How old is your Ballistic battery???

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toppy

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I am thinking about getting a Ballistic battery the 12 cell type as I have an Alton Ekit starter what appeals most is the small size as I have a 20ah gell battery which has plenty of power for multiple starts but does take up alot of space.
The ballistic battery is smaller but more than twice the cost so I was wondering how long they really last??? Not the makers claim but you owner's in real world how old is your battery an do you have the special charger to look after it or is it fit an forget as some claim??
 
Mine is entering it's 3rd season of use. So far so good. Had an issue last fall of low voltage,
turned out it needed to be balance charged. No problems since.
 
Batteries, batteries, batteries, gee I love my Joe Hunt maggie.

Ashley
 
ashman said:
Batteries, batteries, batteries, gee I love my Joe Hunt maggie.

Ashley
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Mine runs fine with coils. An the starter or kick it an it goes first time every time so why use a mag?
An if its fitted to the timing cover as I have seen a few times then its not the look for me sorry.
 
toppy said:
ashman said:
Batteries, batteries, batteries, gee I love my Joe Hunt maggie.

Ashley
Click to expand...

Mine runs fine with coils. An the starter or kick it an it goes first time every time so why use a mag?
An if its fitted to the timing cover as I have seen a few times then its not the look for me sorry.
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Amen.
 
I run my lights off the altenator using a battery elimantor and not much wiring with only 5 main wires in my wiring harness and 1 earth wire.

Ashley
 
Sounds interesting. Does the headlight stay bright at idle? I have a system something like this on a dirt bike, but the light is really only useable with the engine revved, wouldn't work in traffic.

Glen
 
worntorn said:
Sounds interesting. Does the headlight stay bright at idle? I have a system something like this on a dirt bike, but the light is really only useable with the engine revved, wouldn't work in traffic.

Glen
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On your dirt bike, is this because you have a flywheel magneto :?: :shock:
 
Yes, it has a flywheel magneto as well as lighting coils. At idle the headlight is about as bright as a flickering candle. Revved to 2500 or so it gets about as bright as a flashlight with near dead batteries. It is enough to pick your way home down a trail in the dark, provided you go very slowly in low gear, and of course, no traffic to worry about. It is not safe for road use, tho that was the maker's intention.
At idle with a Norton, I can't imagine the standard alternator putting out any current, so my question is, does the battery Eliminator somehow provide full bright lighting at idle the same way a good battery does? Or do you just hope and pray not to get caught out riding at night in traffic with such a system?
I'm all for eliminating the battery if there is some way to do this and still have the convenience and safety that a battery provides.

Glen
 
Is this a Ballistic exclusive thread or will other Lithium Iron batteries, Shorai for example, apply to your question.

I have 16 amp (200ish watt) charging system with Shorai LFX14L5-BS12. Due to the mag for ignition, this is dedicated to the lighting and anything else electrical. Simply, I won't worry about either loose ignition nor lighting. The WOLO horn is loud, the lights are very bright all the time and spark is large. I have my egg in two baskets and this segregated system offers reliability and safety. I suppose I could loose that battery and go with a capacitive something or other, but safe riding is more critical than ever and the bright lights and loud horns may take a toll on lessor system.

It is a relatively young battery, on it's second season, and is as it was when delivered in terms of charge and function.
 
Any lithum type battery realy. From the comment about a having low voltage until connected to its special charger and other things I have read in other places about need for the specific chargers for a make of battery needing to be used to balance the power of the cells for optimum life. Plus the fact that chemicals in battery have a set life from day battery is made regardless of how battery is used or cared for it seems to me these kind of batteries are not as yet ready to overta acid kind an though they are good you cant have your cake and eat it as the saying goes an so life spa and current costs are the big issue with them.
 
I have two Shorai LFX18. One is on my Alton e-start 750 Commando, the other for my T150 Trident 850 with a Madigan starter. One was bought March 2012, the other August 2012 and both are still in perfect health.

David
 
For my Project bike, I built the battery box specifically to hold a Ballistic 12 cell on it's side. That way the battery and all of the electrical are hidden from view under the rear cowl. After two early failures of these expensive batteries, there is no point in repeating the experience.
Because of the size constraint, I am stuck using some kind of battery that is small and can lay on it's side. If I cannot find a sealed lead acid or AGM battery to fit, a Shorai will be the next trial. Tho they do show up as having some problems, it seems they at least have a number of happy customers one or two years down the road.
Be aware that Shorai requires a charging system with a minimum 13.1 volts output at idle. If your system does not produce this
( no stock Norton does, nor do the after markets to my knowledge), then warranty is void.

Glen
 
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