Replacement Battery

[B.D.F.]

If I am riding locally only, then I wait for the battery to show signs of deterioration which is usually a voltage drop when cranking (more of a voltage drop then usual- all batteries drop from nominal voltage when cranking an engine over). I then start looking around for a battery, casually pick one and put it in the bike. If I were going on a long ride through I might consider replacing a battery just to have the very best odds of <not> having trouble when far from home. Especially so if that distance was some type of long distance / timed run where a failure to start could and probably would ruin the odds of completing the trip in the alloted time. But mostly I just wait for any vehicular battery to either get very weak or fail outright before replacement.

Brian

So how often do you all replace your batteries?  Do you do it every 3 or 4 years, needed or not, or do you just wait until it leaves you stranded?

[maxtog]

If I am riding locally only, then I wait for the battery to show signs of deterioration which is usually a voltage drop when cranking (more of a voltage drop then usual- all batteries drop from nominal voltage when cranking an engine over). [...] But mostly I just wait for any vehicular battery to either get very weak or fail outright before replacement.

+1.  I usually replace when there are signs of deterioration on the M/C and wait a bit longer on cars.  But I never replace a battery just because it is some, certain age.  You can usually tell, even without a voltmeter, when a battery is starting to get weak, especially when it starts to get cold outside.

[Cheesecake]

My Shorai has appeared to have failed in less than a year with VERY little usage.  I will update you guys after they contact me about it.

Do a google search for shorai failure. There are many.

[DaveO]

So how often do you all replace your batteries?  Do you do it every 3 or 4 years, needed or not, or do you just wait until it leaves you stranded?

I replace m/c battery on the third year .I dont wait for trouble.

[mikeboileau]

Here is the deal.  The Shorai does NOT like to be discharged over storage periods.  Kipass on the C-14 and what ever else will drain it.  I f you drain it fully, it is toast.  Mine discharged over a couple of months in storage on the bike and it died.  Shorai replaced it with bigger battery for an additional $40.00.  They were very cooperative.  I hope that this one works better.  A tender WITHOUT a sulfation mode can be used to maintain it.  Shorai makes a tender for it.  I was an early adopter on this and while I am disappointed in having a problem, Shorai was very good at dealing with it. 

[MidlifeCrisis]

I too have experience with LiPo batteries in RC airplane and RC cars.  Early LiPo - especially the no-name brand offshore ones - have spotty reliability.  These days, I have been running Traxxas 3S LiPo packs in my EMAXX with great results.  The old NiCd and NiMH packs used to get hot after running for some time, these LiPo's stay cool and yield tremendous current draws - while doing some jumps and crash landings that no laptops LiPos dare to dream in their worst nightmares.

I also run a Shorai in my Aprilia RSV1000R, which has a fairly well-known problem of using a somewhat under-sized battery and eating sprag gears when ham-fisted riders kept cranking on the starter on a weak battery.  Problem is: the stock location for the battery is only so large, so you could barely upsize the YTX12-BS to YTX14-BS, with a modest increast from 180CCA to 210CCA.  I went with a Shorai that is not only smaller and lighter, but puts out 270CCA.  Unlike with the stock batt, the big twin now fires up much faster at the touch of the starter button.  The insurance against sprag gear failure (which cost at least $500 parts & labor to replace) is worth it in my book.  The lightweight are just fringe benefits.

The YTX14-BS is still going strong in my C14, but when it comes time to replace, I'm getting a Shorai LFX21A6-BS12 with 315 CCA.  Is 105 CCA (50%) increase and 7 lbs savings worth $150?  Well, I just replaced the 19.5 lbs stock muffler with a 7 lbs Area P, with what little power gains I can't even feel.  At $315 slightly used, I thought I got a great deal vs. brand new one at $450 +S&H.  Somehow I don't think anybody hear will tell me I wasted my money on that one.

Folks are always apprehensive about new technologies.  That's why you have idiots like me to do the experimenting and early adoption.

Two roads diverge in a yellow wood... and which road you choose is entirely up to you.

