Seven’s original battery hadn’t been looked after properly, had lost charge over winter and was basically on its way out. So a new one was needed. I opted for a closed Motobatt battery. The prospect of not having to top up water suited me fine.

And I’ve been extremely happy with it the entire time I’ve had it. Seven always started up fine and didn’t cut out a few seconds after starting, as she had done before. Cold temperatures were never a problem.

Not so much a fix as a replacement really. The overheated voltage rectifier had blown my beloved maintenance free Motobatt battery 😦 It was bulged out and had discolouration at the top, like it would have leaked if it hadn’t been a closed battery. Both tell-tale signs, that it had been overcharged!

So we had to find a new one. Not so easy in Georgia, where there are only few motorbikes, and even fewer bike parts shops! Eventually we found one, 12V, 12Ah. But it was the wrong size and the +ive and – ive terminals were on the wrong side (both left to right, and front to back!).

We managed to wedge it in between the air filter box and the oil tank – just! It’s not great though! The oil tank gets really hot and I am sure that’s not great for the battery. (I hope the housing won’t melt!) And the plastic “fake tank” cover doesn’t quite fit together anymore. Finally, there is the problem of the -ive cable not reaching the terminal. No Problem though, our host came up trumps! He hammered a copper pipe flat. drilled holes in both ends and wrapped it in insulation tape: A cable extension that could be screwed to the solid cable end, and the battery. Perfect!