[bikeriderga]

The side covers are easy to pull off. They are held with tit ends that push into rubber grommets. Just make sure you grasp at the top and button or left and right side, and pull hard. Unless you twist or pull straight up or down, you will be fine.

Here are the steps to remove the front seat and tank. You do not have to remove the tank to get to the battery however.

1. remove side panels
2. remove (2) 6mm bolts holding front seat above battery and above fuse box
3. remove seat
4. remove rear tank bolt 8mm
5. untighten (2) front 8mm bolts
6. place something like a thick towel on the front of the tank
7. place 2 inch block under tank between frame rail and tank bottom.
8. look under tank and you will see the fuel line fitting clamp. unscrew it and let it slide down the hose and remove the hose from the fitting
9. unclip the fuel pump power connector
10. disconnect the plastic vent line at the left rear below the tank
11. remove the (2) 8mm bolts from the front of the tank
12 remove the tank

 

[tasmanuk]

Thanks for the replies. I got the cover off and didn't have to remove the seat to connect my battery charger. The batterywas definitely flat and after a couple of hours she started first go. Connections were all nice and clean. I then went out for an hour to charge it up more so hopefully will be okay for a while now.
My normal riding is for short trips so I do try and do a long ride once every couple of weeks so I am suprised that it lost its charge so quick. Anyway as it is now coming into winter here I think I shall invest in a trickle charger to keep it topped up. Is there a way of connecting the trickle charger to the battery without having to take the covers off each time, not thats its a hassle now I know how to do it. I presume there is no need to remove the entire battery all winter.

 

[CamoColton]

Take it back to the dealer and have them test the battery. My 2010 8-ball got a new battery after 4-weeks of ownership. I'm not sure if the UK warranty differs from the US one, but my battery was covered. It did have enough juice to run the lights and prime the fuel system, but not enough to start it. Turns out it wasn't taking a full charge, and could barely muster 12 volts while under no load. For reference, the battery my 2010 bike came with was three years old. Maybe your battery has a date stamp too.

 

[skisby]

1st - not sure about the 2010 but my 2009 came with a fused maintenance charger connection beneath the left side cover. According to my manual this is standard. 2nd - if not don't worry as most chargers come with both a ring harness & aligator clips. Just install the ring clips and when you are not connected it will tuck into the left side cover. I've used the one below on several bikes with no problems. UK will be different but you get the idea! WINTER storage I use a dolly I picked up from Harbor Freight tools to move it as close to my back wall (garage) as possible, hook it up to the tender, cover and leave till spring http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_29?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1288658243&sr=1-29

 

[phoenix9]

You stated that the connections were "nice and clean", but did you check to make absolutely sure the connnections were TIGHT? If you get a loose connection you will have this problem....and it can lead to heating up the lead wires something bad. Victory's are known to develop loose connections over time, which will give you all kinds of fits.