Battery lite

[jake100]

My Batt lite stays on all the time checked with a volt meter reads 13v + i think I read some where that it has a low batt water warning but my battery doesnt have that hook up how can I get that lite out?

[cranky]

... in the home page - Tech Center - 1200 /xII...

Battery Sensor
From the AVA Archives

It seems as though quite a few times the question has been raised on how to disable the battery sensor on the VII so the battery light stays out. Some basic observations for the unknowing should first be considered:

The battery lights purpose is to indicate that the battery electrolyte or water level is low in the battery. This is handy so you don't need to check the level so many times during the riding season since it's not the quickest thing to do.

The battery light has nothing to do with the quality or life left of the battery, other than letting you know the water level is low. If the water level in a battery is left low, it will cause sulfation in the battery cells and lead to pre-mature battery failure.

Most manufacturers make at least two versions of a battery that will work for the Voyagers, one with, and one without the battery sensor. Some of the newest batteries such as the gel batteries, or a maintenance free battery, prevents you from adding water by design. If you would like the convenience of the battery sensor and want to use the standard non-maintenance free batteries, then buy the ones with a sensor. If you get a maintenance free battery, then you don't need to worry about that option and will probably just pay a higher price for the battery.

So after you decide which battery you would like to use, and have decided on a gel, maintenance free, or simply one without a sensor hookup, then you probably will want to disable the sensor by simply connecting the sensor lead to a +12 volt source. This can be done by either using one of the spare leads under the fairing, or simply connecting it to the +12 volt terminal of your battery. Others have suggested to hook a 100 ohm resistor in line with the original wire going to the battery and terminate it at the positive battery terminal.

[jake100]

Thank you

[Van Voyager]

Should also be mentioned : (although may not be an issue in this case) a battery 'dies' by the internal battery resistance rising so much that the battery can't put out enough current. So although the measured voltage output may look 'normal', the battery may not have enough power when put under load.