Dead battery???

[maestro319]

I went to the garage where my bike has been stored for the winter to pick it up. There was a flat fee for storage and spring set-up which i thought was very reasonable. Well, when I went in and talked to the owner, he said that when they went to pull it out for me it had a dead battery. He said he tried to charge it but nothing. Now, this battery was bought NEW from my Honda dealer last July!!!! Could it have gone from a fully charged NEW battery to a dead, cold one in just 4-5 months ?? I honestly don't think he had it on a battery tender during the winter which I think may be the cause for the dead battery. He replaced it and I went on my way, BUT...??? My suspicious mind makes me think that perhaps this guy knew very little about storing an older Wing that is known for electrical problems to begin with. What do you guys think?? Should I be mad, upset, leery of this shop, or just say,"Oh well, s*#@ happens"??

[N2PPN]

I'm curious.... is this a heated garage?? And also why didn't the garage just disconnect the positive lead of the battery when the bike was put up for storage?? If your battery went dead from parasitic drain and the garage was unheated (you live in Chicago??) the battery most likely froze and that could have contributed to it's early demise... a fully charged battery will not freeze (under reasonable circumstances).

Since you mentioned a flat fee for spring "start-up", what does this include?? Just someone going over to your bike and turning the key and hitting the starter after pulling out the choke?? Seems strange that they would charge for that if they had gotten $$$ from you for storage. Can you "visit" your bike at anytime during the winter storage season, or is the bike kept in a secure place that only the garage attendants have access to?

If this garage is used for off season storage of more than just your GW, do you have any type of written contract or agreement with the garage owner?? If so, what responsibilities does the garage have for storing your bike and protecting it from damage due to freezing or other things? If there is a method of making a claim for freezing damage, put one in for the battery and see what happens... If not,then %^%@ happens and next year, remove the battery from the bike and take it home with you and keep in on a battery tender in your basement for the winter... cheaper than buying a new battery...

Keep us informed,


Rich

[guitarlos]

I leave mine in an unheated garage on a tender all winter, no problesm whatsoever.

Perhaps you just got a bad battery? Thats been known to happen as well. Try to see if its at least pro-rated and maybe get some sort of a refund if you still have the core.

[WingAdmin]

Lead-acid batteries will self-discharge, plus there is a parasitic draw on Goldwings from the radio. If the bike was left all winter with the battery not on a tender or charged, particularly if it was unheated, then it could have very well killed your battery.

[maestro319]

Well, I don't know if it is unheated or not. I know the shop is open during the winter, and my bike was tucked way back in the far corner of the work area with about 13 other stored bikes. I'm thinking with that many stored bikes and their proximity, or lack of, to an outlet I doubt if all of them were on a battery tender. My guess is (and I'll ask him next time in the shop) my bike was NOT on a tender. Next year I'll remove it, take it home, and put on my own tender. When I find out the full situation I'll post it here. Thanks guys.