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wavey · #1 Post by **wavey** » Wed May 13, 2009 10:33 am

Got back from France late Saturday night, great holiday, Falco was brill except for 2 issues:

1 - Leaking clutch slave cyclinder, I noticed this on the morning of departure, it was perfect the night before

2 - Battery not holding charge for long, if I ride every day, no problem, have a day off the bike and it just about starts but resets the clocks.

So time for a new battery, any faves?
Also time for either a new seal or replacement slave cyl. MPL or Evoluzione. Anyone have a preference between these 2?

Dave

dyzio · #2 Post by **dyzio** » Wed May 13, 2009 10:53 am

Hi,
Can't comment on the 1st but will monitor - just in case (touch wood)
As for the battery mine died just over a month ago. I bought a bit more expensive one http://www.tayna.co.uk/SVR-14-P4096.html works every time. The terminals are a bit wider so you have to flatten one side of the connector.

Have a read here:
https://www.ridersite.com/viewtopic.php?t=4530

Aladinsaneuk · #3 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Wed May 13, 2009 2:25 pm

as well as battery, i would invest in an optimate

also, some people swear by doing the wiring mod....

and personally I fitted the MPL part - no complaints here :)

wavey · #4 Post by **wavey** » Wed May 13, 2009 3:24 pm

I've had an optimate for years now, it's probably the reason I didn't know the battery was on it's last legs.
Even if the bike was left for weeks, as it was always connected it always started first time, no probs.

Tell a lie, a while ago, 8/9 months maybe, I hadn't connected the optimate correctly so when I tried to start after 4/5 weeks it was as flat as a fart. Optimate wouldn't recover it but an hour on the charger sorted it.

Dave

wavey · #5 Post by **wavey** » Thu May 14, 2009 9:18 am

Ok all you battery experts, now is the time to speak up!

I've been looking for a new battery and have been recommended to go for an Odyssey battery but the one for a Falco (PC310) is 8Ah, while rsvr.net have a Varta with 12Ah. I have seen others, not for the Falco, with 13.5

I always assumed that the higher the Ah the stronger the cranking power, so i need help getting these numbers into me fick ed

Dave

Firestarter · #6 Post by **Firestarter** » Thu May 14, 2009 9:29 am

Could be wrong, but I think what you mean is "cold cranking amps". I think (and as I say, am likely wrong) that Ah refers to the total charge held by the battery - Amp-hours, meaning a continuous supply of 8 amps for one hour for an 8Ah battery, or 4 Amps for 2 hours, or 16 Amps for 1/2 hour etc.

They're list as separate features on the Tayna website - http://www.tayna.co.uk/catalog/1111/0/M ... page1.html

Go on, someone tell me I'm a muppet. And that I've got it wrong

D-Rider · #7 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu May 14, 2009 9:51 am

Yes - the Amp hours is, as Firestarter says, a measure of the batteries capacity giving an indication of the current it can supply for a period of time.

This is important in terms of how long you can press your starter button or how many repeated start attempts you can make.

It is not a measure of the peak current it can deliver - the basic "umph" (technical term

) that it can deliver to the starter motor. This is a function of the battery's internal resistance which is determined by the battery chemistry used and the condition of the battery.
There are, of course, other factors that affect the power delivered to the starter motor - mainly resistance in the circuit between the battery and the starter ... predominantly in dirty connectors and starter relay contacts.

As to which battery to get, don't ask me - I've not really researched which is best - my Falco is only 4 yrs old so the original battery is still doing fine.

EdinburghFalco · #8 Post by **EdinburghFalco** » Thu May 14, 2009 10:40 am

I have been very pleased with my Westco battery

wavey · #9 Post by **wavey** » Thu May 14, 2009 11:07 am

Ok, good info there boys, ta very much.

Dale, mine is 4 years old also, with 16.5k miles on the clock and always optimated when at home, but still the battery is getting weak so time for a change.

I've gone off the Odyssey now (quick, eh!) cos it needs mounting post adapters and the cheapest I can find is £88. Tanya have a Varta for £37.99 & £7.98 Delivery. Thats a difference of £42 for petrol

Dave

wavey · #10 Post by **wavey** » Thu May 14, 2009 11:13 am

EdinburghFalco wrote:I have been very pleased with my Westco battery

According to tanya.co.uk 'Numax, Varta & Westco are the same battery manufactured by diffferent companies'.

They price the Westco @ £48.99

Dave

bluedimension · #11 Post by **bluedimension** » Fri May 15, 2009 5:09 pm

D-Rider wrote:
"Yes - the Amp hours is, as Firestarter says, a measure of the batteries capacity giving an indication of the current it can supply for a period of time.

This is important in terms of how long you can press your starter button or how many repeated start attempts you can make.

It is not a measure of the peak current it can deliver - the basic "umph" (technical term ) that it can deliver to the starter motor. This is a function of the battery's internal resistance which is determined by the battery chemistry used and the condition of the battery.
There are, of course, other factors that affect the power delivered to the starter motor - mainly resistance in the circuit between the battery and the starter ... predominantly in dirty connectors and starter relay contacts. "

This not a derogatory comment but I just had this vision in my head of you singing this as "Ask Elvis" from Radio 2 (Steve Wright in the Afternoon show)

Am I said or what?

Blue

D-Rider · #12 Post by **D-Rider** » Fri May 15, 2009 7:09 pm

..... and I've never heard of this "ask Elvis" thing and not listened to Steve Wight since I was a teenager and he was on Radio 210 (in Reading).

Still ... it's fine by me as long as the "Elvis" is of the "Costello" variety

Aladinsaneuk · #13 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Fri May 15, 2009 7:13 pm

Sniggers