New to forum/CB650 and my first question!

[JPSmee]

Post cleaning values:

13.1 off
12.5 on
12.5 @ 1000rpm
13.7 @ 3000rpm
14.7 @ 4000rpm

[rich]

Those are good readings. As good as mine after replacing the rotor and stator. I wouldn't suspect that you have any problems with those voltages. Maybe it's just a bad battery or maybe you don't drive it enough at an RPM high enough. It's been known to happen - to low (RPM), to slow. Take it out a ride again when you can (but not too far away from home) keeping the RPM around 4000 and then check your "off" voltage again. It should be the same as what you started with (13.1). I don't know though how long you'd have to ride it to make up for the energy you used to start it.

[Cabreco]

Those are decent readings. The bike won't charge unless it is over 1,700 rpm. That's the breakeven point. Anything below that the headlight drains you.
This is where that Walmart meter comes in handy to get reading on the road.

[JPSmee]

Hrmm . . . I wonder if there are some LEDs I can use to reduce the load on the system.

Anyone ever try that?

[shinyribs]

You can get LED's for every light on the bike.I even stumbled across an LED headlight the other day,though i dont recall much about it.

[sgtslag]

The readings indicate your charging system is working optimally.  The only culprit left, is your 'new' battery, or your riding speed/RPM's, as discussed already.

With regards to your battery's voltage, you have to let it 'rest' once you take it off of the charger, or shut off the key, for around 20 minutes.  The charging is a chemical process, which alters the composition of the spongy lead plates, within the battery's cells.  It needs time to settle down, to give you an accurate reading of how healthy the spongy lead plates are.  After being actively charged, the whole thing will hold a lingering, higher voltage for a while.

You can test the battery's resting voltage, or you can put a load tester on it -- either one will give a fairly decent answer.  The load tester puts a short duration, heavy load on the battery, and checks the output voltage during the test:  too low, and the battery is toast.  It really doesn't answer the question of the original problem, unless the battery was bad out of the box.

When you got the battery, did you connect it to a trickle charger first, or did you install it, and ride?  If it was not fully charged when you installed it, you could have killed it.  This is a common killer of lead-acid batteries:  users don't follow the preparation instructions, and so they cut the life in half, or worse, by using them without fully charging them, first!  Most AGM sellers claim they are fully charged, and ready to install, out of the box, but I recommend trickle charging fully, first, to be safe.  Cheers!

[JPSmee]

I did install it out of the box, thinking that it was fully charged

I left the bike last night set up with the battery installed before heading to bed. When I get home in a few hours I'm going to re-check the charge on the battery to see if my original suspicion (some sort of short in the system draining the battery while off) is in fact the case (although I'm more and more convinced that it isn't).

I wonder if Battery + will take the battery back and replace it? It is still under their 14-day warranty . . .

[Cabreco]

JPSmee wrote

I wonder if Battery + will take the battery back and replace it? It is still under their 14-day warranty . . .

I would definitely take it back & LTK it is not holding a charge. They should honor the 14 day warranty. After that time, if they were going to give you a hard time that's when they would give you every excuse.

[sgtslag]

Just an FYI:  I gave you the very short version of how to prepare a Lead-Acid Battery...  Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions, as working with Acid and Batteries, is actually quite dangerous when done wrong!

AGM's, and Gell Cells, are not the same for charging requirements as Lead-Acid Batteries.  Again, follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to prepare them, as well as how to recharge them.  Gell Cells cannot handle a fast, high-amperage, charge like a Lead-Acid Battery can -- hooking a Gell Cell to a high amperage automotive battery charger (typically supplying 10 Amps charging current, or more), can destroy them.

A smart charger, like the Battery Tender Jr. (designed for small engines, and motorcycles; frequently on sale for around $28 from various sellers), will only push around 0.75 Amps; the regular Battery Tender will push more than 1 Amp, but it is intended more for cars, than motorcycles.  A smart charger (regardless of brand), will have several charging modes, which are microprocessor controlled:  bulk charge to 80%, trickle charge to 100%, then float mode where it monitors the battery's charge, applying charging current, as needed.  All smart chargers are spark-proof, so they won't generate a spark when you clip the leads on (a spark can cause gasoline vapors to explode, if present; it can cause hydrogen gas to explode, if present from the charging process of a Lead-Acid Battery -- hydrogen gas, and oxygen, are released, during the charging process, through the Battery's vent).

A smart charger can be left connected to the Battery for months at a time.  It will charge a Lead-Acid Battery slowly enough so as not to boil off its electrolyte.  Leave a Lead-Acid Battery connected to a 10-Amp automotive charger, and it will boil off its electrolyte within days, to a couple of weeks, at most.  Common practice with smart chargers, is to install a permanent connector to the Battery, with a plug on the end, which connects to the smart charger (they are included with the smart charger, no extra cost, unless you buy extra).  Plug your bike in, after each ride, and the Battery will always be fully charged; this practice will also minimize the sulphation process, which eventually shorts out the cells within the Battery, killing it -- you can double, or even triple, the life of a Lead-Acid Battery by doing this.  Cheers!

[JPSmee]

Update!

Adjusted the idle so it no longer nearly dies when I idle her (phew).

Got the battery replaced. Hooked the new one up to my smart charger, and it said it was already 100%. I left it there for a few hours, to be safe. Installed and took her out for a spin.

Managed to get slightly carried away what with the amazing weather and awesome country back-roads in my area . . . and came home nearly an hour later.

Checked the battery charge, and it was at 100%!!!

To add to the awesome of my day, got my new personalized plate in the mail today:


Now I can work on more superfluous things, like painting and general modification fun.

Oh, and she needs a name! Thoughts?

[Cabreco]

NICE!

Oh btw, what I found during my bikes initial clean up...


Soapy steel wool pads (from the dollar store)


and a tube of Flitz from Taylors Do it Center Flitz Metal Polish 


Total cost $10 Bucks. Works like a charm! If you look at the pix of Fiona she gleems like a gem.

[JPSmee]

I honestly hadn't even thought of the dollar store for bike-related items .

A good cleaning is definitely in order now that I've got all systems functioning.

More shameless pics taken today after my test ride:

[shinyribs]

Very good JPSMEE!!Feels great to ride,doesn't it?I took mine for a little stroll last night.It should be much more comfy when i actually get a seat on her.

All vehicles need a name

[rich]

See - another reason not to discontinue Saturday mail delivery! Otherwise you'd have waited until Monday to get that cool plate.

JPSmee wrote

To add to the awesome of my day, got my new personalized plate in the mail today:

I'm glad you got the battery situation straightened out. It's frustrating when you've got new parts failing out of the box.

[sgtslag]

Fantastic, JPSmee!  Nice looking bike.  Keep it well maintained, and it will give you years of riding pleasure.  Best of luck!  Cheers!