
