Preemtive battery replacement ?

[The CyberPoet]

I guess it's a matter of peace of mind. Batteries on Kats get ruined by three things: heat, vibration and being run down.

Each time you drain a lead-acid battery most or all of the way (enough that it can't start the bike), it loses 25 - 40% of it's storage capacity. Run down the battery three times and it becomes borderline defective, unable to start the bike on high-demand (on particularly cold days, etc). Trickle chargers help because they help keep the battery from running low enough while parked to damage it.

The other two killers are heat and vibration. Living in Florida and doing long roadtrips means my batteries face both of those, especially engine heat pouring backwards across the battery.

Personally, I change my batteries every two to three years, because the cost of the battery is less than the inconvenience of being stuck on the side of the road somewhere hundreds of miles from home in the middle of the night.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Range]

Batterys usually last around 5 years...less if it runs totally down...stored improperly...incorrect charging procedure.

They can last up to 10 years if propperly cared for.

When it starts to give you trouble...then replace it...they usually give you plenty of warning

[md86]

Worst case is your battery dies and you have to push start it . I was at the Gap and that happened , no big deal . Actaully , happened a few times over the years . However , I DID just replace my battery even though the old one was still working . I guess that depends on your "piece of mind" and how much crap you're willing to possibly put up with .

[Matt]

My bike is an 00 and I bought it in 8/02.

We know they don't keep battery tenders on these things in the shop so the battery just sat for years - the bike had less than 1 mile when I bought it, so the system never recharged the battery either.

Here were are entering 2005, it's 5th season.

Should I, or would you, just replace the battery as a good measure?

What are they...less than $50 or something? I'd be wicked pi55ed to have my day short-ended by battery problems.

Thoughts?

Should I just suck it up and replace it so I don't get hosed?

Or will they last 20 years if properly cared for?