I’d like to shed the enormouse standard battery on my 1981 1000SP. Has anyone used one of the new-fangled lithium batteries & what results?
Cheers
Go on a diet if you want to save weight.
It will be cheaper.
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With winter temps how could are they on a freezing start? I I just bought another Outdo YTX20-BS
18AH for £43 lithium would have been £200.
[QUOTE=nelgra] With winter temps how could are they on a freezing start? I I just bought another Outdo YTX20-BS
18AH for £43 lithium would have been £200.[/QUOTE]
Do they Outdo other batteries
Certainly Outdo on price a Varta ytx20-bx is £91. Seems to the same spec. from ebay battery megastore at half the price.
That’s hurtful after Christmas 
Actually it’s the size - I’m relocating it, so need something compact that can tuck out of sight.
My experience may be some use here. When I rebuilt my Cali III, with a Saprisa alternator, I also fitted a new regulator box and a new Westco absorbed glass mat battery. This summer, after about 4000 miles, the battery failed spectacularly. It overheated, distorted, split at the top seal and leaked acid all over the back of the bike. The bike is equipped with a voltmeter and the charging system was delivering a stable 14.5 volts so I thought it would be OK but I suspect that the system is simply not sophisticated enough for modern gel and agm batteries which require much tighter regulation of the charging current. I have changed back to a standard lead/acid battery and so far it seems to be OK. I do not know whether the lithium batteries are sensitive to charging current too but it might be an idea to check before spending the money.
[QUOTE=gtmdriver]
My experience may be some use here. When I rebuilt my Cali III, with a Saprisa alternator, I also fitted a new regulator box and a new Westco absorbed glass mat battery. This summer, after about 4000 miles, the battery failed spectacularly. It overheated, distorted, split at the top seal and leaked acid all over the back of the bike. The bike is equipped with a voltmeter and the charging system was delivering a stable 14.5 volts so I thought it would be OK but I suspect that the system is simply not sophisticated enough for modern gel and agm batteries which require much tighter regulation of the charging current. I have changed back to a standard lead/acid battery and so far it seems to be OK. I do not know whether the lithium batteries are sensitive to charging current too but it might be an idea to check before spending the money.[/QUOTE]
Thats interesting,14.5 volts is bang on.
But what is the amp hr being sent to the battery with that charging system
The only time i know batteries that do that is if there are a load of amps going in them.
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Lithium batteries can be killed stone dead by overcharging, and by discharging fully.If it’s space you want, get a later AGM type battery, they give the same output power but take up half the space.I would have said 14.5 volts continuously was a bit on the high side, 14.25 would be better.
I’m fitting a replacement reg/rec unit, so hopefully the current should be under some control. I’ll look into the AGM & see what’s available. Anyone know what the cranking amps should be? I’m not fussed about capacity, I’ll be rarely using lights, so it’s starting only, reallyMr Noisy2012-12-31 09:32:38
Have a look at the Westco range. Look at the physical size, and find the one with the highest CCA rating which fits your space.But you should be looking at 275A minimum really.
Brian UK2012-12-31 13:03:11
Tanya offer decent advice and info on their website if you search “Motorcycle batteries” there is an awful lot of info out there I found a site that gave all the different types of batteries and the pro’s and con’s of using them, The best type for a bike seems to be AGM having the best all round characteristics
I cant fault Odyssey, bit pricey at £80 but taker a lot of abuse and keep coming back
Mine was ****ed after6 months of no use it went down to 4 volt with the bike alarm dragging it down and would not recover on a ctex 7 charger ended upp with it in a bucket of water and stuck a oldfashion 80 charger and blasted it its now ok but seems to flatten easy
My aftermarket alternator says do not use with lithium batteries
There looks like one that’ll fit from that, so I might give that a go. I’ll have a go at selling my Odyssey. ThanksMr Noisy2013-01-01 13:37:26
Before you sell the Odysey might be useful to have a look at previous threads on battery types.Have had no problems with the EV despite a mix of full chat long runs & commuting with lights/heated grips etc.Seems to tolerate standing too.It’s also been used on the NTX.Both bikes are on standard charging systems.All the bestSteve
Currently running a Motobatt on the B11, that would probably fit sideways on the earlier Tontis, cost £54, just started the bike first time after a 6/7 week layoff, I am impressed, the old £140 Yuasa would have been dead after 2 weeks.Cheers, Gerry.
As I said in my post I also fitted a brand new regulator but it stilled killed the Westco AGM battery. I believe that the key is the charging current and Gel and AGM batteries require much tighter control in this area. The old Guzzi charging systems were never designed to provide this degree of sophistication.
AGMs designed as vehicle (SLI) batteries should not have a problem with high current alternator / generator type charging systems. Sounds more like a bad battery. The other alternative would be it was a non-vehicle AGM battery, ie a low current AGM designed for golf cart / standby / mobility scooter / etc. They are not built for the currents that you see on a vehicle. Their charging currents typically should be limited to somewhere around a quarter of their rated capacity (eg 5 Amps chargings on a 20 AHr battery, way below what an alternator provides) to prevent meltdown. Gels are a different battery type from AGMs, they are usually more suited to low current deep discharge applications, not vehicles.
for long term ( more than 1 or 2 weeks) parasitic drain currents from alarms and electronics will kill any battery type. Either put them on a tender (one that does not voltage boost, as the raised voltages can nadger AGMs and potentally also toast your ecu) or disconnect the battery.