Yamaha Riva electrical problems By mike932 (Read 12,645 times)

[jerryscript]

You could just forget the electric start and go with a bio-start system like what I have inside my flywheel:

[mike932]

Gonna order this battery....
www.atbatt.com/adventure-power-yb7c-a-powersports-battery-conventional.asp?cr_brand=Exide&cr_product=7C-A

[jerryscript]

If you don't have one already, be sure you pick up a battery charger. New batteries come dry, so you fill them up with electrolyte (provided as described above), then put it on the charger till fully charged. I use a Black & Decker charger, many recommend the Battery Tender Jr, any name brand charger should be fine.

[mike932]

I have a charger that has a 2 amp setting.

I have a theory as to why the battery finally failed. The battery was probably bad for a long time, but my unusually hilly ride last week probably broke the camel's back. It is a gel battery. Perhaps the steep hills changed the angle of the old stale gel and created air pockets in the gel which made the battery fail.

[JoeyBee]

Interesting theory.

How long will delivery take for your new battery?

[cyborg]

Great price ,,i'd try to get one with a little more cca but the one you linked looks to be alright,,,

[JR]

I ride in the hills myself and actually it's simple, there are different brands of batteries some better than others. On the average with a quality battery and riding your scooter a good battery will get at the most 3 years and then it's gone. Rough roads or terrain isn't really a issue. These batteries are small and only have so much to begin with.

What I've found that gives extra life is a larger CCA and AH battery, why? The more CCA it has the less strain on it when cranking which can shorten it's life. Had I bought a battery for this scooter I would have got at least a 9AH and 150CCA + battery if I could have. I run 14AH and 225CCA with my 250's and use a jet ski battery, one on my wife's 250A is now going on 4 years old and still starts her scooter even in cold weather.

JR

[mike932]

Delivery should take a few days, but I might drive to Fresno today and hunt for a compatible battery. I figured out that any battery ending with "7C-A" should be compatible.

[cyborg]

buy as many cca as you can afford

[mike932]

Just bought a battery at Cycle Gear for $40. They filled it with acid. I am charging it now. Here it is.....
www.bikemaster.com/batteries/batteries/conventional-battery/conventional-battery-3410.html
It has only 80 CCA but I can't go a few days without riding my scooter!  
It came with an exhaust tube.  Do I connect the tube to my battery and let it hang free inside my scooter?

[jerryscript]

I would by an electrolyte sponge and rubber band it to the drain tube. Check it on hot days, that's when you have a chance of boiling over.

[mike932]

I think it's fixed! New battery with fresh acid was 12.3 volts. After charging for two hours, it was 12.8 volts. Cleaned terminal cables with sandpaper, installed new battery, crossed fingers, turned key. Lights work great. Engine started five times in a row without hesitation. Battery now reads 12.6 volts with engine off. With the engine on, it reads 14.1 volts, so the magneto (stator) seems to be working.

Now all I need to do is ride it for a few days to see if it is reliable.

In a couple years, I will buy a new unfilled battery before I need it so I will never to hunt for a new battery when I need it.  In fact, it might make sense to always ride with a spare battery since they are small.

While the battery was charging, I watched this.......  

[cyborg]

Always good to buy spares when you don't need them,,,,,then you can watch for deals,,,store them dry and fill when you do need them,,, I have one waiting for both my bikes as I type,,,,,,glad you got it sorted out,,,,I still would go over all the terminations to check just to make sure everything is kosher

[jct842]

I had to go over my riva when I got it. It was running but I found all kinds of things loose. It was idling at about 3k too. Not sure on yours but mine has a rube goldberg factory starting system on the carb, its working ok now but if it ever quits I am going to stick a chinese carb on it that has the enricher and skip trouble shooting the factory crap. Mine also has an electrical cooling fan that when new comes on when needed, it was screwed over and wired to be on all the time and I left it alone.

john

[JoeyBee]

Feb 7, 2015 21:39:15 GMT -6 jct842 said:

Not sure on yours but mine has a rube goldberg factory starting system on the carb

Now that would be interesting to see.