How to save 5.75 lbs off your bike in 5 minutes

Simple, call the friendly folks at Motovation and get a Ballistic Lithium battery!

I had a little mad money so I sprung for a new battery on the R6. I've no idea if what I took out was stock as the bike is very much modded, but the new battery, an eight cell, is much lighter. The install took about 5 minutes, tops. The battery is about $156. $ per pound it is about the least expensive weight reduction mod you can do, aside from losing the center stand and tool kit. Will I be able to tell a difference? Probably not, but it is cool.

Once I hooked it up the bike fired right up, no fuss, no muss. Over the course of a year these are only supposed to lose 10% of their charge. I'd guess that for the FZ1 the weight savings would be even greater, closer to 7 or 8 pounds.

Answers to all of your questions: Frequently Asked Questions - Ballistic Performance Components

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I here they aren't compatible with a Battery Tender, but have a different system for keeping them topped up.

You simply charge them on a regular charger not a trickle. Because they lose such a small about of charge over time, less than a lead acid, you don't need to have it attached to a tender all the time.

For the R6 this is actually going to be a great battery as that bike is only started once or twice a month. Hell that's all the FZ1 has been started lately..
 
So these just charge like a normal lithium? BTW folks, never use a FAST charger on lithium batteries. After having a "AA" fail from Energizer, I called them on the carpet for warranty because the battery set was only 8 mos old. The girl on the phone asked if I was using the 15 minute charger and I said "Yes, that is how you packaged it." She says "Go get a regular charger because the 15 minute chargers reduce the rechargable life by ..... get THIS...... 75%!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I berated her (company) for even selling them... clearly their hopes are that people will use them, burn them up, not consider a warranty and just go buy more of them. They sent me coupons for 4 replacements though. I did go buy a normal charger.

Pete, what is the life of this battery? How many cold cranking amps are they? Very cool weight savings AND, it would open up space to put a Power Commander with autotune too. :tup:
 
The weight savings is considerable, but given the price of the battery it might only be worth it for a racing bike. Don't forget that you'll be saving the weight in the center of the bike, where it makes the least difference.
 
The weight savings is considerable, but given the price of the battery it might only be worth it for a racing bike. Don't forget that you'll be saving the weight in the center of the bike, where it makes the least difference.

True, but overall, it is still an increase in power to weight ratio, right? I've done my own this past week... lost 4.5 lbs of Eric! :tup:
 
True, but overall, it is still an increase in power to weight ratio, right? I've done my own this past week... lost 4.5 lbs of Eric! :tup:

Yea, it still increases the power to weight ratio, but my comment was more geared toward it making a noticeable difference in the handling. Batteries are usually mounted very close to the center of gravity of the bike so a small weight reduction in that area is not very noticeable.
 
Yea, it still increases the power to weight ratio, but my comment was more geared toward it making a noticeable difference in the handling. Batteries are usually mounted very close to the center of gravity of the bike so a small weight reduction in that area is not very noticeable.

But it does lower the center of gravity. The R6 is about 375 lbs wet, so to remove 5.75 lbs is pretty significant on a percentage basis.

For the FZ1 loss would be about 10 lbs or so.

Sent from my MB508 using Tapatalk
 
But it does lower the center of gravity. The R6 is about 375 lbs wet, so to remove 5.75 lbs is pretty significant on a percentage basis.

For the FZ1 loss would be about 10 lbs or so.

Sent from my MB508 using Tapatalk

I hear you Pete, but it's not the same as say removing 10lbs on an FZ1 by mounting a lighter slip-on muffler...
 
My battery has just about had it, been in there for almost 4 years and it takes me 3 days to trickle charge it to green and it doesn't hold it very long. Figure it is time to replace it and I was looking at this one a couple months back.

I am definitely going to get one in the next month or so.
 
Found this on the other forum too... another brand for savings.

Shorai battery for FZ1 Gen 2 measured with digital scale
stock battery 8.46 lbs.
Shorai battery 1.88 lbs.
weight savings 6.58 lbs.

Now, when you buy these type of batteries, you have to buy the specific charger, correct? This isn't a Battery Tender job I would assume....
 
I've no idea what the cold cranking amps are. It only loses 10% over a year. My R6 sat for 6 weeks and fired right up. This fall I'll probably chance out the one on the FZ too.

Check out their web site for details.

Of the various brands I like the packaging from Ballistic best. Its in a real box not platic wrap.

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