Hello to everyone and Happy New.

I haven't been using my bike for a while due to my bucket of ailments. I went to start it the other day after my trickle charger had been off from an electrical outage. After charging I  was getting 13.3v but on cranking it would drop to 10.4v. So decided to buy a new battery, same again BS. I was told that it was about 90% charged so I charged it when I got home. Imagine 100 mile round trip just to buy a battery. Anyway the new battery fired the bike up on the first attempt. The following day the battery having been on the trickle charger was showing 13.3v and on cranking 10.25v. The shop reckons it could just be a dud battery and will exchange it for whatever make I want.I  have yet to exchange it but should I be looking at anything else just in case. ? 

Thanks for looking. 

Is it cranking OK? 10.4 on initial starter engagement should be OK. 

It's not cranking as fast as I'd like it to. 

The 13.3 is surface charge. A fully charged 12V battery is 12.6. If you checked it after the charger was off a few hours it would be 12.6. Also. If you turn on the key/headlight for a few seconds and back off it’d be 12.6 assuming a good battery. 10.5 cranking is good for an automotive battery. Dropping under that on initial starter engagement is OK. I’d assume the same on any 12v starting system as the battery/starter wiring are sized according to need. You have a volt meter and know to test under load. Do you know how to do a voltage drop test?  Set ground lead on ground terminal of battery and other lead on good ground on block, preferably on starter. No more than .5 volt initially and under during cranking. You’ll probably need a helper. Same on positive cable. Pos.  battery to starter wire at starter. 

Thanks for the reply, I have just returned from the battery shop with a new Dynavolt Battery. The BS BTX 14 was a 12ah, 

The new battery is 14ah so might just do the trick. 

Happy new year Fran,

Where do you have to go (100 miles) to get a new battery in the 'ol Sod'?  All the way up to Dublin?

I'm an AZ transplant from Walkinstown Dublin. (goddd, I hated motorcycling in the rain, constantly..)

Limerick 50 miles down 50 miles back. 

Limerick... Ah yes, Where Richard Harris hailed from....

Yup, rode through it many a time....

B.T.W. Richard Harris was on Conan O'Brian (When he had a show) ... Conan asked him being a Limerick man if he had one for the Audience?

Richard said Limericks are really not for public TV, but Conan insisted saying at least it was late night TV, you must have one?

Richard thinks for a moment and says:

There was a young man from Kilcool,

who found a red ring round his tool,

So, he went to the Clinic,

and the doctor, 'a cynic',

Said: "Wash it, it's lipstick you fool!"

I spewed my tea laughing....

Very good. 

Richard Harris went on a bender one time and came home after a few weeks, he opened the door and his wife looked at him with disgust and he says to her why the f##k didn't you pay the ransome  ?