Where do you buy your bike battery from?! which brand?!

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I have nothing but great things to say about the lithium ferrous phosphate battery I upgraded to a couple years ago:

http://www.ballisticparts.com/products/batteries/8cell.php

The 8 Cell EVO2 is our most popular battery by a large margin simply because it fits the most vehicles in the powersports world. The 8 Cell EVO2 will work with everything from 450cc MX bikes to 1000cc multi-cylinder motorcycles. This battery is robust, impact resistant, water resistant, and has more starting punch than 90% of all the powersports lead-acid batteries available. Most motorcycles in this range use an OEM battery that weighs up to 11lbs. The 8 Cell EVO2 batteries weigh 1.7lbs. That is a weight savings of more than 9lbs for less than $160! If your powersports vehicle has modified motor, additional electrical accessories, or operates in extreme conditions then we would recommend upgrading to the 12 Cell EVO2 for added durability. There is no special charger required​
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  • Up to 80% smaller than the stock battery
  • Up to 10lbs Lighter than the stock battery
  • Service life of over twice a lead acid in similar conditions
  • Industry leading 3 year warranty
  • Designed, developed, and assembled in the USA
  • Completely “dry” technology so batteries can be mounted in any direction
  • Non-toxic, recyclable, and can be air shipped
  • Applications for powersports vehicles from 50cc - 2300cc
  • Tested extensively by professional race teams
  • Impact and water resistant
  • Works with the original equipment charging system
  • No trickle charger required, loses only 10% of charge over a year of static use
 
mmmnaked said:
Shorai

It'll cost you $200 but it has more cranking power and its about 1/3 the size of a standard battery. Good stuff.
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Agreed, or another similar (type) battery I believe is from Ballistic (these are classified as LFP batteries).


Edit: See what Xhumeka posted with regards to the Ballistic brand.
 
Tony @ bluestreakracing.ca , yuasa, excellent vendor
 
mototrek said:
If you can get a Crappy Tire battery to fit in your box, grab it $39.00 for trouble free rides. I have an odd size "T" battery for the Honda Tourer - they want $150.00 for a new one. I may take the bike in and have a body work guy RESHAPE my "T" battery box to fit the CRAPPY TIRE unit. Comon!! $39.00!!!

There's just no SHAME!

Oh, and when parked, my bike is always on the battery tender. Always! Ummm except when I'm outta town on a multi day ride somewhere.
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My ST1300 was also one of the stupid ones that had a 225 buck battery if I wanted an OE replacement. I went to Ready Honda and they were able to give me a "Koyo" branded battery, made in Taiwan stamped on the side not crappy Chinese battery. It only cost I believe 69 bucks plus tax and has been working the past 3 months with no problems.
 
Xhumeka said:
I have nothing but great things to say about the lithium ferrous phosphate battery I upgraded to a couple years ago:

http://www.ballisticparts.com/products/batteries/8cell.php



group1-12.jpg


​
  • Up to 80% smaller than the stock battery
  • Up to 10lbs Lighter than the stock battery
  • Service life of over twice a lead acid in similar conditions
  • Industry leading 3 year warranty
  • Designed, developed, and assembled in the USA
  • Completely “dry” technology so batteries can be mounted in any direction
  • Non-toxic, recyclable, and can be air shipped
  • Applications for powersports vehicles from 50cc - 2300cc
  • Tested extensively by professional race teams
  • Impact and water resistant
  • Works with the original equipment charging system
  • No trickle charger required, loses only 10% of charge over a year of static use
Click to expand...

I have a friend who has one of these and says its great UNTIL you ahve to ride in the cold and it doesn't crank so well... for a track bike it'd work great tho ...
 
chiller said:
I have a friend who has one of these and says its great UNTIL you ahve to ride in the cold and it doesn't crank so well... for a track bike it'd work great tho ...
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Silly, no one rides in the cold - that's what cars are for.

:D


P.S. In all seriousness, that's good to know, 'cause the review I found on WebBikeWorld never mentioned any tests under differing environmental conditions (just "cold" cranking to check the amps/voltage over some duration of inactivity).
 
Yuasa from the cheapest place. They make a few different lines of battery so just find out which ones and get the cheapest. They have never let me down but I am waiting to see how well the new lightweight batteries last.
 
chiller said:
I have a friend who has one of these and says its great UNTIL you ahve to ride in the cold and it doesn't crank so well... for a track bike it'd work great tho ...
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How cold are we talking about? I have never had a problem starting my bike in temperatures as low as -10 degree celcius... (on a 450cc). If your friend rides a large displacement bike frequently in the cold, maybe a 12 cell is a better fit for him/her.

