RIP Odyssey 925 5/08 - 2/15

[rodekyll]

 :'(

Gorgeous day today.  Clear and near 50.  I couldn't stand it, so I went to burn the carbon out of the Rodekyll.  Battery was flat.  It was last time, too.  I charged it for three hours and it fired right off @14v.  I shut it down, went inside for my gear and when I returned it had 11v and no crank.  I ran to NAPA and bought their cheep tractor battery and took my ride.  I hate lead-acid batteries in a bike, so I guess it's off to Amazon for a new odyssey.  This has an install date of 05/08 and has seen intermittent service the last three years and not optimal temperatures.  It's never lived on a tender or needed two charges in a row before.  When it went down it was hard and fast.  I think it did good.

[RinkRat II]

Now you've done it RK, made me look up the receipt for my PC545 and voila , SEP. 2008. 'spose mine
'll go tits up soon . We shall see.... ???

     Paul :BEER:

[ken farr]

Hmmm,  I'll have to lift the seat and take a look at the date.......

Thanks for the heads up.

kjf

[John A]

Mine is over the ten year mark so I guess it'll die at some point here. I think one of the secrets of long life is not to charge them at over 14 volts. Most of the chargers I have do go over that but I have a old Schawer 10/2 amp that holds the volts down. I learned about charging at constant current and constant volts but have forgotten most of that stuff now.

[sib]

:'(

...I hate lead-acid batteries in a bike, so I guess it's off to Amazon for a new odyssey....

Not sure I understand.  The Odyssey IS a lead-acid battery.

[Wayne Orwig]

My 2004 EV has the original 11 year old battery in it. I went to leave work the other day and it cranked and cranked. But easily bump started So I ordered a replacement Odyssey when I got home. The next day, the same thing. I found the relay for the ECU was loose in the socket. So now I have this new Odyssey that shows up, and don't need it. And you guys are saying they are only good for 7 years? Junk......  :BEER:

[Wayne Orwig]

I think one of the secrets of long life is not to charge them at over 14 volts.

 :+1
A higher voltage may get closer to a 100% charge capacity, but the battery starts to out-gas. When that happens, it isn't long for this world.
My EV system seldom goes over 13.9 to 14.1 volts. And my home charger ( no Battery tender here ) I have set to 14.3 peak, and 13.4 standby. Generally my batteries last for too long to remember. The guy that bought my California 1100 still has the Odyssey battery in it that I installed in ( I believe) 2002.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I replaced the oem Odysseys in the Mighty Scura and Rosie last year just on general principal..

[rodekyll]

Not sure I understand.  The Odyssey IS a lead-acid battery.

I'm not going there with you.

[Vince in Milwaukee]

I'd say you've definetly got your moneys worth. 

[oldbike54]

 Tell us more about that 50 degrees and sunny thing . 23 and ugly here , something ain't right   ???

  Dusty

[Stormtruck2]

Tell us more about that 50 degrees and sunny thing . 23 and ugly here , something ain't right   ???

  Dusty

-24F, bright, calm, and sunny here. I would take 50F today.

[rodekyll]

Well, Dusty, It was a Thursday in February.  I woke up to a frosty day and brilliant sunshine.  I celebrated by taking apart the trike differential so's I can change out the ring and pinion.  By the time I had the ring gear off the temp had climbed to the 40s.  I know, because that's when it starts raining from the inside of the back porch roof.  I covered the parts on the bench and went to check out the bike.

I was a little annoyed that the battery was at 11.5.  The starter chuckled at me as though it knew what was ultimately going to happen.  I deployed the 10/2 charger and did some field service calls -- setting up a fax server at a site, configuring a server backup station at another, and at a third I got some alienware gaming computer back on-line.  The last one was the only interesting job.

I returned to 14v on the battery meter and the bike fired right up.  Charge voltage rose with rpm and all looked good.  I shut it down and got my gear on.  Checking the current weather I saw 48 and no wind.  The roads were bare and dry.  Perfect riding conditions.

I wheeled the bike to the street (downhill 60') and pointed it outward.  When I flipped the main toggle though I had 11v and nary a cough from the starter.  Not being one to hesitate, I sauntered out back and had a smoke, contemplating the length of a sunny day v a mail-order battery and decided to head to NAPA.  My Odyssey 925 costs $155 (free shipping from Amazon), but it takes two weeks to get here.  I didn't think the afternoon would last that long.  NAPA doesn't carry Odyssey, but they're two weeks closer with either an Optima ($219) or the traditional tractor battery ($66).  I went with the latter and had the swap made in about 10 minutes.

The bike fired right up with the factory charge.  I rode out the norther end of the road where the ferry docks @ about 2200rpm and 50mph.  The road was repaved this summer so it was in as perfect condition as it will ever be.  The herring fleet is beginning to straggle in and I watched them putting down the channel to the docks.  Some folks were strolling near the ferry landing and chatted bikes with me.  One of them knew someone who had "that sporty guzzi they make" so we were all friends.

Then I went to the souther end of the road, past where the trike is housed (brief guilt pang from not being inside working on it -- but only a brief one), past Whale Park, and on to the old pulp mill.  I saw  several flocks of seagulls wheeling and diving, so I pulled over and watched for the whales that they indicate.  Sure enough, there were a couple of pods of humpbacks chasing herring (now THERE'S a mismatch) and a pod of Orca chasing a pod of sea lions chasing herring.  

By the time I got done spectating the sun was directly in my eyes and it was time to run for the barn.  The temp had already fallen to the mid 30s and frost was forming on my windshield.  I parked the bike, fired up the van and relieved my guilt with a loooong work session at the trike house.

Today looks like a repeat of yesterday, except now I'm reassembling the differential to the point of setting the gear engagement, the battery is fresh, and I'm bringing the camera on the ride.

[oldbike54]

Kewl David , pics forthcoming ?

  Dusty

[AMGeneral]

Yep, My odyssey have been trusty. Took it out of the box, installed it in the Jackal and pressed the starter button. Haven't had any issues with it or need to tender charge since. Yea, now I will go to the garage and get nothing.

But it is a great battery.

[nikwax]

Odyssey makes excellent chargers that are designed specifically for their batteries.


Hopefully this doesn't trigger a battery/battery charger war   ;)

[rodekyll]

No war here.  I'm comfortable with my battery and charger choices and habits.  Y'all do what you do.   :)

[Chuck in Indiana]

Nice tale, RK.. I felt like I was there.  ;-T
Edit: Dorcia says thanks, too..not every one can do that.

[fotoguzzi]

good story RK, hope today was just as nice..

[John Ulrich]

My PC925 was put in my Ambo back in 2002 or 2003.  Still ticking!

[John A]

Thanks, RK, reminded me of "Cannery Row" , you have a talent there son.