What a hunk of junk .... shoddy battery

[SumpMagnet]

Well....over the last few weeks I have had all sorts of issues witht eh daily transport, the trusty 900 Hornet.

Electrical woes...and intermittent ones especially ... are not my favourite things. I like worn of broken things you can see, measure easily and then repair/replace with no bother. Not things that fail one minute...but work fine the next.

Like accelerating past a lorry, and having the engine die...but refire immediately on the button. Or you switch the key...and nothing lights up. It's dead. But you wiggle and jiggle things ...and the power comes on. But never the same things. I thought it was ignition switch connections, but they were perfect. Yought it was wires...as touching the main loom bunch made it come on...but wiggling the same won't disconnect, and continuity chceks on the main lines show perfect. Fuses...good. It has to be the main power runs as everything goes. Been tearing out the little hair I have left until yesterday...but now I think I have it nailed. I wanted to check the fuse connections into the main 30A fuse on the charging circuit. It's not with the main fusebox...but is an inline fuse behind the battery.

Went to take out the battery...and I noticed the +ve terminal was loose. NOT the bolt...that was nice and tight, vaselined and covered in it's rubber boot. All neat and tidy aftyer I fitted a new battery last January when she was cranking slower than I liked. No.... the TERMINAL was loose in the battery.

SO...out with the multimeter......and when I checked it...I saw THIS:

https://youtu.be/poVvgaMNCy8

Now...as the battery sits in line with the charging voltage going through the battery from the alternator and from there through the main fuse into the loom and off to the ignition. The battery sits on it's perch with a rubber strap...so any bump or vibration could jiggle this....and see the connection arcing and bouncing all over the place. That's not going to play well with the charging system.

Angry message sent to the vendor....but I expect to get a brushoff. Can probably cut back the plastic housing and re-solder the joint....and epoxy it back up... but why the hell should I! The batter is less than 6 months old. If the vendo plays fair...my next post here will be a recommendation. If I get the 'non fair wear and tear line...he wil get the mother of all slatings. The old Sale of Goods act has been superceded.... but hte current legislation still requires goods to be properly made, and this isn;t an overcharged or undercharged unit....this is just badly made.

[K2-K6]

Frustrating when you get something that fails like that just when you think you've sorted it out.

I buy from this company as they are very prompt https://www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-batteries/varta/ and use Varta AGM on bikes as they seem to work really well and last too.

I know there's debate over advanced / specialised battery choice,  but these just seem to work at decent cost with good quality.

[SumpMagnet]

well...trying to fix the fractured terminal...but:

Business details


Business name:Bikeaholics Ltd

First name:Attila

Last name:Kiss

Address: 1-2 Oakley Hay Lodge
Great Fold Road
NN18 9AS
Corby
Northamptonshire
UK

Phone:01536743775

Email:info@bikeaholics.co.uk


This seller on E-Bay is a complete waste of time. DO NOT USE.
If anything goes wroing this shyster doesd not answer e-mails/messages at all. You will just be ignored compeltely.
It is clear he sells stuff and if it's OK..fine. If it's crap...ignore the buyer, and wait for them to go away.
The assumption is that for relatively low cost items...nobody is going to take things further.
Lesson learnt.

This seller is one to avoid. 

[hairygit]

If you paid with PayPal they will issue a refund against him if you raise the issue within 180days of purchase.

Sent from my X6pro using Tapatalk

[Trigger]

We used to have this problem as a London dispatch rider. Because the leads hold the battery rigid and the battery movers slightly with stop/start and hard braking we, used to go through a battery in 4 months.

[SumpMagnet]

@Trigger ...yeah...my mileage is all London commuting....and it's still the same. Bumpy roads, and all stop start. Going to have a go at fixing it this weekend. Epoxy bodge held up well today with no issues, so at the weekend I will dig in. Thanks to the miracle of 3D printing...I can make up a 'cap' to go back over the thing when I am done. Build in some pegs to locate it. Worth a go before I buy a new battery.

@hairgit. Payed on card. Don't use PayPal as much after they stopped me moving funds easily. I don't do online banking..and PP are not co-operative if you don't do what they want.  Live and learn.....Didn't know about the 180 day thing.

All handy stuff to know!

Still won't use that e-bayer though. No reply at all...not even a 'no'.

[hairygit]

If you paid with a credit card (as opposed to a debit card) could be worth contacting them, as if the item is within a warranty period they will again reimburse you if the seller refuses to help or even respond. Also, trading standards would have been worth a try, as goods should be expected to last a reasonable amount of time. Even a TV with 12 months warranty can be claimed  for up to 7 years as that is considered a reasonable time for that kind of product, meaning paid for extended warranties are a waste of money! (Ask at Dixon's or somewhere similar, they hate the fact)

Sent from my X6pro using Tapatalk

[SumpMagnet]

I'll give that a shot tomorrow. Worth a call to the credit card company. I have all the E-Bay sale details

Yeah..I never fall for extended warranties. They try to sell them....but they have very little real value other than being a good way to earn comission.
Reminds me of the Shysters at RAP Moptorcycles trying to tell me they would include a full engine and gearbox warranty.... I then spent the next half hour listing parts one after another and asking if they were covered....  Crank, rods, cams, camchain, valves, rings, main bearings, small ends, big ends, gear clusters, selectors, valve springs..... They said yes to the crank cases.... but not damage sustained by failure of other parts

[mike the bike]

Thanks for the heads up about Bikeaholics (stupid name if you ask me).
Credit card companies are jointly and severally liable for dodgy purchases.  Go for it.