Weird battery issue

Ok, long story but I'll try and be as detailed as possible. Couple days ago I bought a 77 KZ650B. A little rough but not horrible. Test rode it using a battery the guy had in his garage because he didn't want to replace it when selling it to me so cheap. Yeah, I got it THAT cheap. Bike started normally and ran well. I turned it off and on a few times and gave it the third degree. The only electrical issue I could find was a bad flasher relay. Trailer it home and go to wally world to get a battery (10LA2). It's my only option around here so don't get snobby. I was meticulous with the battery prep. I hit the acid levels dead on, let it sit an hour, gentle rocking, sit then a three hour charge on my 2amp Craftsman charger. After the charging I let it rest a few hours. Thing is, when I checked it after a few hours, the amp meter on the charger read zero. Thinking it was done (I never used the 2amp setting before), I shrugged it off.

Kids all around...Daddy sold his Vmax just after they were born so this is a grand re-birth....and nada. No dash lights, No turn signals, no hazards, no headlight, no start (it's kick start only...starter on order) no spark on a pulled plug...NADA..except one thing. The horn didn't work at the last inspection so the guy direct wired to the battery the horn with a little push button switch..and that worked!

Off I go back to walmart and after some debate about an exchange...get this. The batteries are warranted for defects only if you don't put the acid in them. This, luckily, was told to me after the woman in front on me returned a 3/4 eaten birthday cake without a receipt because she didn't like it after-all. That bolstered my case just a little bit. New battery in hand...same routine except I use a neighbors charger at 2AMP just in case mine is bad. Long story longer...same issue. Horn only...nada else. I tried the last-resort trick of jumping the battery with the car off. Spark when I tapped the jumpers together and no spark when I connected to the KZ battery. I should also note that there was never any spark connecting the ground to the battery on either batteries.
I'm just finding it hard to believe that I got two bad batteries in a row and I really would appreciate a fresh set of eyes on this. My neighbor the Audi mechanic has no clue because the system is too simple and accessible to work on.

You really gotta see the look on a 11 year old girl's face while she stands there helmet in hand and Daddy who can fix anything starts inventing new combinations of swear words.

Thanks!

..and by fix anything, I meant that as in her eyes...I took two hours with just a dryer belt this morning.

2 amps is a "trickle charge" to be used only after a battery is fully charged to maintain full charge.Put the new battery on ur charger at 10 amps and let it charge for 24 hours and then see what u got.bj

A little information lacking... despite thet length.

The wallyworld batteries are fine - I've used them before for many years - they just dont last as long.

What is the voltage of the battery after sitting an hour? A properly charged lead acid (12V) batt should be sitting at 12.6 - 12.8 Volts after a couple hours sitting - less is posibly bad or not charged long enough - doesnt the instructions say like 8 hour inital charge?

Check all the fuses you may have blown... , replace them anyways - as the old glass fuses suck balls.

Ignition switch in correct "run" position?

Make absolutely certain that the ground wires are connected very well. To the batter and the engine case - nice and clean and tight - there may also be another ground that was for frame or wiring harness that fell down and your not connecting back up...

Good luck!

hocbj23 wrote: 2 amps is a "trickle charge" to be used only after a battery is fully charged to maintain full charge.Put the new battery on ur charger at 10 amps and let it charge for 24 hours and then see what u got.bj

Do not do this. Sorry BJ, but that will @#%$ a cheap little powersport battery by killing its lifespan considerably. Stick with a 2 amp or less charge ALWAYS for every occasion - 1 amp is better, and a good automatic batter maintainer/charger designed for powersports is best.

It says this in the directions that came with the battery.

PEACE.

hocbj23 wrote: 2 amps is a "trickle charge" to be used only after a battery is fully charged to maintain full charge.Put the new battery on ur charger at 10 amps and let it charge for 24 hours and then see what u got.bj

DO NOT DO THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't care what anyone tells you, this will destroy the battery!

Look at the instructions for charging a new motorcyhcle battery. It's LOW amperage for relatively short periods until fully charged. If you have a Sears near you I suggest you get a Diehard and follow the charging instructions. I use a 1 amp charger for roughly 1 hour on / 1hour off until charged. Ed

That was the reason for using the 2AMP setting but at this point, I'm going sealed battery shopping on my next trip out of town. the box said 1-3 hours and I did that and more with no action on the box's amp meter.

Ok weirder. After the first reply I hitched it up to 10amps ( outside, I'm allergic to hydrogen) then came back in, and saw the other replies and sprinted back out and switched it to 2amp. Now it's showing an amp rise on the box!

Yes, I see a sears in my future.

gsnfl wrote: That was the reason for using the 2AMP setting but at this point, I'm going sealed battery shopping on my next trip out of town. the box said 1-3 hours and I did that and more with no action on the box's amp meter.

"Box's amp meter" - assume you're using a load tester? If its one designed for a car, the load isnt correct - and will likely not show anything.

Measure the voltage.

Ahhhhhh. I never thought about the load not showing. I'll get my volt meter back in the morning and go from there.

Thank You!

OK - now I get it - you mean the charger when you say box!

DONT rely on a charger for the amp information from the battery - its useless and meant for a hell-o lot more amps.

Just charge it as per instructions and trust it. Check the voltage and I'm sure it will be fine.

Your problem lies elsewhere - not the battery.

Here's some documnetation from Yuasa - probably the biggest bike battery supplier in the world. Notice that on Page 12 it states:

4. A battery must be completely charged before
installation. Charge for three to five hours at the current
equivalent of 1/10 of its rated capacity found in the
Yuasa Applications Book.

So for a 10 amp bike battery that's charging on a 1 amp charger for 3 - 5 hours. Elsewhere in the instructions it mentions if the battery begins to get hot take it off the charger and let it cool before continuing. Ed

www.yuasabatteries.com/pdfs/TechManual_2009.pdf