Something is wrong with your charging system, the connection or the battery.
My shorai equipped bikes start everytime - even after sitting for months with no issues.
Shorai can check the battery. They will replace it if there is any thing wrong with it.

-M



if you contact them. They will replace it if

Quote from: ggemelos on July 22, 2011, 10:32:19 AM
I have had the Shorai LFX18A1-BS12 in my 09 M1100 for over a month.  After first installing the battery, it started up fine.  I rode the bike to work and had a hard time starting the bike that evening to ride home.  It sounded like it was turning, but the bike would not fire up.  After about 10 tries, it worked.  I figured it might have come from the factory on a low charge, they claim it comes 90% charged.  So I hooked up the Shorai charger over night.  After charging, I disconnected the charger and the bike sat for a week.  When I went to start it after that, it fired right up.  So I thought I had the issue solved.  I took the bike for a long ride, about 500 miles, that day.  A week later when I went to start the bike up again, it turned, but did not start.  This time I tried 30 times, but it would not start.  I ended up having to plug in the charger and wait.  To its credit, the voltage on the battery started out at 13V and never dropped very much.

I took the bike in for its 7500 mile service at Nichols and asked them to check the battery or anything else it could be.  They said the battery seemed to charge well, but that they would test it again.  I told them that if they cannot find a reason for these issues to switch me back to a regular battery.  I'm about to go for a 5k mile trip in a week and I do not have the patients for dealing with this issue. 

By the way, I do not have any accessories on the bike that could be drawing the batter while it sits.

Quote from: moto on July 22, 2011, 02:05:02 PM
Something is wrong with your charging system, the connection or the battery.
My shorai equipped bikes start everytime - even after sitting for months with no issues.
Shorai can check the battery. They will replace it if there is any thing wrong with it.

-M



if you contact them. They will replace it if

My charging equipment that seems to be having issues is my alternator, which worked fine for the stock battery, and the shop I brought my bike for service is a Shorai retailer who tested the battery.  I also contacted Shorai directly with my story, but I have not heard back from them yet.  It does not change the fact that I cannot use the battery and will most likely change back to stock.  

I've heard these units can be susceptible to the cells becoming "unbalanced" (Whatever that means) but that the special charger is supposed to 'correct' that.

Sounds to me like a bad unit.

Quote from: Drunken Monkey on July 22, 2011, 03:43:07 PM
I've heard these units can be susceptible to the cells becoming "unbalanced" (Whatever that means) but that the special charger is supposed to 'correct' that.

Sounds to me like a bad unit.

If I understand the Shorai correctly......

The charger charges each cell individually and makes the battery balanced (full charge to each cell).
Charging it by the bike's charging system, or a normal charger, brings the battery up to whatever charge the weakest cell can take.
If the weakest cell is first in the series, the total capacity won't be higher than this - the weakest link.

Not a perfect design - best solution would be a 'balancer' built into the battery - or use the charger 'all the time'.

Installed a Shorai battery on 6/20, 48,636 miles.

As of 7/20, at 49,261 miles, battery was dead.

Not coincidentally, my Regulator/Rectifier is dead.

Recharged the Shorai, swapped in a good used R/R.

We'll see what happens.

Quote from: Speeddog on July 22, 2011, 05:08:48 PM
Installed a Shorai battery on 6/20, 48,636 miles.

As of 7/20, at 49,261 miles, battery was dead.

Not coincidentally, my Regulator/Rectifier is dead.

Recharged the Shorai, swapped in a good used R/R.

We'll see what happens.

What are the signs of a damaged Regulator/Rectifier?  At this point I just want to put a stock battery in and go on my trip.  I really hope that I have not damaged my bike. 

Quote from: ggemelos on July 22, 2011, 05:16:18 PM
What are the signs of a damaged Regulator/Rectifier? 
~~~SNIP~~~

Voltage measured at the battery doesn't increase when the motor is running.

A complete test described here:
http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/library/diagnosis/fault-finding-guide.php

There's no way a damaged regulator will damage your bike unless it's overcharging, in which case it'll just fry your battery.

If it's undercharging, then it's no different that a race bike insofar as some race folks will actually get rid of their charging system in favor of a "total loss" system.

I.e. They remove the alternator because of the weight it adds on the crank and the 1/3 HP it consumes in favor of a bike whose ignition and FI system only work as long as the battery has power.

Quote from: Drunken Monkey on July 22, 2011, 07:38:53 PM
There's no way a damaged regulator will damage your bike unless it's overcharging, in which case it'll just fry your battery.

If it's undercharging, then it's no different that a race bike insofar as some race folks will actually get rid of their charging system in favor of a "total loss" system.

I.e. They remove the alternator because of the weight it adds on the crank and the 1/3 HP it consumes in favor of a bike whose ignition and FI system only work as long as the battery has power.

ah, race bikes: the lightest flywheel is none at all and no stator/alternator setup.  likewise, that really heavy starter's got to go!

Quote from: ggemelos on July 22, 2011, 02:08:07 PM
My charging equipment that seems to be having issues is my alternator, which worked fine for the stock battery, and the shop I brought my bike for service is a Shorai retailer who tested the battery.  I also contacted Shorai directly with my story, but I have not heard back from them yet.  It does not change the fact that I cannot use the battery and will most likely change back to stock.  

Did your service shop check the charging system?
If the bike is not charging the battery, you are going to have the same problem--the bigger battery will just take a little longer to run down.

-M

Speed Cell

Quote from: Speeddog on July 22, 2011, 05:08:48 PM
Installed a Shorai battery on 6/20, 48,636 miles.

As of 7/20, at 49,261 miles, battery was dead.

Not coincidentally, my Regulator/Rectifier is dead.

Recharged the Shorai, swapped in a good used R/R.

We'll see what happens.

Installed Shorai battery, 200mi. Later Regulator/rectifier dead. Replaced R/R and swapped in old battery until Shorai charger was available to charge dead battery, old battery worked fine with another 500 mi. Added. Installed Shorai battery yesterday and went for a ride, volt meter in dash showed the battery was charging with 13+ volts at idle, but the bike would not restart after stopping at a friends house. I'm switching back to my old battery for my ride to Laguna Seca and figure this crap out later.

Quote from: danaid on July 23, 2011, 07:53:00 AM
Installed Shorai battery, 200mi. Later Regulator/rectifier dead. Replaced R/R and swapped in old battery until Shorai charger was available to charge dead battery, old battery worked fine with another 500 mi. Added. Installed Shorai battery yesterday and went for a ride, volt meter in dash showed the battery was charging with 13+ volts at idle, but the bike would not restart after stopping at a friends house. I'm switching back to my old battery for my ride to Laguna Seca and figure this crap out later.

hmmm thinking speedcell isn't a bad option to look at afterall

Quote from: moto on July 22, 2011, 09:23:25 PM
Did your service shop check the charging system?
If the bike is not charging the battery, you are going to have the same problem--the bigger battery will just take a little longer to run down.

-M

My alternator is fine.  When the bike is on, the volt meter shows 13+ volts.  Which suggests that the Shorai is having problems being charged in series versus the parallel charging that the Shorai charger does.  I switched back to a stock battery this weekend.  In theory the battery sounded nice, but the more I thought about the in series versus parallel charging, I just do not see how they avoid unbalanced charging over the cells unless you are constantly plugging into their charger.  I have contacted Shorai and will post when I hear back from them.      

Shorai just got back to me and they will take the battery back an run some diagnostics.  Since I am local, I will drop it off tomorrow and hope to hear something from them soon.