What does "sulfated Condition" mean

All automatic battery chargers in the automotive market today have some sort of voltage regulation to prevent overcharging the battery. The rate of the flashing is dependent on the battery type, its rated capacity, the degree of discharge, its age, the temperature, as well as the amperage rating of the battery charger.

If the charger's green LED begins blinking when you connect the charger clips to the battery, the amperage in-rush current to the battery is reaching the pre-set shut-off voltage and the charger is shutting down. The voltage will drop as soon as the charger shuts down, turning the charger back on. This may also mean the charger has detected a battery problem - for instance, its ability to take or hold a charge. Sometimes a battery may be sulfated (accumulation of lead sulfate on the battery plates), and the sulfation is creating a high resistance to the current flow (ability to accept a charge). Or, perhaps the battery is deeply discharged (below 8-volts).

Vector is a "Smart" charger. And won't charge a completely "dead" battery when old "not-smart" chargers would. How old is the battery?
You could take the battery somewhere and have it checked as to whether it's "good" or not before you blame the charger.

F03 - Sulfate or Unchargeable Battery

Appears when the battery is highly sulfated and cannot accept normal charge current.

• Follow the steps in "Recondition Mode" to recondition the battery.

• Follow the steps in "Equalizing" to equalize the battery.

• If the situation persists after reconditioning and equalizing, we recommend taking your battery to a certified automotive service center for evaluation

Whilst all of the original answer is correct (and also very well explained) it doesn't explain how to check your charging system output. If your battery is always losing it's charge it could be either a faulty or dying battery that needs changing for a new one or it is not receiving a charge. To check this you will need a digital meter set to less than 20volts DC. Check the charge across the terminals and as previously described you hopefully have 12.5 volts or slightly higher as this means the battery is charged. Start the bike up and get it idling/ticking over. Recheck the voltage across the terminals and hopefully you will have around 13.5 volts. If you do, then your charging system is working and if not it is at fault and needs investigating. If the battery is being charged but still loses voltage over time whilst standing then as I said the battery may be past its best and want replacing. There is sometimes another reason for voltage drop and that is called a "parasitic draw" which basically means that something is causing power to be lost. A good example is an alarm system that uses low power to run it but can cause a total power loss over time if not charged. Another might be caused by something just shorting to earth/grounding out.

It means the battery charger is your problem. Find an old-style simple battery charger, not one of these new "smart" chargers. The simple ones allowed YOU to decide whether to charge or not. Placed more responsibility on you, but a simple charger would WORK for your battery.

At 9.1V, your battery's DEAD.

F03 means 1 of 2 things:
INTERNAL OPEN CELL - Bad battery. Battery needs to be replaced or
SULFATED CONDITION - Battery needs to be reconditioned for 24 to 48 hours. See owner's manual.

This unit will assume a battery voltage less than 1.5 volts means the battery is sulfated. The flashing yellow light means it has gone into 'desulfate' pulse mode using pulses of high voltage to try and convert the lead sulfate back into sulfuric acid and lead plating. It will do this for about 8 hours on the charger I have. If the voltage has not raised to a level that can can accept a normal charge it will abort the pulse mode and stop trying to charge it. You will need to unplug and replug in the charger to try again. Always check the temperature of the battery while charging it and especially if the charger is in pulse mode. Stop charging if the battery is hot. *always wear safety gear*

This is a printout of the fault codes

System Fault indicator is on and all other
front panel indicators are flashing.

Internal UPS fault. One of nine Internal UPS Fault Messages is displayed:
F01 - On-Battery Overload F06 - Relay Welding
F02 - On-Battery Output Short F07 - Temperature
F03 - On-Battery XCap Overload F08 - Fan Fault
F04 - Clamp Short F09 - Internal Fault
F05 - Charger Fault

F03 is an error code with two possible meanings.

1) battery plates are sulfated, meaning they have a buildup of lead sulfate on the battery plates. Try charging the battery using the "Recondition" button on your charger. If this does not correct the problem then it may be option 2:

2) Open cell in battery. Have battery tested at an auto parts store and be ready to buy a new battery. An open cell means the battery is no longer usable.

Fault Codes Meaning of Fault Code F01 Internal Shorted Cell Battery - Cannot be charged. Have battery checked by certified auto service center.
Excessive Load on Battery While Charging - Check load. F02 Bad Battery Connection - Check battery connection.
Battery Voltage Tool Low to Accept Charge - Have battery checked by certified auto service repair. F03 Internal Open Cell - Have battery checked by certified auto service center.
Sulfated Condition - Battery needs to be reconditioned. See manual. F04 Overtime Condition - Battery will not accept a charge after 18 hours of continous charging. Battery may have internal
damage. Have battery checked by certified auto center.

Battery Charge Rate is Set Too Low - Set charger to higher charge rate. See manual. F05 Overheated Condition - Disconnect charger and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Check for ample ventilation. F06 Reverse Polarity F07 Alternator Output is Out of Typical Operation Range

Operation Codes I=I=I=I Battery Reconditioning - (The letters DES will display for the first three seconds) I-I-I-I Alternator Voltage Check OOO Charger Standby FUL Battery Fully Charged