Battery Woes

[It'sNick]

You just plug it directly into the bike's SAE pigtail that you would normally use for a maintainer, (not through a maintainer). When you plug that pigtail into a solar connection, you'll have to also use an SAE polarity reverse adapter between the solar panel lead and the battery's pigtail lead... like this one … https://www.amazon.com/Sunway-Solar-Connectors-Disconnect-Maintainer-3Pack/dp/B07GPGPTFV/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=battery+sae+reverse+connector&qid=1602800839&sr=8-3

Hope that makes sense. Very simple and effective. Great to use on a car that will sit for a long time as well.

Perfect, thanks! I was thinking there should be something in between the panel and the bike. I appreciate your help!

One more question. So I'm looking to replace my battery. The Yuasa people talk about has 135 CCA and is 8 Ah. I also saw someone else talk about a Motobatt(link) that's 160 CCA but 10.5 Ah. Now, the Motobatt website says it's a replacement for the Yuasa YTX9-BS, but don't understand if it's ok to have more Ah, if that affects the bike negatively or anything. Also if you have any preference between the 2 batteries, I'm all ears.

 

[AK Mike]

Perfect, thanks! I was thinking there should be something in between the panel and the bike. I appreciate your help!

One more question. So I'm looking to replace my battery. The Yuasa people talk about has 135 CCA and is 8 Ah. I also saw someone else talk about a Motobatt(link) that's 160 CCA but 10.5 Ah. Now, the Motobatt website says it's a replacement for the Yuasa YTX9-BS, but don't understand if it's ok to have more Ah, if that affects the bike negatively or anything. Also if you have any preference between the 2 batteries, I'm all ears.

If it were me, I would go for the extra Amp Hours... especially since our bikes suffer from a phantom discharge. 135 CCA should be plenty to start the relatively small engine of the Himalayan, unless maybe if you operate it in very cold conditions where those extra cranking amps will be a big help. While I think either battery will serve just fine, I would probably be swayed toward having a few more Amp Hours if cold starting were not a concern for me.

 

[It'sNick]

If it were me, I would go for the extra Amp Hours... especially since our bikes suffer from a phantom discharge. 135 CCA should be plenty to start the relatively small engine of the Himalayan, unless maybe if you operate it in very cold conditions where those extra cranking amps will be a big help. While I think either battery will serve just fine, I would probably be swayed toward having a few more Amp Hours if cold starting were not a concern for me.

Cool, I'll do that. It's only about $10 more for the motobatt, and the warranty is longer, I believe.

 

[TN_twowheeladdict]

I'll start with disconnecting the battery for now, but for $30 I might end up grabbing that solar panel. If it's going to just be a day or 2 between rides rather than a week, I can just hook it to the panel to be safe. Did you just plug it straight into the motorcycle's pigtail, or did you hook it up through a tender somehow? No worry about being hooked up to the panel for a few days at a time?

You could install a battery cut off switch so you don't have to remove the screw. It will also be a good theft deterrent. Some interesting choices here. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=motorcycle+battery+cut+off+switch&crid=TVBYB2YZHZ7B&sprefix=motorcycle+battery+cut,aps,160&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_22

 

[AK Mike]

You could install a battery cut off switch so you don't have to remove the screw. It will also be a good theft deterrent. Some interesting choices here. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=motorcycle+battery+cut+off+switch&crid=TVBYB2YZHZ7B&sprefix=motorcycle+battery+cut,aps,160&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_22

I actually tried them, but they didn't fit with how our battery is situated under the seat. But maybe there is another type out there that will. Ceratinly if you can make it work, that would help. I just keep a small screwdriver under my seat so it's always there to use for disconnecting the neg. lead.

 

[GaleForceEight]

You could install a battery cut off switch so you don't have to remove the screw. It will also be a good theft deterrent. Some interesting choices here. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=motorcycle+battery+cut+off+switch&crid=TVBYB2YZHZ7B&sprefix=motorcycle+battery+cut,aps,160&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_22

I'll start with disconnecting the battery for now, but for $30 I might end up grabbing that solar panel. If it's going to just be a day or 2 between rides rather than a week, I can just hook it to the panel to be safe. Did you just plug it straight into the motorcycle's pigtail, or did you hook it up through a tender somehow? No worry about being hooked up to the panel for a few days at a time?

