[Jabroni]

Recently had to move so we put my F3 RC in storage for about 9 months.

I was not able to get power to the trickle charger to keep the battery topped off. Once a month I'd go to storage to start it up to give the battery a kick. But unfortunately it has gone dead. I feel horrible, my beauty deserves better treatment than this.

Questions...

Is the battery ruined?

Or does it just need to be recharged?

Thanks.

 

[Edward]

Prob dead... replace.
Next time remove the battery and take it home to maintain. Shit happens. No worries.

 

[Jabroni]

Prob dead... replace.
Next time remove the battery and take it home to maintain. Shit happens. No worries.

I was told by my dealer that these batteries are tough to get to. Thus why they steered me away from ordering the OEM Li-Po?

Guess I'm getting one now!

 

[silentservice703]

I was told by my dealer that these batteries are tough to get to. Thus why they steered me away from ordering the OEM Li-Po?

Guess Im getting one now!

"These Batteries" are a standard YTZ 10S battery. Were I replacing mine, I would use a Yuasa AGM battery as they live on their side with the negative terminal forward.

A far as "tough to get to"...the battery lives under the fuel tank, so some disassembly is required; nothing that can't be done with simple tools in under an hour for a novice.

I also do not believe the OEM battery is LiPO...it is a junk BS brand lead-acid battery with a short lifetime and little tolerance for mishandling.

 

[esq'z me]

On another note..... periodically starting your bike to give the battery a "kick" was actually harmful. Every time you hit that starter button you took more energy out of the battery then could be replaced with less than a 30 or 40 minute ride.

That periodic starter "drain" slowly diminished the battery's state of charge and accelerated the sulfation that has now ruined it.

You might get lucky, using a de-sulfating type charger (think NOCO Genius 1100 or Optimate Pro4 type).....but not likely it will live much longer if it does come back to life at all.

 

[jdgun]

Sucks to here the battery went tits up. But like others mentioned, if you are not riding it, or have it on a charger, then disconnect the battery is the best option. With the standard BS battery dead, you have some way better options to consider for the bike. I have been a Shorai user for the last 11 years and they have never disappointed in performance. On my F3 I went with the ballistic, as 320 cca is some good torque to spin her up and hopefully prevent the dreaded sprag failure.

 

[Edward]

Sucks to here the battery went tits up. But like others mentioned, if you are not riding it, or have it on a charger, then disconnect the battery is the best option. With the standard BS battery dead, you have some way better options to consider for the bike. I have been a Shorai user for the last 11 years and they have never disappointed in performance. On my F3 I went with the ballistic, as 320 cca is some good torque to spin her up and hopefully prevent the dreaded sprag failure.

No electric, no maintenance, no matter battery type. --Shorai may have a good shelf life but why risk when removal/maintenance is proper.

 

[Jabroni]

I also do not believe the OEM battery is LiPO

MV sells a lightweight LiPo battery from their parts catalog as an upgrade. That's what I meant.

 

[SneakyOwl]

MV sells a lightweight LiPo battery from their parts catalog as an upgrade. That's what I meant.

I think that's the one installed in RC models, considering how they magically weigh less than the default F3s without much specification to why. I got a charger included with the new bike and instructions from the dealer to charge it via the connector under the rear seat cowl whenever I would not use the bike for some weeks.

 

[Jabroni]

I think that's the one installed in RC models, considering how they magically weigh less than the default F3s without much specification to why. I got a charger included with the new bike and instructions from the dealer to charge it via the connector under the rear seat cowl whenever I would not use the bike for some weeks.

Since yours is a 2018, they might've upgraded them to come with the LiPo's.

My model year did not. I had it confirmed today by my dealer. The dealer also strongly advised me against getting the LiPo battery from MV as the person I spoke too has had a lot of issues with LiPo batteries. I tried asking if he'd actually ever used the MV branded LiPo battery and I didnt really get a straight answer.

Im not convinced MV would sell a LiPo battery as stock in their current RC's if it was trash.

My next question would be if the supplied charger that came with my MV would work with the LiPo battery?

 

[esq'z me]

My next question would be if the supplied charger that came with my MV would work with the LiPo battery?

Not very well..... Needs a different voltage/amperage scheme than a lead acid battery. If you invest in a LiPo battery you should invest in the proper charger for it.

Dedicated LiPo chargers usually have cell balancing capability and plug into a port on the battery, not just across the terminals. At least the better batteries and their chargers do.

 

[Jabroni]

Not very well..... Needs a different voltage/amperage scheme than a lead acid battery. If you invest in a LiPo battery you should invest in the proper charger for it.

Dedicated LiPo chargers usually have cell balancing capability and plug into a port on the battery, not just across the terminals. At least the better batteries and their chargers do.

Hmmmm, thanks for that.

I guess I'll just put another stock battery in.

 

[GeorgeO]

You might be able to save your current battery if you use a charger that has a 'saving an old drained battery' mode.

If you have to store your bike again, please just remove the fuse at the fuse box junction (on the rh side of your bike just below the tank covered by small black plastic cover). This is easy to get to and will disconnect the battery so no drain can take place.

You should choose a lithium battery if the advantages outweigh the negatives. It has less weight and discharges less over time (if disconnected) than a normal agm, but is more expensive and requires a specific charger. If you totally discharge it you throw it away, whereas an agm you can still save. You need to 'warm up' a lithium battery in very cold conditions (sub 5 degrees) in order to get sufficient crank capacity. (i put my oxford heated grips on for 5 minutes since a lithium warms up due to the chemical reactions inside. drawing current heats it up internally leading to a higher current capacity )

The big advantage in terms of an MV is to do with the sprag clutch. For the same battery size, you can get a higher 'crank capacity' battery (the amps the battery can supply to turn the starter) than an agm. This is beneficial to help reduce the wear on the sprag clutch when starting. (also conversely if your lithium battery is cold and you try starting it you will do more harm)