New Battery for my 74

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Ricochetrider

Ricochetrider

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Howdy.
My bike's battery has seen better days, so sometime pretty soon,mail buy a new one. Been looking about a bit, and found the Anti Gravity Lithium Ion 16 cell super battery- expensive but it is the perfect size.

http://shop.antigravitybatteries.com/antigravity-batteries-yt12bs-16/#PhotoSwipe1431724725413

I have a Boyer ignition, probably a few years old. I know this battery is probably overkill...
Oh well.

What battery is anyone else using?
Anybody use Lithium Ion batteries yet?

Thanks.
Tom
 
I have that same battery in my bike.

It works OK. I have a big charging system to keep it at full voltage.

It is easily killed with a small parasitic drain -like an alarm system or a leaky blue can. Umlike a lead acid battery it can only discharge so far before it switches off -to protect itself. Just like a battery on a battery powered drill.

Since I have an alarm on my bike I have to charge it daily. I keep a small charger on a timer to charge it 4 hours per day.

There has been no advantage that I have seen. Since it is such a high amperage battery it is not much lighter than the lead acid it replaced. Without e-start I have no use for all that cranking capacity. I could use more reserve capacity than it has.

I would never pay for another one -this one was given to me on a promotion.

I will buy another Odyssey PC310 battery next time. They usually last me around 10 years each and don't go dead so easily. Jim
 
Ricochetrider said:
I have a Boyer ignition, probably a few years old. I know this battery is probably overkill...
What battery is anyone else using?
Anybody use Lithium Ion batteries yet?

Thanks.
Tom
Click to expand...
Yeah, overkill, unless you're running an electric starter. As you probably already know, the Norton will run without a battery, as long as you have a good working capacitor. Of course, the Boyer throws this into a different light, since it needs power from the git-go. Without the electric start, the only thing that really matters to the bike is amp-hours. More is better to allow you to have parking lights for an extended period of time. Balance that need against cost/size/weight of the battery.

I'm currently running a stock ignition system with a very tired AGM. Since converting to an LED headlight (permanent-solution-dim-commando-headlight-t20361.html), I really have no reason to go with anything else, and it runs just fine the way it is. I hope to replace the battery sometime this summer, but only out of convenience, or while converting to a Boyer myself.

I'm rather paranoid of Li-Po based on its volatile nature. Try poking a hole through one, and see what atmosphere does to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmAIxkNpcm0 'Not something I'd feel comfortable with under my butt. Granted, I don't expect you to shove a knife through your $120 battery, but if you had a voltage regulator run away...

Nathan
 
Nater_Potater said:
Ricochetrider said:
I have a Boyer ignition, probably a few years old. I know this battery is probably overkill...
What battery is anyone else using?
Anybody use Lithium Ion batteries yet?

Thanks.
Tom
Click to expand...
Yeah, overkill, unless you're running an electric starter. As you probably already know, the Norton will run without a battery, as long as you have a good working capacitor. Of course, the Boyer throws this into a different light, since it needs power from the git-go. Without the electric start, the only thing that really matters to the bike is amp-hours. More is better to allow you to have parking lights for an extended period of time. Balance that need against cost/size/weight of the battery.

I'm currently running a stock ignition system with a very tired AGM. Since converting to an LED headlight (permanent-solution-dim-commando-headlight-t20361.html), I really have no reason to go with anything else, and it runs just fine the way it is. I hope to replace the battery sometime this summer, but only out of convenience, or while converting to a Boyer myself.

I'm rather paranoid of Li-Po based on its volatile nature. Try poking a hole through one, and see what atmosphere does to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmAIxkNpcm0 'Not something I'd feel comfortable with under my butt. Granted, I don't expect you to shove a knife through your $120 battery, but if you had a voltage regulator run away...

Nathan
Click to expand...


120.00?

try $289.00

But I can jumpstart my car off of it...
 
I have been using Bikemaster Tru-Gel batteries for a few years now. They last about twice as long as an equivalent lead-acid battery and cannot leak or boil over. Their ads show holes drilled in the case and the battery fully operational in any position. No special charger required and priced about the same as a name brand lead-acid.

