Author |
Message |
Seanp
| Posted on Thursday, November 27, 2008 - 10:30 pm: |
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I was going to ride from Tallahassee to Fort Myers for Turkey Day this morning, and did all of my preflight inspections yesterday evening. Gassed up, checked tire pressure, oil, set the suspension for me and full bags, etc. Went out to the garage early this morning, turned the key, and hit the starter. The engine tried to move, then just stopped and made this horrible clicking noise. I tried it again, same result. I checked the board here, and from what I found in my searches it's a dead battery. I was kind of expecting it, as I tend to ride it more on short trips lately, and that's not good for the battery. And for the past month or two it's been hesitating when I start it. I just hoped it would last another month or two. It sucked to have to drive my truck instead of riding, but hey, at least I can pick up a new battery Saturday on my way home. Hopefully - is a Uly battery something that most dealers stock? |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Thursday, November 27, 2008 - 10:34 pm: |
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XB batteries are pretty standard, shouldn't be a problem. |
Froggy
| Posted on Thursday, November 27, 2008 - 10:39 pm: |
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Yes you shouldn't have an issue getting one. Also, the clicking sound is awesome, next time use your finger and point it like a gun, and pretend its a machine gun when pressing the starter button |
Xbimmer
| Posted on Friday, November 28, 2008 - 11:49 am: |
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My original battery did pretty well, over two years and almost 50k, through winter riding with heated gear and aux lighting, and a stator/VR failure. Finally died a couple months ago and when I found out the stocker was now up to $100 I started shopping. I settled on this one, they're sold under different brand names but all made by East Penn/Deka:
USA made, $75 at a local auto parts supply, perfect fit and best of all the extra threads in the terminals so I can separate my accessories leads from the starter cables.
You can use the distributor locater here: http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/default.aspx?pageid=843 ... and call them to find a local store for you, that's what I did. ETX-14 is what you're after. |
Etennuly
| Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 12:06 am: |
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I concur with Xbimmer's find. Advanced Glass Mat technology seems to be the ticket. Found mine at an O'Reilly parts store, $74.00. Works better than the original one ever did. |
Seanp
| Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 12:11 am: |
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I called Gainesville Buell and they'll give me the BadWeb discount, so I'm going to stop there tomorrow. It's not much more than the ETX-14 you guys posted, $85 instead of $74. They have one all charged and ready to go. Froggy - when it happened I was all suited up and had the bike packed, ready to go. I was not in a happy mood... Maybe when I get back I'll do that before I change the battery out. |
Froggy
| Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 12:28 am: |
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You guys should see the battery I am getting, its gonna set me back $300, but it will be worth it! Thread too follow Seanp, be glad it didn't happen on the road. I was with Marty and Bill from CT and Bill's battery died while riding. He discovered the machine gun thing while waiting for the rescue truck with battery. If I remember right, he got something from auto zone, as that was the only place open Sunday late afternoon. |
Seanp
| Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 12:37 am: |
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Yeah, I was thinking about jumping it off of my other bike, but then I figured it would suck to get stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere, on Thanksgiving morning, trying to find a replacement battery... A $300 battery??? Does it work wirelessly from your house, to lessen the weight on the bike? Does it add horsepower to the engine? Does it do your laundry and dishes? |
Froggy
| Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 01:03 am: |
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It weighs 2 lbs, is the size of a cell phone, and if I really wanted to go nuts with reducing rotational mass, I can remove the stator and run it for an hour. |
Ulynut
| Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 10:07 am: |
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Yeah, I remember 2 LB. cell phones. |
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