Best way to take out battery

Post by **lombo** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:47 pm

Can anyone tell me or link me to instructions how to replace the battery.
If possible I'm looking for a way without disconnecting fuel lines.

Post by **ProductUser** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 3:24 pm

I just did this three months ago:

Once all of the screws/bolts are removed, just slide the tank back a little. Place a towl under the front of the tank to avoid any scratches. Lift up the rear of the tank about 12-18 inches. Use a helper or a piece of wood to support the rear of the tank.

R&R'ing the battery took one hour.

ProductUser

Post by **bransan** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:13 pm

ProductUser wrote:I just did this three months ago:

Once all of the screws/bolts are removed, just slide the tank back a little. Place a towl under the front of the tank to avoid any scratches. Lift up the rear of the tank about 12-18 inches. Use a helper or a piece of wood to support the rear of the tank.

R&R'ing the battery took one hour.

ProductUser

Wow, if You had it that far why not just pull it off? I have the tank off at least once a year, if nothing else to clean out the dead bugs. The battery should be an hour job with removing the tank. IMHO

BigC · Post by **BigC** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:35 pm

http://home.mindspring.com/~jabrooks/te ... emoval.htm

Post by **ProductUser** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:32 am

bransan wrote:
ProductUser wrote:I just did this three months ago:

Once all of the screws/bolts are removed, just slide the tank back a little. Place a towl under the front of the tank to avoid any scratches. Lift up the rear of the tank about 12-18 inches. Use a helper or a piece of wood to support the rear of the tank.

R&R'ing the battery took one hour.

ProductUser
Wow, if You had it that far why not just pull it off? I have the tank off at least once a year, if nothing else to clean out the dead bugs. The battery should be an hour job with removing the tank. IMHO

As you have described, there are several methods re removing the battery. Thanks for pointing this out.

ProductUser

Post by **rdsmith3** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:51 pm

bransan wrote: Wow, if You had it that far why not just pull it off? I have the tank off at least once a year, if nothing else to clean out the dead bugs. The battery should be an hour job with removing the tank. IMHO

There are some potential pitfalls in removing the tank for someone who is unfamiliar with it. The fuel line quick disconnects are a known point of failure, and every time you disconnect and reconnect them, there is the increased risk of cracking, knicked O rings, etc. Also, in removing the tank, someone might mix up the breather tubes, which will cause problems. I agree that it is a fairly easy job when you are familiar with it, but there are fewer risks with pushing it up and out of the way.

Ar11fiftT-AR · Post by **Ar11fiftT-AR** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:28 pm

Be extra careful when you move the tank toward the back of the bike. Use something to prop it up and protect the paint on your bike. I ignored the advice of everyone, got in a hurry, and managed to scratch my bike to the point it looked like it had been attacked by a rabid wolverine.

Sunbeemer · Post by **Sunbeemer** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:08 pm

When I tried the slide the tank back and lift it to replace my air filter (without disconnecting the oil coolers) I saw that there was considerable stress placed on the lower left oil cooler line. Since it is a metal pipe with only ~ 3 inches of fairly stiff rubber hose it doesn't domuch bending willingly, so I stopped before I bent or broke an oil cooler nipple. I'll follow the procedure in the book (and at JABrooks website) when I have the time to do it right. For now, I don't know enough to know which short cuts are going to work without breaking something!

hirsty · Post by **hirsty** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:14 am

lombo wrote:If possible I'm looking for a way without disconnecting fuel lines.

I pulled mine for the first time the other week whilst swapping handlebars (heated grips connect back underneath...) It wasn't all that bad if you take your time - I was surprised how straightforward it is under there.

My fuel pipes have quick-disconnects & were the simplest part of the whole operation, so don't be concerned. As above, the breather pipes are one to watch out for so they don't get squashed when you drop the tank back down.

Sounds worse than it is, one of those jobs that easier to do than describe ...