New Battery for my 74
 
Unless you have a 180 watt stator and a 200 watt Podstronics unit or a 3 phase system, that battery seems way overkill to me.

LiPo's are fine but you really need the proper charger. This is not to keep it charged, but to keep it conditioned and balanced, whatever that mean. If you do not condition it once a month or so, they can drop are charge like a rock.

For what it is worth, there is a new US made AGM battery that i have seen at battery shops and at Batteries Plus. A little pricy for an AGM at $95. but hell, you're ready to shell out close to $300.

This one is plenty for me. It has served me well but as mentioned before, they need conditioning.
New Battery for my 74
 
Pete
My understanding is that the Shorai BMS-1 charger, charges each individual cell so that the battery is balanced as you say. Shorai obviously promote its use but don't seem to suggest it is essential. Where did you get the "its necessary once a month" from? I'm interested to know because my 2 1/2 year old BMS-1 has just failed and I'm really not happy about the prospect of paying for another one unless I really have to.
David
 
pdl999 said:
Pete
My understanding is that the Shorai BMS-1 charger, charges each individual cell so that the battery is balanced as you say. Shorai obviously promote its use but don't seem to suggest it is essential. Where did you get the "its necessary once a month" from? I'm interested to know because my 2 1/2 year old BMS-1 has just failed and I'm really not happy about the prospect of paying for another one unless I really have to.
David
Click to expand...

"Every month or so" is just something I added as precautionary. This is possibly overkill but if we rely on our conventional chargers (or stator and rotor) it will degrade, maybe sooner maybe later. When conventionally charging, I believe that if one cell shows that it is charged, the system will see this as all cells being charged and start dumping through the regulator. I also believe this is the inherent nature of multi cell Lipo batteries and the need for the circuitry due to the their volatility. Best Guess.
 
My Commando had RITA ignition, its only when I got home from having stored it at work that I realised I had forgotten to reconnect the fuse, it had still started second kick after standing for some time and the lights had been fine at tickover.
So I wondered whats the point of lunging around a great huge battery and bought the smallest motorcycle battery I could find cheap, its a Yuasa YTR4A-BS
I share it between four bikes including my Trident with Tri-Spark, If I am using my everday ride to work BSA Victor that doesnt use this battery, I carry it with me in my pocket in case I decide to bring one of the other bikes home from work.
It has lasted years.

What is handy about this sealed batteries size, is that layed on its side, it is the exact shape and size of the bottom of the standard battery, and so sits just perfect in my Triumphs rubber tray
 
Hi Ricochetrider.
The smallest (and usually cheapest as they are a consumable) battery is all you need for kickstart bikes.
The charging system provides the current, the battery only needs to hold enough in reserve for one, maybe ten :D, kicks and to provide headlight juice at idle.
Ta.

Re your: "...What battery is anyone else using?..."
ExideBike YTX4L-BS 12V 3Ah.
 
"Every month or so" is just something I added as precautionary. This is possibly overkill but if we rely on our conventional chargers (or stator and rotor) it will degrade, maybe sooner maybe later. When conventionally charging, I believe that if one cell shows that it is charged, the system will see this as all cells being charged and start dumping through the regulator. I also believe this is the inherent nature of multi cell Lipo batteries and the need for the circuitry due to the their volatility. Best Guess.
Click to expand...

Sorry if this is getting a bit off topic, but I thought it was worth just following through with some more on this. I was trawling the web to see if anyone had tried to repair a BMS-01 and came across this http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/106593 ... intenance/
This guy's experience is that he found no imbalance between cells after 3 years of using an ordinary charger. He also identifies an alternative product that functions just like the Shorai BMS-01 for less than half the price (in the UK anyway). I've ordered one, as although he may be right that an ordinary charger will do, I don't really want to take the risk when these batteries cost as much as they do!

David
 
Ok, then.
I got this for $30 at Advance Auto. It mentioned Lipo compatibility. After trying it out, the load tests were very very good.
New Battery for my 74
 
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