Battery life

[midnight skulker]

I am not sure if this should be here or over in the tech column. I was at a general maintenance day with a lot of other wingers and one of the checks was to see how well the battery did.
The guy who checked mine told me I needed to replace it. This check was 2 years ago. I went out and bought a YUSA and it has been sitting in the cupboard for the last two years. I have an 03 wing that I bought 7 years ago in May. I have never changed the battery and have never had any problems with it. I use a battery tender during the winter months usually from November to April. The bike still starts and purrs along without any trouble. My question is:
how long is the shelf life of the battery. It is still dry as I have not added the water or acid to it. The second question is when should I change or should I change a perfectly good battery.

[roundabout]

I'm sure shelf life of a dry battery is very long. If your battery is fine, I'd leave it alone.

[CaptLen]

It also has to do with the battery's ability to handle a load (like the starter)- one time when my car battery was replaced the tech showed me on the old battery- it is not just voltage but it is a resistance grid with an ammeter, so a battery with, say, 400 cold cranking amps will show an amperage drawmof 400 amps. A weak battery (like my old car battery) would only be able to put out 100 amps of energy. Obviously, we won't be doing that all the time, but if you can see battery voltage when cranking that's a good indication of battery health. I seem to remember dropping to about 9 volts during cranking. A healthy charge voltage means the alternator and regulator are working. Shelf life on a battery that is dry on delivery should be unlimited

[Captain Roadsmith]

First- I have no idea how long a dry battery will last.
Second- Why replace a good battery? Usually a battery will fail late at night on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere. A new battery can fail just like a 5 year old battery.

The key is to maintain your battery. I plug my trike's battery into a battery maintainer (not a trickle charger) every time it's parked at home. I keep the connections tight and clean.

[BAWing]

I'd say a five year old battery is nearing its expected lifetime. If I was going on a trip I'd take it along just for the peace of mind I didn't have to scramble to find a new battery somewhere on the road. As everyone knows these things have a tendency to fail without any warning.

[Papa smurf2]

Can they be tested to see if they are near death??

[msnden]

I change my battery's every 5 years , & the result has been that I have never have needed a battery!, not sure how much money I have wasted doing it this way, (not much) There are many things that can ruin a persons day, but (in my case) a dead battery is not going to be one of them. battery's are cheap!! jmop

[orangecrate]

One thing for sure, if it is as old as you say it is, it is not a perfectly good battery. It is a battery that sooner or later, probably sooner, is going to leave you stranded. 3-4 years max and 5 is really pushing it. Also, when Yuasa's get old there is the possibility of a spontaneous failure. Tow truck, you say?

Of course batteries can be tested with a load tester, but that is no predictor of when they are going to fail. I would never leave a new battery on the shelf with an old battery in my bike. I am just not that lucky. Oh yeah... I did have a battery fail at 4 years... fortunately in the garage. Change the battery.

[jmohme]

The shelf life of a dry battery sealed battery is almost indefinite. Once you add the acid, you need to start using it then. The plates will sulfate quickly if not used.

[Yellowbird]

Well down here in Florida if we get 3 to 5 years out of a battery thats good i believe i got a little over 4 years out of my battery on my last wing i use Yusa when i can get them but who knows anymore nothing last like it did in the past.

[ShooterF6B]

If the battery is fully charged and won't pass a load test then I would replace it. I don't want to be out somewhere with a marginal battery. If you have an older battery that is marginal , replace it. Keeps down trouble.