R4R&R · Post by **R4R&R** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:45 pm

Turn the bike over and shake it until the battery comes out. Oh wait, I think you have to remove the tank first.

thenewcamus · Post by **thenewcamus** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:35 pm

Yesterday afternoon I got a text message from the wife that there were 2 expensive looking gadgets delivered by UPS. I happened to get my Zumo 550 and Autocom Super Pro Avi at the same time. I responded "Don't expect to spend any time with me tonight". And I was right, I spent the 6 hours between 6pm and Midnight wrestling with the Rockster in the garage.

First off, once again, this board and the Oracles that post to it have made it possible for me to confidently tear the bike apart to an unrecognizable state, put it back together and actually have the d@mn thing start when it's all over.

Part of this was taking off the tank to get to the battery for a solid no-noise ground. All went well until releasing the second Fuel Line Quick Disconnect.

That quiet snap of breaking plastic is the ugliest sound EVER.

After sitting on the floor of the garage for 5 minutes, I headed off to home depot to find some way to jerry-rig it. (Hmm, is that a disparaging WWII reference?)

To make a long story longer, I ended up with a brass pipe jammed into the hoses where I chopped out the QD and fitted with screw clamps.

I rode it today, with the Zumo and Autocom working perfectly, just praying my fuel line hack job holds up until the Omegas arrive. (They are telling me they won't ship till May 8th!!)

Ah well, win some lose some.

thenewcamus · Post by **thenewcamus** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:38 pm

Warning, dumb question: Are those fuel lines pressurized other than gravity pulling fuel down through them?

R4R&R · Post by **R4R&R** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 5:59 pm

thenewcamus wrote:Warning, dumb question: Are those fuel lines pressurized other than gravity pulling fuel down through them?

Only when the fuel pump is running. There is a little residual pressure in the line when the bike is powered off and it is quickly released when you seperate the disconnects.

thenewcamus wrote:To make a long story longer, I ended up with a brass pipe jammed into the hoses where I chopped out the QD and fitted with screw clamps.

Hmm....Sounds like you 'upgraded' the fuel system on your bike. I keep an extra disconnect handy for the next time mine breaks on a sunday afternoon!

Post by **rdsmith3** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:27 pm

Josh,

Sorry to hear about your fuel disconnects. That is why I warned about that in giving reasons why people might want to avoid taking off the tank.

The Omegas should take care of that problem in the future. I bought some myself but have not put them on yet.

Post by **JCsman** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:02 pm

I've had the tank off twice now and, by some miracle the lines and QD's are functioning.

The replacement QD's being mentioned certainly look robust. But they are pretty pricy and still require an O-ring.

So I thought about replacing the QD's, not with other/better QD's, but with a couple of copper tubes. And I could also add fuel injector clamps so I can unscrew the tubes from the fuel lines.

Then, when and if I need to take the lines apart, I can use something like:
http://www.shop.com/op/sprod-0-p3214558 ... cher-nover

(There are many other brands).

For very little money I can pinch the line, remove tank and replace the line w/o concern on the QD's. They are certainly small enough to add to my bike kit.

This results in a "fix" for the fragile QD's and original clamps. Yet I can pull the fuel lines with little effort or risk of a break. And I get new tools (always a plus)! Seems like it might be a fair solution.

Has anybody else tried something like this (I know some of you use copper tubing as a substitute)? Any comments would be welcomed.

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:31 pm

Its easy enough to remove the tank; even if it is a nuisance. when disconnecting the QD's use some silicone spray on the o-rings so reconnecting is easier. Also do the same thing on the rubber tank mounts at the front. This makes the whole job easier.

Post by **rdsmith3** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:11 am

acejones wrote:Its easy enough to remove the tank; even if it is a nuisance. when disconnecting the QD's use some silicone spray on the o-rings so reconnecting is easier. Also do the same thing on the rubber tank mounts at the front. This makes the whole job easier.

It's not just the O rings that are the problem. The plastic QD's crack with normal, careful handling. I had my bike serviced at a dealer last year, and after riding 100+ miles home, I noticed a leak due to a cracked QD. Because the dealer had to remove the tank to do the service, I believe they caused the problem.

Post by **lombo** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:19 pm

To those of you that responed to my questions, thanks

Changing battery was very easy providing you can get a friend to lift the tank as you remove and replace battery.

Thanks again for this forum

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Best way to take out battery

Best way to take out battery

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