What battery do you use and why?

What Battery Did You Choose and Why?

  • Lead Acid Battery

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • Gel Battery (Bikemaster TrueGel, other gel)

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • Absorbed Glass Mat Battery

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • Lithium Ion (Shorai LFX, Ballistic Evo2)

    Votes: 5 25.0%

  • Stock - I'm a wizard with the battery tender.

    Votes: 8 40.0%

  • Other, please post what you use and why

    Votes: 1 5.0%
  • Total voters
    20
  • Poll closed .
Ssky0078

Ssky0078

Wizard
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Hi guys,

Amidst all the other stuff I'm trying to take care of on my bike it seems the battery is getting ready to up and die on me. Cold cranks in the morning seem to be getting weaker and weaker. So, I've never purchased a motorcycle batter and am beginning to learn that there are 4 main types; Lead Acid, Gel, Lithium Ion and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM).

So, what battery did you chose for your bike and why?

p.s. I read on another thread there is a way to roll start the bike, can you tell me how to do that just in case. I have an '09. I've roll started cars but the thought on the bike is a little worrying.
 
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Whe I first bought my 2006 2 years ago the battery was weak so I replaced it with a gell style (don't remember the make) considering that the battery is laying down. No problems since then. As for push starting, it's pretty much the same as a car. Get up to a good speed (someone pushing or a hill is best), make sure you're sitting on the bike, pick a gear (I use 3rd), and let out the clutch. If you're on a gravel road you may have to use 4th to keep the rear tire from skidding (past experience). Good luck.:cheers:
 
Whatever battery you choose it needs a Battery Tender to keep it up to snuff as there is very little excess capacity in a bike battery. Keep it topped up with a BT and it will last a lot longer and be ready when you need it. It's really a necessity, imo.
 
I still have the stock battery in my 06. It has never been on a tender and I have left the headlights on and ran the batt down so low it would not start the bike twice. both times I used a charger and the battery came back. guess i leaning toward replaceing it with another stock battery. In april my bike and battery will be 7 years old.
 
Evitzee said:
Whatever battery you choose it needs a Battery Tender to keep it up to snuff as there is very little excess capacity in a bike battery. Keep it topped up with a BT and it will last a lot longer and be ready when you need it. It's really a necessity, imo.
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I was reading up on the Lithium batteries and the gel and they advertise not needing to use a tender if you ride at least once a month. I ride every day. Also the coldest it might get here is 32F.
 
Well I guess the question is there a way to test the battery, much the same as testing a car battery to determine if it is still good or not?

I just noticed that my battery is very slow to turn over in the morning when cold. Like 6-7 rotations before it fires up. Even then it will sometimes catch once fire up and then die right away after one rotation.

In the afternoon it's 2-5 rotations before it fires up, depends on how cold it is, and how long ago it was that I rode it.
 
I just noticed that my battery is very slow to turn over in the morning when cold. Like 6-7 rotations before it fires up. Even then it will sometimes catch once fire up and then die right away after one rotation.

In the afternoon it's 2-5 rotations before it fires up, depends on how cold it is, and how long ago it was that I rode it.



If it starts without a real issue, your battery passed the test. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a better indicator of the battery health is how fast the rotations occur, not when the engine starts. Sounds like your bike is a yamaha. It doesn't like cold weather. I wouldn't worry about it until the rotations slow dramatically or stop altogether. If the bike is starting in colder weather within 5 seconds of you pushing the start button, it is probably fine.

Dying right away is not indicative of a bad battery. It has nothing to do with the battery. It is more than likely the cold weather that is causing this.
 
My bike is parked outside at work. During the winter, it takes a bit more effort to fire up because of how cold it is. That's just the nature of things. Cold oil and cold batteries are always a struggle.

I did look into Li-Ion batteries but I got the impression that they are even harder to start in the cold. The Shorai website states that you should turn the lights on for something like 5 minutes before starting, to generate heat in the battery so it can crank. No thanks.
 
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Dustin said:
My bike is parked outside at work. During the winter, it takes a bit more effort to fire up because of how cold it is. That's just the nature of things. Cold oil and cold batteries are always a struggle.

I did look into Li-Ion batteries but I got the impression that they are even harder to start in the cold. The Shorai website states that you should turn the lights on for something like 5 minutes before starting, to generate heat in the battery so it can crank. No thanks.
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I talked with the guys at the shop. They said basically the same thing that the Lithium battery is harder to start in the cold and the other thing is it is a fire risk. The guy said he had a buddy who was all excited with a new Lithium battery and after riding one afternoon I guess his charging system was a little too strong for the battery, well it overheated and caught fire basically destroying his bike.

BTW this particular shop stopped selling the Bikemaster Gel altogether because too many people were having issues with them and trying to return them for warranty.

I ended up picking a new Yuasa Maintenance Free. He took like $45 off the price so it will be $132 out the door. He had the Western Power Sports one as well that I would have got for $80 out the door but he said they saw a lot of warranty claims on that battery. Too me that is a small price for piece of mind. I've been stranded in a car before because of battery issues and it's always nice when someone comes along to help but man those moments of waiting and not knowing when the help will come sure sucks.
 
I'm starting to wonder why I post on here. I just seem to jinx myself over and over again. So I asked about how to roll start a bike. I mananged to leave my key in and on when I got to work today. Went outside 5 hours later and sure enough she was dead. So, I appreciate the pointer about putting it in 2nd to roll start it. I managed to accomplish it in the parking space, 5mph speed, pop the clutch, pull it back in and she fired right up. Threw her on the center stand and revved to 4000 RPMs for 2 minutes. I'm good to go.

At least it's gonna be my old battery I screwed up with.
 
Ssky0078 said:
I'm starting to wonder why I post on here. I just seem to jinx myself over and over again. So I asked about how to roll start a bike. I mananged to leave my key in and on when I got to work today. Went outside 5 hours later and sure enough she was dead. So, I appreciate the pointer about putting it in 2nd to roll start it. I managed to accomplish it in the parking space, 5mph speed, pop the clutch, pull it back in and she fired right up. Threw her on the center stand and revved to 4000 RPMs for 2 minutes. I'm good to go.

At least it's gonna be my old battery I screwed up with.
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Revving it for 2 minutes won't do much to charge the battery if it was completely dead, our charging systems aren't that good. Personally, I'd still recommend a Battery Tender Jr. to keep the bike topped up. If you drive it every day you probably don't need it, but my bike has been sitting in the garage since mid-December on a BT. I know when I roll it out next week it will be fully charged, and batteries last a lot longer if always on full charge in my experience.
 
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Evitzee said:
Revving it for 2 minutes won't do much to charge the battery if it was completely dead, our charging systems aren't that good. Do not be surprised if you have problems now getting a good charge in it. You really need an external charger to bring it back to full charge, the stock system won't do it just driving around.
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External charger is a must. Especially this time of year in the states.
 
I replaced my stock battery with a Shorai. It's weighs signifigantly less than the standard stock replacements and provides plenty of cranking power. I still have my stock battery that sits on a shelf attached to the battery tender. It's nice to have a 12V DC source around.
 
Well I had already ordered the Yuasa Maintenance Free Battery and it should get here on Friday. As long as I can make it till then. I will look into getting a battery tender/charger.

Thanks guys
 
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