Kymco Super 8 Battery Drain Problem

[itsme93]

hi all i have a super 8. i had to go to work the other day and had a flat battery so i took it and charged it. it was charged and bike started first click. but the next day it was flat again. the battery in the bike has been in there since i got the bike in 2010 and have not replaced the battery since. is this a dud battery or a fault with the bike. could the bike be draining the battery over night any help at all will be appreciated

[partyhut]

how frequently do you ride   enough to keep the charge up?   do you keep it on a battery tender?
When you had it charged did they test it?     Cold weather will kill a low charged or borderline battery

[itsme93]

how frequently do you ride   enough to keep the charge up?   do you keep it on a battery tender?
When you had it charged did they test it?     Cold weather will kill a low charged or borderline battery

i ride everyday m8. no battery tender. i charged it myself. thats what i thought cold weather this issue started with all the uk snow

[partyhut]

we don`t get enough snow here in Tennessee to fill a thimble.  Gets into the mid 20`s now and then but was enough to kill a new battery( not a cheapie either)  in my B&W last winter.   faithfully use a tender now   no problems

[tjupille]

Like most GY6 bikes, the charging system on the Super 8 is marginal, and a short ride may not be enough to fully charge the battery. Add to that the fact that the batteries are small and you don't have a lot of reserve for cold weather.

So, based on my experience with my wife's bike:

1. After 2.5 years, your battery may be ready for replacement.
2. Putting it on a battery tender overnight once a week or so can help.
3. An iridium spark plug seems to help make cold-weather starts a bit easier.

[MassScoot]

Itsme93: Since I discovered Deltran's Battery Tender Jr. (years ago) I have never had an issue with my batteries (TGB Key West 50cc, Kymco People S200, Suzuki TU-250X, Yamaha TW-200, Kymco Super 8 & now my Kymco GTI300) For the $25.00 investment...it's so worth it! Everytime I'm done with scootering...I simply plug-in my tender & within 10 minutes it's topped-off.

Worthy investment...trust me! You should get @ least 4 years out of a decent battery (Yuasa, Motobatt etc.) Some I gotten past six years (Kymco People S200)

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361725852&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+tender+jr.

[spongella]

Hi folks,

I have been away from the forum for a couple of years, but my suoer 8 150 is 4 years old now, 2300 miles, the original battery had to be replaced last year due to not holding a charge, now the battery I have in now is less than a year old, does not hold a charge.  Got it new from my Honda dealer, so I presume it's OEM.

I have a tender hooked up to it all winter, start it up at least once a month during the cold months, so the battery isn't being abused.  I hooked up a voltmeter across the terminals, started it up, gunned the engine a bit and the voltage rises to a little less than 13V so looks like the charging system is working.  Checked battery terminals, leads, connections to starter solenoid, connections to the CDI.

My commute is about 7 miles so probably not long enough to fully charge.  When the battery is fully charged as per the battery tender it still won't turn over the starter, so I use the kick start instead.

The manual has zero info on troubleshooting, so I need to get a wiring diagram to see where the next step is, other than just getting a new battery. 

I see on the forum that others are using higher-amperage batteries, that might be an option. 

Glad to be back on the forum, and hearing from others with their Super 8's.

Sponge

[Vivo]

spongella: I just upgraded my Super 8's battery from 7 mah to 9 mah... fits just fine, just half an inch taller... still can close the cover... cranking power and reserve battery power has really improved... I will just have to wait how long this improved performance will last. I never had problems with my Super 8, one click starts hot or cold... short or long trips... no battery tender... no blowing of fuses... rain, flood, pot holes... great machine... only the wheel paint is starting to chip-off...

[spongella]

Vivo,

Thanks for the input.  After doing some troubleshooting and checking the charging system on my scoot, it seems that the battery I got last year from the dealer needs to be replaced, it was a Yuasa that was a 6 amp.  Op manual says the scoot needs a 7 amp, so I went on line and got a Motobatt MBTZ10S, which is 8.6 amps and 190 CCA.  Nice yellow color too and the dimensions are about the same.  I'll try this out and hopefully it will last more than 8 months like the last battery.  It has a 2 year warranty versus the one I got from the dealer which had a 6 month warranty.

Sponge

[Vivo]

Vivo,

Thanks for the input.  After doing some troubleshooting and checking the charging system on my scoot, it seems that the battery I got last year from the dealer needs to be replaced, it was a Yuasa that was a 6 amp.  Op manual says the scoot needs a 7 amp, so I went on line and got a Motobatt MBTZ10S, which is 8.6 amps and 190 CCA.  Nice yellow color too and the dimensions are about the same.  I'll try this out and hopefully it will last more than 8 months like the last battery.  It has a 2 year warranty versus the one I got from the dealer which had a 6 month warranty.

Sponge

Sponge: 6 amp? Wow! The dealer got you on that one... My stock battery was 7 amp... Anyway, I'm sure the 8.6 will be a lot better... My battery makes me smile everytime I crank my scoot up... Ride safe... 

[spongella]

Yeah Vivo, the dealer sold me the wrong battery, but got the new one, 8.6 amps, fits nicely in the compartment. Charging it up to full charge right now.  Thanks for all the input folks.

Sponge.

[pabfri5096]

I know this is old post but, my 2013 super 8 150 seemed lime battery was not holding charge, not the case. The bike was pulling way to many amps when parked. These numbers aren't accurate just fir example should pull 0.5 amps parked mine was pulling 4amps. Had to have complete rewiring done.