GZ Will Not Start

[JWR]

Bank for the Buck.

OEM

My 2002 has the original battery.

I believe the cheaper batteries are not worth the saving$.

[mrlmd1]

Yausa are great batteries. You can buy them online and shipped to you cheaper than a new battery from a dealer. I think I bought one for about $50-55 online from some battery company in Florida, got it in 2 days. All these batteries, even from any dealer, come dry, you have to fill them with the container of acid that comes with them.
Regardless of what brand you get, they are all AGM batteries in this size, and regardless of what any dealer or anyone else says - be forewarned- THEY MUST BE FULLY CHARGED UP BEFORE INITIAL USE or you can throw them out after starting the bike once or twice. If you don't put them on a charger for a few hours (better overnight if you are using a 1 amp trickle charger), they will have very very little capacity and will never hold a full charge no matter how many times you charge them up after that.

And Kvstrobe - where'd you go? You got some advice on here, you have any followup?

[New GZ250]

Aren't the factory battered sealed, jell type, thus you wouldn't want to buy a battery that you have to add acid and check on occasion, to see if you need to add acid or distilled water to?
:??:

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by New GZ250

Aren't the factory battered sealed, jell type, thus you wouldn't want to buy a battery that you have to add acid and check on occasion, to see if you need to add acid or distilled water to?
:??:

The replacement battery in my bike is unsealed IIRC so I will have to check the level once in a while. You need only distilled water to top it up. Never add extra acid, it is not the component that is used up. Distilled water can be found at a drug store. Regular tap water will mess up the chemical reaction in the battery and shorten it's life. The desolved solids in tap water will coat the inside of the battery and it's assorted parts.

[Kvstrobe]

I'm still here mrlmd1. I have not gotten to check my battery yet. In fact, I have to confess that I don't know how to check a battery and I don't have a way to measure the voltage. My father checked the battery and said it was in good shape. He lives in Atlanta so it will be a while before we look at it again. You guys have been great.

Thanks for all of your help!

[mrlmd1]

New GZ250 ---
The batteries are all shipped dry, to the dealers, to the battery stores, or to you by UPS. Then the container of sulfuric acid that comes with them is put into the cells from the top, then the top is sealed with a plastic strip that is placed over the holes on top of the cells. Then, these batteries MUST BE CHARGED. It is the same for all of the companies that make these batteries that fit our bikes.
They basically are almost maintenance free, you still have to check the fluid level periodically. If the level ever drops after the initial fill, then you add water, never acid again.

Kvstrobe ---
Did you try to jump the bike from a good 12V battery like from a car? Connect the cables + terminal to + terminal, - to - with battery cables and try to start it and see what happens.
If you can't do that, can you see the headlight on or have someone else look at it and hit the start button with the clutch pulled in, the sidestand up and see if the light dims.
How did your father check the battery to say it was in good shape?
To measure the battery voltage you get a cheapo tester or multimeter or voltmeter at any auto parts store or Harbor Freight or Radio Shack or Walmart or similar store, turn it on and touch the + and - battery terminals with the probes and read what it says, before and during hitting the start button. You may need someone else to help you do this because you only have two hands. It's not very difficult, and you should have one of these anyway, only costs a few dollars.
That will tell you a lot about what's happening.

[New GZ250]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

New GZ250 ---
The batteries are all shipped dry, to the dealers, to the battery stores, or to you by UPS. Then the container of sulfuric acid that comes with them is put into the cells from the top, then the top is sealed with a plastic strip that is placed over the holes on top of the cells. Then, these batteries MUST BE CHARGED. It is the same for all of the companies that make these batteries that fit our bikes.
They basically are almost maintenance free, you still have to check the fluid level periodically. If the level ever drops after the initial fill, then you add water, never acid again.

Kvstrobe ---
Did you try to jump the bike from a good 12V battery like from a car? Connect the cables + terminal to + terminal, - to - with battery cables and try to start it and see what happens.
If you can't do that, can you see the headlight on or have someone else look at it and hit the start button with the clutch pulled in, the sidestand up and see if the light dims.
How did your father check the battery to say it was in good shape?
To measure the battery voltage you get a cheapo tester or multimeter or voltmeter at any auto parts store or Harbor Freight or Radio Shack or Walmart or similar store, turn it on and touch the + and - battery terminals with the probes and read what it says, before and during hitting the start button. You may need someone else to help you do this because you only have two hands. It's not very difficult, and you should have one of these anyway, only costs a few dollars.
That will tell you a lot about what's happening.

Check out this link Re: Gel Batteries, I also noted on my internet search there are Gel Batteries that ship w/o acid as none needs to be added. They are shipped fully charged.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2075&view=previous
:neener:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

All these batteries, even from any dealer, come dry, you have to fill them with the container of acid that comes with them.
Regardless of what brand you get, they are all AGM batteries in this size,

Haven't we been over this before........and didn't we decide that a battery that has caps where you add the acid will ***NOT*** be an AGM type ?????

I think we did. :roll:
And if we didn't, I think we SHOULD have. I believe all AGM batteries are sealed and maintenance free.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

The batteries are all shipped dry, to the dealers, to the battery stores, or to you by UPS.

Can't agree with that! The ones that I've seen on the shelves of the auto parts bay in the supermarket (we don't have specialist auto stores over here!) are in factory sealed packs. They have a list, printed on them, showing what make & model of bike they fit. They are also sealed batteries, with no way of filling them. I don't deny that you may be right in saying that they may need a charge before use, but nowhere on the packet does it say so. It looks as though the Spanish just rip open the package, slap 'em on the bike, & away you go!

[mrlmd1]

GZ250 -- Gel batteries are not the same as AGM's. I don't think anybody makes a gel in this small size, they are very expensive compared to lead acid or AGMs and there would probably be very little market for them.

To ER and alantf -- ER, you decided that, you believe that, not me. Every battery I've seen here, Yausa, Interstate, Exide, is listed as an AGM on the box, comes dry with a plastic container full of sulfuric acid that you add through the top of the battery, then there is a plastic plate that snaps on over the holes, and this is not really meant to be opened again. These are not true "sealed" batteries, as there is a vent hole in the top of the case. The directions in every one of them say to charge it first before initial use, and you can find that instruction also on their web sites. Every store you go into to buy a battery will fill it first then give it to you, unless you buy it in a box at Walmart, then you have to fill it yourself. I don't know why we're even discussing this, this is the way it is here, over in Europe you may have different batteries.
I have gone through 4 motorcycle batteries (3 from a battery dealer) 'till I found out about the charging business, and have not had any trouble with any of these batteries since. I have also bought small batteries for a jet ski and riding lawnmower, and they are all the same. Buy it, fill it, charge it, then use it.
I have nothing else to add to this.