I pulled this info from Ballistic's site FWIW:

All batteries start to lose performance below 32ºF (0ºC), and LiFePO4 batteries tend to fall off more dramatically. When the temperature of the EVO2 goes below 32ºF (0ºC) internal resistance starts to build in the battery and the amount of available amperage goes down as well. This should lower the Cold Cranking Amp rating, correct?


No. LiFePO4 batteries have the ability to build their own internal heat energy when a draw is put on the battery. This means that although if may be 0ºF (-18ºC) outside, the battery has the ability to raise its internal temperature to 58ºF (14ºC) in seconds with a 100amp draw. As the temperature rises inside the battery, internal resistance lowers and the battery performs just like it does when it is 60ºF (15ºC) outside. This means that the amount of available amperage does not change based on temperature.
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( from http://www.ballisticparts.com/tech/faq.php#6 )
 
RedDogDarren said:
Wow! 3 months eh?
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that's right ... but since its so cheap, i figure i'll that I can replace the battery every 2 yrs, the OE Yuasa lasted 130k 6 yrs ...
 
Xhumeka said:
How cold are we talking about? I have never had a problem starting my bike in temperatures as low as -10 degree celcius... (on a 450cc). If your friend rides a large displacement bike frequently in the cold, maybe a 12 cell is a better fit for him/her.

I pulled this info from Ballistic's site FWIW:



( from http://www.ballisticparts.com/tech/faq.php#6 )
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its a 600 ... and cranking at approx 0c to +5c, he said that it would not crank right away ... it sounded weak, like the starter was slow ... however if you did it like that 2 or 3 times then the 3rd or 4th attempt would fire the bike
 
chiller said:
I have a friend who has one of these and says its great UNTIL you ahve to ride in the cold and it doesn't crank so well... for a track bike it'd work great tho ...
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I have a shorai 8 cell on my 1000cc I4 street bike. At under 5 degrees C, it will struggle on the first crank. However, the first crank will warm up the battery and by the 2nd attempt it will fire right now without issue. So far, the coldest that I have tried starting my bike is -5 and it started up after the 3rd attempt. Given my riding habits, its a perfectly acceptable trade off for the 6+ lbs it cut.

For a "performance" application, its a great battery.
 
if the bike manual states a 12v 10ah battery, would it be safe to use a 12v 11ah-14ah battery? I checked out different brands and the AH value changes per brand (ie: yuasa has a 11ah, powersport 12ah), and they're all suppposed to be an alternative for the oem battery.

i'm assuming since they have it advertised as an alternative then it would be ok, but what would be the effects? or are there none at all? (ie: more power for crank? etc)

curious.
 
Picked up a battery for my Ducati from SaskBattery. Perfect replacement, it arrived fully charged. I also ordered a trickle charger as well that works perfect.
 
chiller said:
I have a friend who has one of these and says its great UNTIL you ahve to ride in the cold and it doesn't crank so well... for a track bike it'd work great tho ...
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shucks!!! I am looking for a little more real-estate under the seal....I guess this is out of the question for me?
 
5:12 said:
if the bike manual states a 12v 10ah battery, would it be safe to use a 12v 11ah-14ah battery?
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10ah represents the CAPACITY of the battery - ie, how many hours a battery can delivery 1 amp for.

Providing the delivered voltage is the same, you are safe no matter how many "amp hours" the battery is rated for.

Think of it like a gas tank - providing you use the correct fuel (ie voltage) it doesn't matter how MUCH fuel you have in your tank (ie amp hours).
 
Xhumeka said:
10ah represents the CAPACITY of the battery - ie, how many hours a battery can delivery 1 amp for.

Providing the delivered voltage is the same, you are safe no matter how many "amp hours" the battery is rated for.

Think of it like a gas tank - providing you use the correct fuel (ie voltage) it doesn't matter how MUCH fuel you have in your tank (ie amp hours).
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nice. thanks.
 
frekeyguy said:
shucks!!! I am looking for a little more real-estate under the seal....I guess this is out of the question for me?
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Not necessarily.... it is slow to crank only on the first attempt or second attempt. It WILL fire up though. If you can live with that, it saves a heck of a lot of space/weight and will likely last you for the life of your next 2 bikes.
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