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Replacement Battery

SergeantChuck

SergeantChuck

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Anyone seen any good deals or best prices on a replacement battery for our bike? It's finally time after almost 5 years to replace the battery. Wondering if anyone else has been looking and found a good price?
 
For a lead acid battery, you can buy a no-name battery dirt cheap, or a Motocross brand (made by Yuasa) for around $100 (US), or pay top dollar for Yuasa. I think you need to decide first if you want a “cheap” battery or a more expensive brand battery, then within that group search for the best price.

I personally search the internet for the best price on the Motocross brand. There are certainly cheaper batteries out there, and perhaps possibly even better batteries, but that’s what I do.

I shoot for an 8 year battery life and replace them early only if the battery’s performance deteriorates. Open circuit voltage is a rough indicator of the percent of storage capacity. Hotter climates, however, will see shorter battery life span.
 
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I just paid/received the Motocross Yuasa Battery for my 2012 700X that 670cc mentions above.........paid $104 shipped........Ebay.
 
Thanks for reply. Not looking for a "cheap" battery. Just the best deal. wondering if anyone had found a good deal on a good battery. Should have worded my question better.
 
SergeantChuck said:
Anyone seen any good deals or best prices on a replacement battery for our bike? It's finally time after almost 5 years to replace the battery. Wondering if anyone else has been looking and found a good price?
Click to expand...

I bought a Gel Cell off of Amazon for $40. Mighty Max - YTZ12S GEL is a 12V 11AH 210 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) GEL (Maintenance Free) Battery

I haven't gotten to install into as NaNCy is down for Chain and Sprocket replacement sometime this week. I am not in a rush cause I have my NT700V (NaTalie) on active commuter duty.

This additional information regarding batteries type might be helpful to you. Battery Types Information

I bought a Scorpion battery before from Battery Stuff. It was of good quality and price was less than of the dealer battery. YTZ12S Scorpion 12v 200 CCA AGM

I hope that this gives you enough information to make an informed decision.
 
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I've heard good things about Deka AGM batteries (I believe they're also branded as Napa Gold, Duracell Ultra, Westco xyz, & Batteries+ Xtreme). They're made in the US at about $80.
 
One interesting specification to look at is the weight. Some of the same size batteries with supposedly similar amp and cold cranking specs ........but..........some will 2 pounds lighter than the Yuasa or Yuasa motorcross batteries. The real battery power is all about plates, plates size, plate materials and acid capacity. Brings a question .......are some of these batteries really comparable.

Some suppliers are playing fast and loose with the “motocross” name and spelling just a little different than the Yuasa built battery.
 
More weight usually means more lead. More lead is better because it will last more. To increase performance the plates are more like a sponge (more surface to the acid).
 
Last year (or 2 yrs back), I changed to the same battery as recommended by Honda manual.
It cost a bit more than 100usd but it holds it charge better.

Caution about Gel battery, it will require a different charger and charging cycle compared to Acid-Water cells.
I don't think the weight saving is any reason to buy a Gel-Cell.

One thing more I did not mention about my recent trade reason. My bike battery / charging system was behaving strangely. I leave the bike charging on a trickle charger for weeks. It started right up with 1 single press. After riding for 20 minutes on highway, say 10km, I stopped. Then almost immediately I try to restart the bike. I press button but the starter is like "stuck" with no batter juice. I gotta wait a few seconds (say 20) and then it could start again (somewhat reluctantly).

So what is the problem? Charging system? Magneto coil? Overcharged battery?

I gave up trying to find the electrical problem, and I am now waiting for my next motorcycle. I know some will criticize me for being impatient etc, but life's too short to be stuck roadside with a dead battery (even new one).

:p
 
It’s very rare to find a real gel cell battery. Mostly it’s bad marketing. Always check manufacturers web pages about the battery type.

Happy you’re right, every lead acid battery type has a slightly charging profile. Most of today’s vehicles are compatible only with AGM & LiFePO4.

A simple dumb trickle charger without monitoring to stop the charging, will overcharge a battery causing gassing i.e. it will dry the electrolyte killing the battery. I recommend only descent smart chargers / battery maintainers (like Optimate or ctek) because they automate the process and keep the battery fully charged (this is what a lead acid need to avoid sulfation) without any damage.

It’s always a good idea to check the health of the charging system (with a battery in good condition). You shouldn’t avoid it...

I can’t tell anything about you without any measurements. 20’ & 10 Km are not enough to fully charge a battery, you’ve to double it, but it should have enough charge to start the bike (unless you forgot lights on or it was cold enough). Most probably it was the battery. It needs some time to recover between engine startings...
 
ste7ios said:
A simple dumb trickle charger without monitoring to stop the charging, will overcharge a battery causing gassing i.e. it will dry the electrolyte killing the battery. I recommend only descent smart chargers / battery maintainers (like Optimate or ctek) because they automate the process and keep the battery fully charged (this is what a lead acid need to avoid sulfation) without any damage.

It’s always a good idea to check the health of the charging system (with a battery in good condition). You shouldn’t avoid it...

I can’t tell anything about you without any measurements. 20’ & 10 Km are not enough to fully charge a battery, you’ve to double it, but it should have enough charge to start the bike (unless you forgot lights on or it was cold enough). Most probably it was the battery. It needs some time to recover between engine startings...
Click to expand...

I have now a new battery installed last year or 2015. My charger is an automatic one...albeit cheap one.
I have had enough of that sinking feeling when I press the startbutton and all I feel is a "almost dead" battery.
So....bye bye Honda.
(Plus my other reason of the tensioner breakage)
 
happy said:
Caution about Gel battery, it will require a different charger and charging cycle compared to Acid-Water cells.
I don't think the weight saving is any reason to buy a Gel-Cell.
Click to expand...

I read that somewhere too. However, I am willing to try it out for $40 and see how long it will last on this bike. If I get only 2 years out of it, then I am out $20 per year.

I will try it out so others will not have to unless they really want to for themselves.
 
I believe, Deltran Battery tender Jr are good units for charging / maintaining a battery from time too time. I do not keep a battery hooked up to one all the time. I'll use the Deltran every other week in the winter on both my bike batteries. My TW200 Yuasa battery is 6 years old , still charges well.
 
For those of us who aren't up to our gussets in snow for half the year, riding all year round (with plenty of washing to get rid of the road salt) eliminates the need for a charger for me.

I'm surprised that no one seems to have ventured into the Lithium battery route. Virtually weightless, can be much smaller and needs a different charger but expensive.
 
I don’t trust any charger, they can be faulty for any reason (by design, damaged, etc) . I always measure the charging voltage and monitor them at the first charge, and then occasionally, once a year or something. Some of them can be harmful to the battery, even from very known manufacturers like Deltran. There was a tender jr. that could damage the battery by overcharging. Some are accurate enough, some not so, they don’t benefit the battery but they don’t damage it...

Using one or not it depends if the battery can get fully charged. City riding, short distances / time can be a reason to use one.

As every battery LiFePO4 has its advantages & disadvantages. Have in mind that most proposed LFP batteries are not for real life scenarios and are undersized to be more affordable (e.g. 4 Ah instead of 11 Ah). They don’t take in mind parasitic drain, cold, etc.
 
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