Author Topic: The battery cable saga takes a twist  (Read 11967 times)

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malky

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Reply #30 on: December 24, 2015, 01:26:44 pm

I considered a Dubya.
What is this please? :)
I like my Enfield ,because it has yet to be sanitized. You wouldn't accept a Honda that broke down, with an Enfield you expect it. In that good old fashioned charming way. ;)
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Blairio

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Reply #31 on: December 25, 2015, 04:44:01 am
I'd like to see a consensus, but it seems like most of the cable end problems are on C5s. I don't see any G5 mentioned. Maybe the ground wires are set up differently. Any thoughts?
Any G5s with the problem?

The question of whether this is a model-dependent issue was raised in a previous thread:

https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php/topic,22726.0.html

....titled "High Speed Stutter". Back then it seemed that predominantly C5 owners were encountering the fatigued battery terminal issue.  Maybe someone smarter on the inter web than me could set up a poll on this forum to determine of the three UCE models (C5 / B5 / G5) how many owners of each type has had battery terminal problems?

My tuppence worth (and it is probably not even worth tuppence) is that there are different vibration modes in the different frame types. Somehow the C5's vibes are hitting the battery terminal's sweet spot.

Happy Christmas everyone!


Ice

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Reply #32 on: December 25, 2015, 06:17:07 am
 I think it's a wire thing or terminal material thing of late.
Reason I say that is C5 owners were not reporting it in the first few years, B5 and G5 owners are not that I know of and it was not an issue on the Iron Barrel and AVL machines.
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krimp

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Reply #33 on: December 25, 2015, 03:59:11 pm
The question of whether this is a model-dependent issue was raised in a previous thread:

https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php/topic,22726.0.html

....titled "High Speed Stutter". Back then it seemed that predominantly C5 owners were encountering the fatigued battery terminal issue.  Maybe someone smarter on the inter web than me could set up a poll on this forum to determine of the three UCE models (C5 / B5 / G5) how many owners of each type has had battery terminal problems?

My tuppence worth (and it is probably not even worth tuppence) is that there are different vibration modes in the different frame types. Somehow the C5's vibes are hitting the battery terminal's sweet spot.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Rather than hitting the sweet spot for failure, I think this is a two fold issue: bad terminals and bad placement of the battery. I think this for two reasons:

1. the terminals are prone to breakage
2. the battery placement does not leave a lot of room for other things, such as the fuel hose going from the tank to the injector.

I think it's a wire thing or terminal material thing of late.
Reason I say that is C5 owners were not reporting it in the first few years, B5 and G5 owners are not that I know of and it was not an issue on the Iron Barrel and AVL machines.

I agree about the terminals being part of the problem, but when you literally have to force the battery into place in order to get the battery cover on, there is a problem. There is not enough space around the battery to allow even small hands in there to put the strap back on after maintenance.

Right now, I have to move the battery to the left, put the straps on their hooks, then move the battery to the right to get the straps put into place on the left side of the battery. That is too much movement of the battery just to secure it. Ideally, we need about another inch (or 1.6 cm) of space on all sides of the battery just to ensure that we have the room needed to install a battery tender.

When my AGM battery dies, I will look into replacing it with a smaller battery.
Living in beautiful Colorado Springs, Co.
2014 Cream C5


suitcasejefferson

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Reply #34 on: January 27, 2016, 06:09:56 am
My big issue with the RE battery cable terminals are that they mount on the side of the battery posts, and on the back side at that. All my other bikes have had battery cables that attached to the TOP of the battery. So when I installed my ne MotoBatt battery, I partially replaced the battery cables, and used new connectors that mount to the top of the battery. I also installed a battery tender pigtail. I made sure that the cables were plenty loose, so there would be no stress on the connectors. I have never had a battery connector break on any bike, including the Enfield, but after reading all about it here, and having a problem with the connectors connecting to the back side of the battery, where they were almost impossible to get to, I converted them over to the more normal position. If you were using a Harbor Freight battery tender, that may have been the reason it broke. I use Deltran Battery Tender JR.s. Even they have an issue. The screw hole in the connector is to big, making the connector too thin. I use a washer on top of the connector to make sure they are secured properly. Metallurgy has a LOT to do with how metals behave. A brittle metal will crack from vibration, while a more malleable metal won't.
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Rattlebattle

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Reply #35 on: January 27, 2016, 05:25:18 pm
That's interesting; the terminals are mounted to the top of the original battery in my 2015 C5. The other thing is that as delivered mine had only one securing strap fitted. The second one was in the box of goodies I collected later. I have never bothered using two straps. My battery can move a little, which I feel is a good thing. I have a spare negative cable in case of breakdown, but I want to see if the terminal ever actually fails.
Sic se res habet: fractum est...


malky

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Reply #36 on: January 27, 2016, 06:23:28 pm
I replaced mine and used a piece of old inner tube like a big elastic band to hold the cable against the battery, obviously below the electrolyte check level.
I was Molly Sugdens bridesmaid.

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suitcasejefferson

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Reply #37 on: January 29, 2016, 05:15:00 am
I replaced mine and used a piece of old inner tube like a big elastic band to hold the cable against the battery, obviously below the electrolyte check level.

Were the actual screws mounted to the top of the battery? The oem cable ends were an odd shape. All the motorcycle battery terminals I've ever seen were round and flat, like a washer, and the retainer bolt went through the hole and into the top of the battery post.

This is what I installed on mine.

http://www.autozone.com/ignition/electrical-wire-connector/dorman-ring-terminal/415779_0_0/?checkfit=true
« Last Edit: January 29, 2016, 05:18:03 am by suitcasejefferson »
"I am a motorcyclist, NOT a biker"
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