I started motorcycling with a T3 about 45 years ago. I recall that when the battery needed replacing, someone recommended usung a Ford Escort Battery. This fitted in well but the tooltray had to be left out. Is this still recommended?
There are better gel batteries on the market these days, I too use an Escort battery as they were cheap. Trouble I had someone tried to move my bike in a pub car park and dropped it. First I knew was when my jeans started to rot from the acid!
When I get back to my computer I’ll put some links up. Chris
Been there. Discarded the tool tray. Now realise I could sell the tool tray for two batteries ! I now use lead free (AGM?) from Gutsibits (other dealers available), and in my case they’ve done the job.
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I use an AGM battery on my Spada. They are quite a bit smaller than the old lead acid ones and, as they are sealed. they don’t vent nasty fumes or leak acid.
I get mine from a local company, the Battery Store in Market Harborough. Tanya are also offer very good service mail order.
I have used leisure type batteries from ride on lawn mowers and golf carts in the past. Have a word with your local garden machinery company.
Thanks to all of you who answered my question about batteries. Although I don’t need to replace mine yet the answers are useful and I have made a note for when I do.
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Didn’t realise the tooltrays were so sought after. I just gave mine away to Simon D , doh!
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schoolboy error!
I’ve also used Tanya many times over the years, consistently good value and quick delivery.
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Can you tell me tge exact make of battery you use, im after one for my spada. Also have you had the head upgraded for unleaded fuel. Cheers
My Spada has never had any work to the heads. Opinion is that it is not needed.
For batteries, I have a local battery store in my town and so use them, but this one from Tanya looks about right - Check the width and terminal orientation first
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I must admit that I use a local company, they started trading in 1946 same family, many time people have said go online
ye right
I walk into groves, tell them what I need, they give me a few choices, and its done
awesome
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Thanks Don, I am also looking for a battery for my Tonti,
Unfortunately this link shows as out of stock and the alternative they suggest is over twice the cost! 
I bought a Westco 30Ah battery from Tayna many years ago which lasted me about 8 years! tried a 20AH alternative, which I gave away a few months later. Back to Westco again which doesn’t cause any problems.
I use one of these.
Harper’s recommend the Odyssey PC545 for LM etc ( they even manufacture a special bracket to fit it in the battery tray ), and Guzzi OEM for US spec 1100i based Calis used the Odyssey PC680 as standard, according to the Parts Book GU03704550.
We’ve had great success using the Full Throttle batteries. I’ve been running the FT185 in my LM for over three years now and one of our chaps has a FT230 in his 1100i Cali that survived serious abuse. The rectifier diodes gave out, the battery was shorted to ground for 5 hours, causing a fire, but the battery came back to life and is still starting and running the machine fine, a year later.
I should say, though, that these are AGM batteries, which is why they can crank these engines with significantly lower Ah and smaller packages. But that does mean that they have different charging requirements. They need 14.8v to get to 100%, rather than a conventional 14.4v. They also degrade quite quickly if left at anything less than 100% charge. The safest thing to do is to occasionally plug them into a charger with an AGM setting to boost them to 100% charge. In practice, I find my Bosch alternator seems to be keeping it topped up, perhaps because the regulation is sufficiently rough that it gets voltage spikes which lift it to the AGM charge requirements.
Just got one for my V7 from a local place I’ve used previously for my cars, Batterywarehouse in Grimsby, paid £36 for a ‘normal’ type battery.
Works a treat and guaranteed for a year. Perfik 
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I had a Ford Escort 037 Battery in my SP1000 Combo. Half the price, twice the power!