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MV battery charger

12K views 29 replies 10 participants last post by  jdgun 
#1 ·
Hello to everyone, I am new to the MV brand & have been doing some research & reading up on the B3. So the previous owner sent me the charger that MV provides with the bike. Plugged it in & all I get is a solid red light... instructions with the tender say it's a bad battery. The bike starts ok & seems to turn over on too. I ran my multimeter into the battery plug connector & it came up with 12.5v
My question is, is my stock battery almost done or on it's way out? Or has anyone else had this from their 'MV' battery charger/tender?
I've read that the stock battery is pretty crappy, but it also seems like quite a pain in the ass to get to etc...
Any help, feedback appreciated, thanks
Cheers Rob
 
#2 ·
You should be running around 13.2 VDC after you pull it off the charger, the reading will differ slightly but if you have had the battery on the charger or you have been riding it regularly that's what you should be looking for. I haven't heard great things about the MV charger but it is a pretty basic piece of equipment so it really should last at least several years. If you still have the stock battery you should replace it, it really isn't that difficult and there's about a million threads on this forum that can help you through it and explain why it should be replaced.

What year is your bike?
 
#3 ·
There are so many things going on here, let's start with the easiest to fix: go to USER CP and at least put the Continent on which you sit, then ad the model and year ob ike to your signature. Advice will be more tailored to your situation with basic information.

Your battery is toast. Replace it with a quality unit.

Getting to your battery and replacing it will be less of a "pain in the ass" than getting stranded.:wink2:

The manuals are available here: Team Double 3 Racing | MV Agusta

Please learn how the ADVANCED SEARCH function works. It is not perfect, but you will learn a lot sifting through the detritus. Simple reading through the myriad threads on the BATTERY subject will be an education.:nerd2:
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the reply guys, I'm in South Central Pennsylvania USA, bike is new to me '15 Brutale 800RR
I've already downloaded all the manuals & been through them. I just wanted to see if anyone else had this problem that's all.
I'll probably go the route of replacing the battery with a lithium one & then ditching the MV euro cable for a standard SAE pigtail.
I'm good mechanically, do removing the tank etc... should be ok. Although I'm never to proud or stubborn enough to ask for help, tips & good advice from those that are used to the brand. Just by tinkering I'm already getting a good feel for the MV.
Cheers Rob
 
#5 ·
My 910R went 8 years on the original battery. It stays plugged in to the supplied MV charger when not being ridden (which is more of the time than I like, but what can I say?).

That original battery sits on my work bench as a voltage supply for test purposes as it still holds a 12+ volt charge. I replaced it because it just didn't want to start the bike when I installed a Microtec ECU ... engine cranked over fine, just didn't have enough reserve voltage to start.

My point here is that the MV supplied charger is just fine. Nothing wrong with it at all. My other bikes live on a variety of Optimate and NOCO Genius smart chargers, since they didn't come with chargers from the manufacturer.

Buy a Yuasa battery. You get what you pay for.
 
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#6 ·
Thanks for the reply...I have two other trickle/tenders/chargers, but they have sae connectors.
Since the PO gave me the 'MV' charger I decided to plug it in....the thing that concerns me is that the red light on the charger stays lit...the one with the "!" symbol....& supplied instructions say this means bad battery. Even though my battery is at 12.5v (which I realize is low) I would have thought the light on the charger would have switched over to green after a while...but after leaving it hooked up for at least an hour, it still shows the red light. I might first try to get a Tecmate pigtail that can convert my euro MV connection to sae, that way I can try charge it using one of my other trickle chargers.
 
#7 ·
Leave it overnight and see if it goes green. It takes time to fully charge a battery. This is not an automotive type "Quick" charger. Those are not good for motorcycle batteries.
 
#8 ·
Wake up guys:


RED LIGHT FLASHING – The red light flashing indicates that the
battery charger has AC power available and that the
microprocessor is functioning properly. If the red light continues to
flash, then either the battery voltage is too low (less than 3 volts) or
the output alligator clips or ring terminals are not connected
correctly.
 RED LIGHT ON STEADY – Whenever the red light is on steady, a
battery is connected properly and the charger is charging the
battery. The red light will remain on until the charger completes the
charging stage.

