I've had my bike now for about 2 weeks ('90 600 F1). It's been running great but last night the battery started making a really high pitched whistle after shutting down the bike. I rode all day and it was fairly hot out. I pulled the battery out and it was so hot, I couldn't touch it with bare hands. It's a sealed energizer battery but it does have the cap strip on top that says DO NOT REMOVE. I noticed that the caps were starting to blow off with the heat expansion inside the battery. Is this simply a bad battery or could I be looking at a charging issue?

 

Definately sounds like a problem, make sure that the battery in your bike is the proper one ( I dont recall those early CBR's having sealed batteries) but fix it before it explodes ( the battery)

 

Definitely change out that battery and put the OEM one in.

 

Thanks for the advice. I called the mechanic that has been working on the bike for a while now. He said the previous owner picked up that cheezball battery (It's an Energizer sealed batter). He ordered me the real deal and I'm picking it up today. I'll get the bike going with that so I can test the rest of the charging system.

 

UPDATE -

The battery had an internal short. This was caused by a bad voltage regulator. Voltages and/or amps were not being properly reduced from the stator before being sent to the battery for charge. This was also apparent in the low voltage accessory circuits. My headlight would get dim, bright, dim, etc. about once per minute or two. Overcharging was boiling the battery to the piont were the "sealed" battery caps were nearly blowing off from heat expansion. The noise was the battery venting those toxic fumes. I rode the bike about 12 miles home after I first noticed the problem. I was luck the battery didn't explode under my *** not to mention the damage that the bike would have endured.

My new $145 regulator comes in on Friday and I already have a new $75 battery. I haven't even had the bike two weeks. Ouch... the joys of motorcycle ownership!

[:'(]

 

Well if its a used bike its parts, if its a new bike its payments....you cant win no matter what...but here in cali gas prices are going up by the second, filled up the other day at 3.12 a gallon for regular...the joys of motorcycling save my *** in gas mileage

 

3.12 a gallon??? GEEEZUS!!!!! I thought I was getting boned here in Sacramento. Did someone at least buy you dinner before they bent you over and .... er, never mind. This is depressing.