It may just be my sense of humour, but I had an image in my head of a big lever on the side of the bike with an isolation handle, and someone yelling “Igor... flip the switch Igor!”

 

[Trad]

Just added a post some of you might be interested in on the lithium battery thread. I replaced OEM battery with an SSB AGM (260 CCA) and also added an Anderson point loom using 8AWG cable with 60A inline fuse for jump/charge that I’ll use also look at for ancillary power/trickle charge. As per other thread, any thoughts appreciated.

 

[caferider48]

Trying to isolate what's draining my AGM battery. Charged it to 14.7 volts, tested good with my tester. Overnight with no battery tender it dropped to 13.7, still started but barely. After riding this morning I parked and pulled the Main Fuse (F2) which should disable all drain on the battery as it takes power away from the instrument cluster etc.
Theoretically if I return this afternoon battery should have not lost any charge. (its 70 degrees outside) Also I currently have nothing but the SAE plug for the battery connected to the battery, so no add-ons can be causing an issue. The bike has just reached 1500 miles and I haven't had the charging circuit tested but plan to do that when I get a 3000 mile service since its under warranty.

My thought since I park outside with no electrical outlet I would use a solar charger to maintain the battery as we get a lot of sunny days in san diego. Anyone know if ALL solar chargers require a polarity reverser to connect to the SAE plug to the himalayan? I understood the one I purchased did not.

I would consider a Lithium ion battery however I have heard from others they can still go bad when there are parasitic draws so I thought isolating that in the himalayan and making a correction is a better route to go to solve the underlying problem.

Since battery issues seem to be a common issue, maybe we can all come up with a way to fix this for everyone.

also ordered a battery disconnect switch to give that a try (see image)

 

[caferider48]

Perfect, thanks! I was thinking there should be something in between the panel and the bike. I appreciate your help!

One more question. So I'm looking to replace my battery. The Yuasa people talk about has 135 CCA and is 8 Ah. I also saw someone else talk about a Motobatt(link) that's 160 CCA but 10.5 Ah. Now, the Motobatt website says it's a replacement for the Yuasa YTX9-BS, but don't understand if it's ok to have more Ah, if that affects the bike negatively or anything. Also if you have any preference between the 2 batteries, I'm all ears.

Currently have the BikeMaster AGM Platinum II MS 12-9-BS which is the 8AH 135 CCA equivalent. Have ordered the Motobatt MBTX9U which is 10.5 AH and the 160 CCA. Wanted to see the difference, its also a slight bit smaller in size. The difference in AH will just supply more current.

Regarding my solar charger, I connected it in full sun for 1 hour using the battery clamps and the battery went from 13.2 v to 14.2 v in less than 1 hour. I currently have the main fuse out and will check in a few hours the charge with the solar charger disconnected to see if it remains at 14.2
The advantage of the solar collector is it can be used when travelling off grid, but I don't think you can use them with Lithium ion batteries.

Update 4/30/2021:

Seems the drain is interrupted when Fuse 1 is removed, which indicates either a leaky diode in the Regulator/Rectifier unit draining the battery over time, or possibly in the starter relay (believe there is a diode in there as well). Removing Fuse 2 and leaving Fuse 1 in place the battery still drains. Maybe this is a common issue on the Himalayan RR units and is why many have the battery issue. I'm going to install the battery cutoff switch at the negative terminal in the interim and when I go for the 3000 mile service I'll have them check the RR unit and replace under warranty if needed.

 

[Robert]

I came across these video's: the maker of the vids concludes that a diode in the RR is to blame for the battery drain, like caferider48 wrote above. I would assume that replacement of the RR would solve the problem.

I'm not well versed in electronics: anybody an idea which RR could be used to replace the original?

 

[caferider48]

I came across these video's: the maker of the vids concludes that a diode in the RR is to blame for the battery drain, like caferider48 wrote above. I would assume that replacement of the RR would solve the problem.

I'm not well versed in electronics: anybody an idea which RR could be used to replace the original?

What I have been doing is pulling the Main fuse 2 and RR fuse 1 if I leave the bike for any time. Haven't had any problems since. Currently I am waiting on some parts to install a cutoff switch to the battery, along with a relay and auxiliary fuse block. As soon as I have it installed I'll send some pics and a parts list.

