1996 RT help?

[montanasilver]

New bike for me and like a dummy I let it sit most the winter with the battery in it.
I put the charger to the BMW plug but am not sure if I was doing it right, the plug
has been cut off and I am not sure if the tip is hot and the out side is ground on
the plug?? Gave up and pulled the side off for the first time and hooked the charger to the battery. I found one blown fuse and replaced it, as of now all I get is a clicking sound like a low charge? Any help out there, did I kill the battery bad solenoid ?
Duh any help will be nice.
Thanks

[glennhendricks]

Check the voltage on the battery when it's been charged for a while. If there is a dead cell or a dead short the voltage will be too low.

If the voltage is ok then I don't know.

[ArthurKnowles]

On the BMW plugs, the center electrode is positive and the outer ring is negative. Most likely you will need a new battery as a lead acid or gel battery that hits zero volts almost always sulfates and dies. The Oddesy PC680 can be charged at a high rate (not the low 1.5 amps usually used by a battery tender) and sometimes it will recover.

I'd suggest measuring the batttery voltage without the charger. Should be over 12.3 (or so) volts. Then measure it under load (starter) for comparision. A bad battery will have a very low voltage under the load.

[montanasilver]

I have blown it all the way, had a car charger on it and did all the wrong things.
I will search the net for a new one, this one was a WestCo so maybe the same.
Anyway thanks to all.

[DarkCloud]

Did you replace a fuse in the battery charger, or the bike?

[montanasilver]

I replaced one in the bike, 15amp may have blown it when I was playing with the cut off wire on the BMW plug trying to use that to charge the bike at first. I had the car charger clipped on to the bare wires and was not sure which was hot or ground.
Later I pulled the battery half way out and stuck the same charger on it. soooo with the car charger on I hit the start button and still got clickity click. then I got smart and came in and asked a few questions. So off to order a new battery I guess I could take it to Napa and have it checked tomorrow. I have no way to check it and live in dingelweed Montana. Still not sure the best battery for the old girl.

[ArthurKnowles]

I personally like AGM batteries like the Westco because they do not vent battery acid down a releif tube or over the motorcycle, but my lext one will be a pure lead battery like the Oddesy PC680. The last Aerostich catalog I got had them for $117. Pure lead batteries have a higher discharge rate than any other type of battery out there. That means they can crank your motorcycle even in very cold climates and can avoid the voltage loss that cause ABS warnings at startup to boot.

FWIW, BeemerBonyard.Com carries the Westco batteries for about $100.00. Same as I paid for mine last time on eBay.

[montanasilver]

Thanks, the cheapest PC-680 I can find is $126 on eBay with free shipping. I will take the old WestCo and have it checked in town tomorrow before I spend that much$$$$