Battery Life?

[MikeH55343]

I have a Honda 500 Rubicon that I use mainly for ice fishing. During the other months I drive it about once a month. Start it every two weeks and keep a 2Amp battery tender on the battery.

I find I need a new battery almost every two years. Just tried to start the thing and the battery does not have the juice to turnover the starter. Battery charge is Full but no cranking power.

Is it common to replace the battery every two years?

[Macgyver55]

It depends on the battery. What brand are you using?

A good quality battery should easily last 2 years but lack of use and overcharging will kill most any battery earlier than regular use will.

I've had very good luck with Yuasa batteries and had them last as long as 8 years.

My ATV rarely sits more than a few weeks at most between uses and may explain the longer life.

[Whoaru99]

Sounds a bit too frequent to me.

Are you sure your battery charger goes into a maintenance mode, rather than just a continuous low charge, and that it's just not a bad connection somewhere that gets fixed, temporarily, when you replace the battery?

[ClownColor]

Is your Honda an ES?

Do you use the key to turn off or the kill switch? Hours and batterys will still ramp up if key is still on

Do you have a winch installed? If not installed to your ignition source, your winch could have power to it.

Have you swapped batteries once or twice already and still having problems? If so, I'd say theres a leak somewhere.

I have a 09 honda formam FM500 and not once do I charge the battery (including trickle charge) nor have I purchased a new one. I leave it in all winter. Summer it gets used about two weekends a month and winter, maybe about one weekend a month.

[dougger222]

My 800 EFI sportsman killed a battery every year. It's a 06 with 350 miles on it and is mainly used in the Winter. After it's third battery asked my mechanic what could be done. His solution was a kill switch devise mounted in the front cargo box that's like a large plastic key. Three years now on the same battery.

He's doing the same thing to another customers atv now 02 artic cat atv with a whopping 80 miles (yes 80 miles!).

[Early Riser]

My 2006 Yamaha 450 Grizzly is still on its original battery. I brought the battery it into Batteries Plus the other day thinking I should get a new one ahead of winter. Just out of curiosity I had them put it on the tester and it tested out fine.

It is the stock Yuma or Yusa (sp?) battery. The wheeler sits up at our cabin in a shed or under a tarp from May through the end of deer camp where I use the headlights and winch fairly often. It gets used many weekends in the winter driving out to, and hauling around my spear house.

It is parked all winter in an unheated garage with a battery tender that I started using about 3 years ago. It has always started right up, even in below zero weather. It is never run more than 15 miles at a time; almost all short trips under 3 miles, or less.

[Gus]

06 sportsman 700 EFI. OEM went dead first winter which would have been 07 winter. Replaced it with an AGM from fleet farm and I am still running that AGM today. No signs of slowing down. Have right around 1000 miles on it most of them summer/hunting miles. Never had an issue sitting for a month in the winter with the new battery. I'm sold on the AGMs. I put one in my snowmobile also and am very happy.

[dustin85]

I have an 06 Sportsman 500 EFI HO. I am sitll on the original battery. I have a battery tender, but have only used it on my machine twice. I try to start it monthly if I am not using it more frequently, and I alsways shut it off with the key.

Dustin

[CANOPY SAM]

I find I'm charging all my toy batteries far more often than I think I should.

Riding lawn mowers, motorcycle, snowmobiles, ATV's, etc., seems like I'm adding some charge pretty routinely. We use all these machines regularly...except the snowmobiles.

I was tempted to purchase one of those "battery maintainers" but they're nearly as pricey as a new battery, and I'm a little concerned about leaving something "hot" like that in my barn for any length of time.

I'd love to figure out a way to keep these batteries charged for a longer period of time, or maintain them on a schedule to maximize battery life. Seems like I'm buying a new battery for something pretty much every year, but of course I've got so many toys I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

I miss the days when batteries were still cheap.

[Hoey]

Mike H,

I too have a Rubicon (an '05 or so) and it seems I am dealing with uncertainy about the battery. I have changed the battery once with no improvement. I now hook it up after every third use or so, to a trickle charger w/a maintain feature when not in use. Have you checked your battery with a volt meter? A battery will show a full charge, but not put out 12+v. Mine is real cold blooded - I have switched to 5w30 oil - that has helped quite a bit. This oil is for both the crankcase and is the fluid in the transmission, if I recall correctly. I do not count on it for a cold start when it is real cold out, i.e. -10F or lower.

[Macgyver55]

Quote:

Mine is real cold blooded - I have switched to 5w30 oil - that has helped quite a bit. This oil is for both the crankcase and is the fluid in the transmission, if I recall correctly. I do not count on it for a cold start when it is real cold out, i.e. -10F or lower.

Are you using the primer button on the carb? If not, it will definitely help for those cold weather starts.

[peerchking]

I have a 2002 magnum and a 2006 sportsman thee 2002 can sit for a month and still have good cranking power but the 2006 can sit for 2 weeks and might not start (EFI-comp)? but I put battery tenders on them the summer befor last and haven't had a problem since.

[MikeH55343]

Thanks for all the feedback and advise. I buying a new YAUSA. I'm done with DieHard ATV batteries especially after reading all the other customer reviews on the Sears web site. I have also found an wire harness for better attachment of the battery tender. The lead on the battery stays attached and you just plug/unplug the battery tender. The next step will be the battery cutoff switch.