DRZ’s eat batteries if not used and now think KTM 990’s do as well!! Ok probably my fault, knowing the VTwin is sensitive to voltage, should have put it on the optimate during the week if I was intending to go out for a quick ride this morning. 13.3v just about tickling the starter…
Oh and think I’ve got some minor fluid incontinence to boot…
Probably you. Unclear what you’re complaining of, the maximum level of charge for a 12v motorcycle battery is 13.2v, that’s 6 cells at 2.2v each but that’s the theory in reality 12.7v or 12.8v is a more realistic number.
You need to consider fitment. There’s more to a battery than it being 12v and of dimensions to fit in the battery tray. Old batteries can appear to be serviceable but in reality may not be. I’ve had batteries last 12 years and I’ve had batteries fail in less than 3 years, it can be a bit of a battery lottery regardless of branding.
My battery preference is for an AGM (lead/acid) battery because they are reasonable priced, commonly available, maintenance free, will not leak and hold their charge well. On the downside AGM batteries need to be charged slowly at 1Ah or less, fast charge them at 4Ah, even for just an hour, and their serviceable life can decrease drastically.
Gel batteries, besides being expensive, are easily ruined by overcharging.
Lithium-ion batteries, besides being reassuringly expensive, are easily ruined if they become discharged and aren’t suited to the level of electronics found on a modern motorcycle.
New battery this year, so def me when I finished swearing. The 990 does not like being left alone is my learning since I’ve had it, it’s bloody needy when it comes to being on the optimate. Only the standard alarm so nothing else drawing down the current, its just not good on a slightly discharged battery.
Anyway, fully charged and it seems a bit more serious. Everything primes as normal, but starter only spins for a short burst and and the bloody thing doesn’t seem to be turning over let alone trying to start. Sod all chance of me trying to bump this thing either, need to live on a decent hill.
Off to do some reading, I’ve been planning to send it to Xbikes to get the low down running sorted, so they may get a bit more work if it’s nothing obvious.
My DRZ seems to use no power at all when stood up. Are you sure you don’t have some accessory causing a drain, or something? I have literally zero accessories, it’s bare bones 
I can’t say I’ve had a problem with a Li-Ion battery on either the XV or the CMX. Granted I don’t have electronics fitted to either other than what they came from the factory with.
Since day one the DRZ loved a battery every 18months. Nothing on it to drain, just me parking up over long periods and not always on the charger. It’s now a garage project as think the FCR needs a good service as it’s been running like poo for a while. Yusa, Varta it killed them all.
990, going to do some digging. Hopefully a fuse has blown otherwise after that I have to tap out and get help.
I remember Serrisan & KTMdave having awful problems with the batteries on their 990 Adv’s
Did anyone mention battery make and model?
The issue with mine was I kept buying Motobatt batteries from WeMoto that claimed to be equal spec. They were in all aspects apart from CCAs where they underperformed OEM ones. So come mildly cold weather starting in the morning was an issue.
I had one of those boost packs and literally all one needed to do is connect it and it came to life so it’s not like the battery was draining. When the RAC came out he found the same thing.
The Yuaza ones for KTM were ridiculously expensive but Honda had the same Yuaza for one of their models (might have been blackbird) that you could get for a lot lot less. Don’t know why Honda had it for such a bargain. Once input one of those in, never had same issue.
Oh and yeah a couple of times it wouldn’t start was because of the fuses… Always worth a check.
Not what I wanted to hear just replaced my 8 year old Varta with a Motobatt.
I had heard nothing but good things about Motobatt batteries.
I wonder if it’s that the KTM just needed a lot more go go power on those coldish mornings (in warmish weather it was fine). It could have just been a mismatch between battery and bike 
It’s usually the lithium ion batteries that don’t fare so well in the cold. I’ve used Motobatt on all sorts of bikes and had no problems with the battery itself.
Thanks for that info. Of course great I have a Motobatt MBTX9U that I bought in March!! Fingers crossed it’s the fuses vs. another battery then 
I hope it isn’t an issue. Just to clarify, my bike wasn’t in a garage, it was in a covered, but open side car park that was underground. Don’t know if the temps would be lower or higher but cars never got frost (possibly due to moisture rather than temp)
But this is what gets me, with a quick search (and I haven’t checked all the specs so don’t hold me to it.) you get conflicting information
On the WeMoto site it says: " This is a high torque battery. The cold cranking amps exceeds that of original equipment." (the reason I bought a couple of these as I thought it wasn’t the issue)
On another site, looking for 990 batteries, the MotoBatt one has 190CCA
On the halfords site the YUASA battery has 230A (just like it does on the site above)
I don’t know what the stock battery from KTM had. I had read that they came with weak batteries. Looking through a few on that site there are some with the 230CCA of Yuaza (e.g. Varta) and some with less than the 190CCA of the motobatt so it’s quite probably the WeMoto / Motobatt description about being better than OEM is true - but perhaps it’s still not enough for the bike.
My advice is you are having issues just opt for a Yuaza one before you start throwing money trying to look for other reasons. Again, my problem was with the CCA - once bike was warm it never had that issue during the day - it was always the (early) morning cold starts.
Also don’t know if there’s different batteries for different years / models… I had a 57 plate
theres alot of pub talk about LI battery cold problems
Out of all the problems ive had with my bike, ive neever had an issue with the Li battery
i only use my bike 3 days a week & leave it 4 days on the trot out down the side of my house not covered, its never failed & still runs the bike into life in a spilt second
the cold starting issues generaly are for colder countrys not the UK cold
Sorry to hi jack this thread but what would cause the opposite. Cold start the bike fires up fine without hesitation. but once hot it only fires up after multiple times off turning the key off and on. fuel pump primes every time, bike turns over and engine turns but just doesn’t want to keep running. Tracer 900 2018
I’d be tempted to see what the plugs look like, thinking they may be wet after running.
Thanks i will have a look next weekend may as well do a service while im at it
Yes, that is because CCA and Ah are calculated by a minefield of different standards. Too much to go into here but if you want to know Yuasa explain most of it here
Well known problem of the carbon cannister on the Tracer recovering fuel vapour then feeding that back in, your bike is trying to start on thin air.