 GREEN LIGHT FLASHING –When the green light is flashing, the
battery is greater than 80% charged and may be removed from the
charger and used if necessary. Whenever possible, leave the
battery on charge until the green light is solid.
 GREEN LIGHT ON STEADY –When the green light burns steady,
the charge is complete and the battery can be returned to service if
necessary. It can also stay connected to maintain the battery for an
indefinite period of time
 
#9 ·
Wake up guys:


RED LIGHT FLASHING – The red light flashing indicates that the
battery charger has AC power available and that the
microprocessor is functioning properly. If the red light continues to
flash, then either the battery voltage is too low (less than 3 volts) or
the output alligator clips or ring terminals are not connected
correctly.
? RED LIGHT ON STEADY – Whenever the red light is on steady, a
battery is connected properly and the charger is charging the
battery. The red light will remain on until the charger completes the
charging stage.

? GREEN LIGHT FLASHING –When the green light is flashing, the
battery is greater than 80% charged and may be removed from the
charger and used if necessary. Whenever possible, leave the
battery on charge until the green light is solid.
? GREEN LIGHT ON STEADY –When the green light burns steady,
the charge is complete and the battery can be returned to service if
necessary. It can also stay connected to maintain the battery for an
indefinite period of time
Hey chill out man!

I'm just asking questions here...& I'm wide awake.

The red light stays lit....Not flashing, so I was merely going by the manufacturer's instructions on what that meant.
 
#11 ·
the thing that concerns me is that the red light on the charger stays lit...the one with the "!" symbol....& supplied instructions say this means bad battery. Even though my battery is at 12.5v (which I realize is low) I would have thought the light on the charger would have switched over to green after a while...but after leaving it hooked up for at least an hour, it still shows the red light
It can take up to 16 hrs to get your battery fully charged, 1 hr is too short to determine the status of your battery. Patiance required !
 
#12 ·
Regardless of the state of charge of the battery supplied in the 800...if it is the stock BS battery, it is just that...BS.
 
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#14 ·
What's the verdict?
 
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#15 ·
So I left it on charge overnight...about 14hrs...red light was still lit this morning at 10:30am. Met some buddies & went riding...started ok during the day. Back home & back on charge...I'll see what the charger tells me in the morning... won't be surprised if I need a new battery...will report back tomorrow, cheers
 
#16 ·
Just ride the bike until it won't start than charge the battery, if fails-your bike will not start, if you start your bike without any problem than keep using it until your battery does not start the bike and buy a new one.

Red- no good
Green-good
start- good
doesn't start- no good

Enjoy the ride.
 
#17 ·
not sure what to do with the stock charger and the when the bike showed up there was no connectors with it, and the one which would normally be hooked up to the battery was not present either.

if the battery ahs been working fine for you, and I would not worry about it to much.. For my F3 800 I know the difference between the stock BS battery and ballistic 360cca is huge when starting the bike.
 
#18 ·
Update..I got a Tecmate (Optimate) pigtail connector which turns the MV euro style plug into an SAE type. Stuck it on my battery tender Jr & it seems to be charging fine now. Guess we'll see how it goes...at least the stock battery still seems to have some life left in it.
Cheers Rob
 
#19 ·
After a battery that is as shoddy as the original is discharged to that point, recovery is difficult.

If it were a quality battery to start with, you might have better luck.

You need a smart charger with diagnostic and recovery modes to bolster your chances.

I would simply replace the battery with a quality unit from yuasa and be done with it.
 
#20 ·
My BS battery last for 6+ years and still going strong. To me it is a very good Battery

Receipt: Keep it on the [batterytender] charger to avoid the critical "deep-cycles".
 
#21 ·
my BS only 4 month usage....bike always plugged in on MV supplied charger when in garage
bought the bike at july 2017
end of November the bike cant be start
new yuasa battery now and use optimate 4 charger now.... it start faster and stronger than the BS
just sharing
 
#22 ·
I actually got the same Yuasa battery as you but used the battery charger from the factory.
My battery is dead within 2 weeks. Coudnt start the bike.

So not sure if battery uses alot when not active and not on charger.
Or if the factory battery charger is just awful in filling the battery.

Now after every ride I connect the battery to the charger. No problems at all and quick start ups, even in cold weather.
 
#24 ·
Factory battery charger is a "smart tender" (not a "smart charger") that is fine for all lead acid batteries. Not so good for Lithium batteries. Those really need their dedicated type for best performance/life.
 
#27 ·
Both Optimate 4 & Batterytender Junior[MV] are perfect for maintaining your Yuasa, or any other standard / AGM / Gel battery, The Lithium batteries need their own dedicated type of charger.

I always hook it up the charger if the bike is not used for 5 days or more to avoid deep cycles.
 
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#29 ·
Spot-on !

A "de-sulfating" charger is required. A low initial current but high voltage charge that modifies as battery internal resistance changes. Optimate and Genius chargers, among others, do this.
Just a note, the default "MV" charger[Battery Tender junior 800] belongs among this group of intelligent chargers!
 

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