[freebird6]

Battery went belly up last night. No warning. Went home and got the trailer, put the charger on and went out this AM to see a message flashing Bad Bat.

Looked for a listing of available batts on both forums and found this thread. Based on searching several threads I chose the Motobatt  http://www.motobatt.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=94&year=08-12&cc=1400&manufacturer_id=39&category_id=63&model_id=88

82 bucks plus 8 bucks to get it tomorrow. Factory ready to install? That is a plus in my book.

I live in the cold and my bike is in the barn in the winter so I am a bit shy with the LiOn as we get below zero on a regular basis.

[VirginiaJim]

I believe that's the one I have.

[stevewfl]

I too have experience with LiPo batteries in RC airplane and RC cars.  Early LiPo - especially the no-name brand offshore ones - have spotty reliability.  These days, I have been running Traxxas 3S LiPo packs in my EMAXX with great results.  The old NiCd and NiMH packs used to get hot after running for some time, these LiPo's stay cool and yield tremendous current draws - while doing some jumps and crash landings that no laptops LiPos dare to dream in their worst nightmares.

I also run a Shorai in my Aprilia RSV1000R, which has a fairly well-known problem of using a somewhat under-sized battery and eating sprag gears when ham-fisted riders kept cranking on the starter on a weak battery.  Problem is: the stock location for the battery is only so large, so you could barely upsize the YTX12-BS to YTX14-BS, with a modest increast from 180CCA to 210CCA.  I went with a Shorai that is not only smaller and lighter, but puts out 270CCA.  Unlike with the stock batt, the big twin now fires up much faster at the touch of the starter button.  The insurance against sprag gear failure (which cost at least $500 parts & labor to replace) is worth it in my book.  The lightweight are just fringe benefits.

The YTX14-BS is still going strong in my C14, but when it comes time to replace, I'm getting a Shorai LFX21A6-BS12 with 315 CCA.  Is 105 CCA (50%) increase and 7 lbs savings worth $150?  Well, I just replaced the 19.5 lbs stock muffler with a 7 lbs Area P, with what little power gains I can't even feel.  At $315 slightly used, I thought I got a great deal vs. brand new one at $450 +S&H.  Somehow I don't think anybody hear will tell me I wasted my money on that one.

Folks are always apprehensive about new technologies.  That's why you have idiots like me to do the experimenting and early adoption.

Two roads diverge in a yellow wood... and which road you choose is entirely up to you.

As my batteries fail or I feel better freshening them, they are all being replaced by Shorai.  I put a fresh battery in my KTM for a trip recently, had to trust it in some of the most remote areas of the USA.  Power and weight, these batteries are a WIN 

[Jim]

I'm going to give the "Battery Tender BTL14A240C Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery" a try. it's $94 on Amazon. Since I'm in Florida and the bike does not sit long, it should be OK. I can't believe it has higher CCA and only weighs 1.8 lbs. I'll post when I get it installed.

[Jim]

I put the "Battery Tender BTL14A240C Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery" ($94 Amazon)battery in today. 10 pounds lighter and cranked the bike right out of the box. The extra set of terminals helped me clean up some sloppy wiring from previous Mods. The only PIA is making the battery strap fit the much smaller battery. So Far, So Good. 10 lbs off the top. F=MA thats about 1.3 hp .

[Jim]

Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery update:
It has been 10 months and the battery is well. I even tried to kill it by leaving the trunk on plugged in for weeks sitting in the garage. The battery went "dead" (kpass would not come on) but I only had to charge it for a few seconds once the kpass clicked, and came back to life and started the bike. It still runs and starts fine. I see Battery Tender is making even bigger ones now.

[elp_jc]

It has been 10 months and the battery is well.

May I ask you if it cranks the bike at the same speed as the stock battery well charged? I've been skeptical about these batteries, and the fact they require a special charger. But maybe it's time to give them a try, especially now that they came down in price to pretty much the same level as a lead-acid one.

[Jim]

Thr Cranking Speed is the same (faster than the old half dead one that I took out). The battery volt drops to 11v when cranking which tells that the battery has enough cranking amps.