Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

All to do with wiring, charging or just trying to figure out whats gone wrong.

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Ramjam
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Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

Post by Ramjam »

...but is it enough for gt380 coils to start the bike?

My battery will not hold a decent charge, but after restoring it with products and de-sludging it, i have improved it a bit. But it will only stabilize at around 11.9v as one of the cells is more or less dead.

In this part of the world, i can't get the same size model. I've looked but that size is a bit special and non-chinese batteries are around 50 USD

But do i need to buy one? If 11,9v is enough for the coils...?

thanks for your advice

mj
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Re: Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

Post by GT750Battleship »

8) Hi,I've found over the years that two stroke bikes & their electrical systems really need a healthy 12 volt battery to run at their best....once a battery starts to "die" always best to replace it or check out why it's not holding a charge/or not being charged by the alternator! Or look for another electrical fault in the system ? :cry: PS It would be good if you battery showed something close to 13 volts ?
Cheers,
GT750Battleship.
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Alan H
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Re: Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

Post by Alan H »

Sorry RamJam, it's knackered. Nothing that a new one won't sort out.
Think of how stupid the average person is, then realise that half of them are more stupid than that.
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jabcb
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Re: Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

Post by jabcb »

Don't let the "made in China" label scare you off.
I have been using AGM batteries made in China for a few years and haven't had any problems.

If there is any particular brand/model battery that you are considering, then let us know & post a link if you have one.
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pearljam724
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Re: Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

Post by pearljam724 »

Agree with GT750battleship. These bikes insist on having a battery producing its full power potential due to the other electrical components. Unlike modern bikes, they suffer in all aspects if the battery is not producing full output. Engine performance included. Even if the bike is running ok. But, the battery is slightly underpowered. Other things like idle, lamps, signals, coils, etc. will be effected. Making one think something else is wrong. Learned my lesson after a couple of times that anytime they aren't running or functioning properly. You have to properly test the battery, first. It's often the culprit. The complete electrical system on these bikes are extremely simple to diagnose and fix. But, the battery has to be up to par first. Anyone looking for a 750 sealed battery. I highly recommend this one. Very reasonably priced, a lot more cranking power and fits the battery box like a glove. Not sure if they make one for the lower CC models ? My restored 750 is running so well, it hardly needs choked and needs no warm up time. Fires up and idles after I immediately close the choke. As if it had been running within the last few minutes. No matter how long in between starts. http://www.ebay.com/itm/YTX14AHL-BS-Mot ... f6&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Ramjam
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Re: Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

Post by Ramjam »

thanks for all your comments. The point about China batteries is that here in lebanon they have a terrible reputation but that might be becuase people here generally dont check their battery levels ever and myaybe the chinese ones 'boil' a bit so lose a tiny bit of water every few months.

Yes i also take the point about checking the system, but really, i have identified one dead cell in the battery which is an original one.

BUt im grateful for the poiints about getting the battery delivering correctly for the running. I wouldnt have thought it was so important for such a basic engine. And on mine, i have yanked out the original points and replaced them with the Newtronics electronic ignition system.

But i'll keep you posted if i find a battery which fits as i have also noticed that this size - here in Lebanon - is not at all common.

I think the link that Pearl Jam put up was not appropriate for a gt380. There is no cranking involved dont forget so you dont need anywhere near that power. The original battery was only 4AH. (I think he's thinking of the gt550).

thnaks so much
mj in beirut
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Re: Battery only holds a stable 11.9 volts...

Post by CBWELLS »

The trouble with a dead cell in a battery is that it gives a "double-whammy" to the circuit it is in. First and obviously, it's not contributing its share of voltage which makes everything work poorly to start with. Secondly, (& not so obvious) that dead cell is still in the circuit & becomes part of the total LOAD that the rest of the battery is trying to support. So while you may measure 11.9V with the battery at rest, that will drop significantly & proportionately as current is delivered to the circuit.

Here's a web link that has virtually everything you ever wanted to know about batteries.... all kinds of batteries, and a couple of tons of other very useful techy type info about many aspects of electrical technologies: http://mpoweruk.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Once on the site, scroll down about a page & look for the blue index on the left side of the screen. Many, many good articles there. If you want to search for a word, use CTRL-F in your browser. It will open a dialogue box at the top of the page where you can enter the word (ie. LEAD) and it will highlight the next occurrance of that word.

These are general knowledge articles, but they go to a good depth and are well written and understandable. Happy Reading!!! :P
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