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  • #1

    battery question....

    pulled the battery out of the basement.....was going 2 check the fluid in the cells and all were very low..there is fluid in the battery, but it is below the inner core (lead).....there is no signs of leaking, and it was stored on a nice dry wood shelf....was wondering if i should add battery acid or distilled water or just head down 2 the Zone and spend the $80 for a new one....have had it a couple of seasons, but has been stored properly.....also should i have the battery on the charger in this condition....i pray the xs11 gods smile upon me and grant me wisdom....thanx in advance...ross
    rebel devil
    1979 xs 1100f standard
    authenic historical vehicle
    42°36'23.52"N, 82°52'44.78"W
    "I'M IN MY HAPPY PLACE"
    "i got 14 jobs mon....you only got 1 job....you lazy bones mon"
    "if you don't wrench on it, get behind me satan!"
    '96 venture cct.....installed!
    stainless, braided, pvc coated brake lines
    i can translate...deustch, nederlands, 汉语, 漢語, français, ελληνικά, italiano, 한국어, português, русско, español and most importantly, 日本語....
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  • #2
    Hi Ross,
    Fluid level should be checked with the battery fully charged as the charging process "makes' water. Having said that the plates should be covered before charging... a delicate balance. ONLY ADD distilled water. Good luck it may be fine. If not they will still have a battery at the store when you need it.
    Maxim Phil
    1981 XS1100 H Venturer ( Addie)
    1983 XJ 650 Maxim
    2004 Kawasaki Concours. ( Black Bear)

    Comment

    • #3
      ??? No need in spending money needlessly. Put some distilled water in it and throw a trickle charge on it for a good day and then try it. That liquid gets "boiled" away during recharging as you ride and goes out the vent tube. You should glance at it at least once a month while riding it. (You might want to pull over first!)


      Tod


      Sorry.. Phil beat me to it. lol
      Try your hardest to be the kind of person your dog thinks you are.

      You can live to be 100, as long as you give up everything that would make you want to live to be 100!

      Current bikes:
      '06 Suzuki DR650
      *'82 XJ1100 with the 1179 kit. "Mad Maxim"
      '82 XJ1100 Completely stock fixer-upper
      '82 XJ1100 Bagger fixer-upper
      '82 XJ1100 Motor/frame and lots of boxes of parts
      '82 XJ1100 Parts bike
      '81 XS1100 Special
      '81 YZ250
      '80 XS850 Special
      '80 XR100
      *Crashed/Totalled, still own

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      • #4
        I like to top off the cells with distilled water as you suggest, then give it a nice long, slow overnight charge ... if you don't have a load tester to check it with, put it in the scooter and see if it starts ... needs 10.4 volts cranking to light up the TCI. WallyWorld had the battery for less than fifty bucks last summer, if you're fortunate enough to have one in your town, you may be able to save some scratch there, if need be.
        80G Mini-bagger
        VM33 Smooth bores, Pods, 4/1 Supertrapp, SS brake lines, fork brace

        Past XS11s

        79F Stone stocker and former daily driver, sold May '10 now converting for N.O. to cafe style
        79SF eventually dismantled for parts
        79F Bought almost new in 80, sold for a house
        79F The Ernie bike sold to a Navy dude summer 08
        79SF Squared-off Special, Vetter/Bates tour pkg., Mikes XS coils, G rear fender and tail light. Sold June 09

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        • #5
          "I need to make water, Miss Daisy."

          "Charging makes water...."
          The service cycle of a battery, due to electrolysis and the transfer of charge from plate to plate separates the oxygen and hydrogen...I mean, makes the water dissappear.
          Refill batteries with distilled water as the original acid is still in there.
          Motorcycle batteries are only good for a few seasons anyway, due to how they're made and the heat and vibration they are subject to.
          It's said that regular tap water shouldn't be used, due to the minerals that may be present which will 'clog' the plates. But then again, due to the actual low mineral content of tap water and the amount of time involved to actually cause such damage, the battery will be well past it's usable service life by that time anyway, so the type of water you use really doesn't matter.
          That being said... I always use.... distilled water.
          "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor, not a mechanic!' ('Bones' McCoy)

          Comment

          • #6
            if you find you need a battery after all said and done i picked mine up at wal-mart for about $30 that was a couple seasons ago and still holdin strong
            when in doubt...get a bigger hammer
            '78 XS11e, '79 XS11sf,'81 Mazda RX7, '83 XJ650lj Turbo, '95 Ford F150, '93 Chevy K2500, '04 Honda Pilot,
            '89 Arctic Cat Wildcat, '89 Arctic Cat El Tigre 530, '81 Arctic Cat Trailcat 340, '79 john deere trailfire 440,
            '78 Cadillac Seville
            Don't steal the government hates competition

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            • #7
              Free distilled water in every home!

              Hi Ross,
              as has been said, top it up with distilled water and shove it on the charger for a day. Most likely the battery will recover but if not you at least know that you really DID need a new battery.
              BTW, the bottled water that yuppies drink AIN'T distilled unless it actually says "distilled" on the label. But wait! You have some at home! The frost on the walls of your deepfreeze is frozen atmospheric condensate and has no mineral content at all. Go scrape it into a glass jug and melt it in the microwave to get free distilled water.
              Fred Hill, S'toon
              XS11SG with Spirit of America sidecar
              "The Flying Pumpkin"

              Comment

              • #8
                The frost on the walls of your deepfreeze is frozen atmospheric condensate and has no

                I always wondered where they got that stuff .... thx, Fred, ... gonna' start collectin' my own right away so I'll have it ready when the time comes
                80G Mini-bagger
                VM33 Smooth bores, Pods, 4/1 Supertrapp, SS brake lines, fork brace

                Past XS11s

                79F Stone stocker and former daily driver, sold May '10 now converting for N.O. to cafe style
                79SF eventually dismantled for parts
                79F Bought almost new in 80, sold for a house
                79F The Ernie bike sold to a Navy dude summer 08
                79SF Squared-off Special, Vetter/Bates tour pkg., Mikes XS coils, G rear fender and tail light. Sold June 09

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Free distilled water in every home!

                  Originally posted by fredintoon
                  frozen atmospheric condensate
                  Hey, I've still got a whole yard full of frozen atmospheric condensate. In fact, it has been condensating just a little bit again this morning. Maybe I should pick up a scoop or two to put in the freezer till summer comes, and I'll have some for servicing my batteries. Why didn't I ever think of this before!
                  Ken Talbot

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