On Sunday, I took the cover off the R1 and went for a spirited 90min ride through the Virginia countryside. Before I could depart, however, I was forced to jumpstart the bike because the battery has enough charge to power the clock and dash lights, but not enough to start the bike.
Once I got her running, I took off on my ride. After I got home and cut the ignition, I had to run to a neighbor's house to get Austin for dinner. The bike started up just fine and when I was at the neighbor's house, I started it again to entertain a few kids who were standing by. That proved to be all the battery could take and the R1 became a 450lb human-powered vehicle that I had to push home. Thankfully, I only had to push it 100 yards in order to get it home.
Needless to say, I will be rummaging through the garage to try and find the alligator clip extension that came with the battery tender or just put the thing on a standard battery charger.
I did check the battery tender website, and the replacement connector is cheap. Problem: There is a $16 service charge on all orders less than $25. I'll look elsewhere before I do that.
Lesson, R1s are easier to ride when the motor is running; faster too.
1 comment:
Denny,
I have a set of connector cords I will get up to you as soon as I get home.
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