 

[imnvegas]

I have a 2021 Himmy with only 900 miles on it. I live in Las Vegas where the temp is 107 and goes up from there, however the bike is stored in a garage, which is not that hot. I went to CDMX for 10 days and when I returned the battery was Dead as a Doornail (whatever a dead doornail is) I put it on a charger and tomorrow I am going to take it to the dealer. If they try to give me another crap Varna battery, I'm just gonna buy my own and have a bit of a fit, hoping there will be customers on the floor..LOL

 

[caferider48]

Replaced my stock battery with the Motobatt MBTX9U which is 10.5 AH and has 160 CCA . Has been very good so far, more cranking amps and starts right up. My old battery, now out of the bike, I leave every few days on the battery tender for an hour or so and it gets and keeps full charge. So I know now it WAS the leaking diode in the RR unit. I read somewhere of a lawsuit between RE and the maker of the RR unit, patent infringement or something, which is probably why its not easy to replace the current stock units. I expect there was a batch of bad diodes used in some of these RR units and got past testing/QA. Not all of them likely have the bad diodes so its kind of hit and miss.
So replacing your battery would not be the solution, you would either need a RR unit with a good diode or else do what my cure is, pulling the RR fuse when left for more than a day, and then eventually adding the battery cutoff switch to isolate the battery when parked.

 

[Trad]

Any updates on replacement RR unit appreciated. I too have replaced a battery, and am reluctant to run a battery tender continuously (volunteer firie who’s seen what can happen when these things go awry…) and just not wanting the dramas of fuse pulling etc and having to put up with the compass doing it’s CA flashy thing, aah it’s good to have something to grumble about

 

[caferider48]

You could install a battery cut off switch so you don't have to remove the screw. It will also be a good theft deterrent. Some interesting choices here. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=motorcycle+battery+cut+off+switch&crid=TVBYB2YZHZ7B&sprefix=motorcycle+battery+cut,aps,160&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_22

I purchased on of these Chinese disconnects. Pretty much unreliable, poorly designed. I was going to use it as a design idea and maybe see if I could fabricate my own better qulaity one, custom for the Himalayan.

 

[caferider48]

Any updates on replacement RR unit appreciated. I too have replaced a battery, and am reluctant to run a battery tender continuously (volunteer firie who’s seen what can happen when these things go awry…) and just not wanting the dramas of fuse pulling etc and having to put up with the compass doing it’s CA flashy thing, aah it’s good to have something to grumble about

I contacted Rick's Motorsports to see if they could design a replacement unit, but they need a donor unit to reverse engineer the connectors etc. I've used their products before on cafe builds successfully. You can see their product line at:

Aftermarket Motorsport Parts & Kits Superstore - Charging, Starting, Ignition

Aftermarket Motorsport Electrics parts for motorcycles, dirtbikes, atvs, motosport vehicles manufactured and distributed by Rick's Motorsport Electrics

ricksmotorsportelectrics.com

 

[caferider48]

another video on how to test your RR unit. If anyone has a spare bad RR from a Himalayan I imagine they could diagnose and solve the problem

 

[caferider48]

Anybody here in Australia who knows of, has used or can obtain one of these? Seems a good choice to the battery drain issue:

DPS0165 ANBI Switch Motorcycle | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DPS0165 ANBI Switch Motorcycle at the best online prices at eBay!

www.ebay.com.au

 

[petespace1]

Anybody here in Australia who knows of, has used or can obtain one of these? Seems a good choice to the battery drain issue:

DPS0165 ANBI Switch Motorcycle | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DPS0165 ANBI Switch Motorcycle at the best online prices at eBay!

www.ebay.com.au

My worry is that the date and the compass will have to be reset every ride.
For some it’s not a problem, but for me it is.
So I was wondering ; if the rectifier is the problem for the drain can a switch be fitted to the rectifier positive wire?
PS isolator switches in Oz - Repco/ Auto One/ Auto Barn/ Supercheap Auto ?

 

[caferider48]

My worry is that the date and the compass will have to be reset every ride.
For some it’s not a problem, but for me it is.
So I was wondering ; if the rectifier is the problem for the drain can a switch be fitted to the rectifier positive wire?
PS isolator switches in Oz - Repco/ Auto One/ Auto Barn/ Supercheap Auto ?

I suppose any location between the F1 fuse and the RR unit would be the same as pulling the fuse to isolate the unit and prevent drain