Batterys in cycles are very ficcle things. I have had to buy new batterys often. Some charge well but most just dont hold it well... for long. My Ninjas usually lasted two seasons with occational charging. Bikes do weird things with low batterys, stop running well, electrics do funny things and on and on. I have had trouble with starting bikes - a new battery and boom start right up. I have had bikes running fine but the electrics do funny things. A battery for my Ninja costs about 60 to 75 bucks. For the cl350 about 45 bucks. A good charger can run you (trickel-25 bucks) My charger is much better at amlmost 200.00. and will charge fast slow or Jump at dif amps and volts. Take the time to slowly trickel-charge a new battery fully! If it is not charged correctly from the get-go, it will not last, or recharge well. My two cents...LATE FOR WORK GOTTA GO!!!
 

Ok good. Sounds like my pal Hiroshi tracked down a battery that fits my bike for about $60! If it fits, I will be super-duper pleased! It is a battery for a small CAR! But, it appears that is what is in my bike at the present time, so fine. Hiroshi looked up the info at a car parts store called "Autobacs" which is the equivalent of Schuck's or one of those car parts shops that sells only a few things that motorbikes can make use of. This is a major price difference and I wonder who thinks this is ok? I often wish that Japanese people were more annoying in one particular way that Americans are really good at, which is to say "HOW MUCH?!? YOU PEOPLE ARE THIEVES!" In general, only old ladies say that kind of thing here and people just blow them off as being "old". I wish we could just say, "Really? No. That is too high. Lower the price or my 10,000 friends and I will shop somewhere else." But then I woke up.

Too often Japanese are the "Nothing we can do about it." And bike people just say "Well, it is either pay or don't ride, so I pay." Which is what I am forced to say. Americans will complain, but there isn't enough of a coalition to get things to change.

Anyway, I would much rather pay $60 than $200 for a battery. Vvroom.
 

STOP the PRESSES!!! In a stroke of intelligence beyond the usual amount needed to scratch one's own butt, I realized that approximately 1/3 of a block from my house is a very small garage...they have a charger. So, I had to take my battery out anyway to go buy a new one/dispose of the old one, and I thought...I would rather pay these guys to charge my battery over night than get a new battery today.

2100yen/$20 is kinda much just to charge a battery, but hey, I am cool with a battery that starts my bike.

VVVVRRRROOOOMMMMM!!!!!!! Sorry, I exaggerated, it's a BMW...(whisper) vvvrrooommm.

But anyway, it starts great. I will take a ride perhaps this weekend to Kobe or somewhere, and get the bike some action. Not that worried about it "Not starting again" because I will have to start it once more to actually leave the house, and I am going to assume that if it can start up again in 4 days, it will charge up during my ride enough to get back.

Still, I may get a new cheap battery before touring starts.

That reminds me, time to get another international driver's license. I need to get one every year since it is not actually renewable. But there is NO vehicle license in Japan that is cheaper than $15 a year. (And with the I.D.L. I could technically drive a car, small truck or any size bike I feel like...legally.)