Battery Terminal Reversed!

[Bakunin]

Hello Everyone,

I bought my 2012 FZ8 last year and I love it - never a single problem until the battery went dead on me. OK, no big deal. I bought a new one at the dealer, which is exactly the same as the old one in every way.

It is fully charged, and I installed it exactly as the old one was installed. Turned the key, and... nothing.

Then I noticed that the positive cable is attached to the negative terminal and vice versa. At first I thought that I was sold the wrong battery, but I checked it with the old one, and they are exactly the same! Due to the size and configuration of the cables, there is only one way it can be installed, too. I put the battery back on the charger, and yes, it is fully charged.

Has anyone else had this issue? I'd hate to have my bike towed to a mechanic to change the battery, but it looks like that's where I'm headed unless I can figure this out.

Thanks,

Bakunin

 

[97audia4]

take a picture on the battery please it will help us a lot more., did you put the battery on and reverse the cables because if so you are going to have a lot more issues than just a battery.

 

[Bakunin]

Thanks for the reply. It turns out that I thought I had installed the battery exactly as the old one was, but I was wrong. The battery is capable of being installed two different ways - standing up, or lying on its back. If standing up, the terminals are reversed. If lying on its back, they are positioned correctly. Apparently the batteries are designed like this to be versatile - all of my prior bikes had been cruisers and had the batteries installed standing up, so I was unaware of this issue. Either way, it appears to be perfectly installed - other than for the position of the terminals, of course!

Fortunately, the only damage to my bike was a blown $4 fuse. I am now back in action and loving my FZ8. Thanks again for the offer to help, 97audia4!