Which battery is best?

[mr blackstock]

G'day,

My current battery, yuasa YTX14BS, is not cutting it in the cold weather.  I hooked up the battery to a multimeter and turned her over a few times and the voltage went down to 5 volts.  So I am after a battery with a high CCA rating, at least 250CCA.

I had the yuasa for only three years!  Not long in my books.

I am looking at getting a SSB brand, can anyone suggest a good brand for cold weather?  Is there a gutsier yuasa I can use?

cheers, Gareth

p.s I have had to start using a trickle charger also.

[aviationfred]

I am using a AGM battery that I purchased from RPM. I am very happy with it. 

http://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=84%2D90AGM

I also have seen here on the forum about a few members paying the extra cash for the Lithium battery and they all rave about the cranking ability and the huge weight savings.

http://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=M%2FC%3AShoraiL

I would contact Randy at RPM for Shorai fitment on your 1100.

Fred

[giantkiller]

I have a shorai in my 700 raptor. And it started that no problem ice riding -6f. They say you have to turn them over once to warm them up when it's really cold. But I never had to. It's not an fj. But it uses the smaller shorai battery too.

[FJmonkey]

I have the AGM from RPM and works really well. I used to keep my old lead acid battery on a tender, not the AGM. It holds a charge really well. Regarding the Li battery, if I want to save weight, I should start with own fat ass first.

[Dan Filetti]

I have the Shorai in my Gixxer.  Year 2, so far so good.  I need to buy a LiPo specific charger for it.

Dan

[dougrs]

I have the Shorai in my Gixxer.  Year 2, so far so good.  I need to buy a LiPo specific charger for it.

Dan

I have the shorai and like it, seems to hold a charge well.

[mr blackstock]

These replies are very handy, not sure if we get shorai down in Aussie.  I had the Yuasa for three years and paid almost $200 for it, so not impressed it lasted so short.

The CCA rating of the Yuasa is only 200, I found one locally that offers a 290 CCA battery for around $100.  The brand is SSB.

Anyone heard of this one?

cheers, Gareth

[oldktmdude]

   Gareth, I've been using one of these for over 3 years and have never had a problem.  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MBTX14AU-MOTOBATT-BATTERY-YAMAHA-XJ900-FZR1000-FJ1100-FJ1200-/161124141170?pt=AU_Motorcycle_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2583bf4872&_uhb=1
Honestly, for the money, I doubt you could buy a better battery.  Check out other adds on ebay (there maybe some at a better price) for this battery as this was just the first add I came across.    Regards, Pete.

[The General]

These replies are very handy, not sure if we get shorai down in Aussie.  I had the Yuasa for three years and paid almost $200 for it, so not impressed it lasted so short.

The CCA rating of the Yuasa is only 200, I found one locally that offers a 290 CCA battery for around $100.  The brand is SSB.

Anyone heard of this one?

cheers, Gareth

(FWIW) I`ve had a Shorai for nearly three years and love it. (Bought it before RPM had them available.)

I`ve always carried it as a spare in my dirt bike rides as it is so light (not much more than a coffee cup) and I`ve been caught before in group rides with someone doing in a battery. (You can`t clutch start most bikes when this happens). They gave me a model with packing pieces to make the Battery fit my DR650 or my FJ. It seems to spin over both models better than the originals, but more importantly it doesn`t seem to loose it`s charge when in storage. (I think they said 2 years originally and no top up required.) If you ever followed the back of my dirt bike on one of it`s weekend trips, you`d wonder how anything would survive the constant violent jarring my rear carrier gets. (Which is where the Shorai always sits - middle of the bike, where battery normally lives, doesn`t get as much jarring)

Anyhow, the standard DR650 battery finally went a month ago, so I have put in the Shorai until I buy a cheapie battery as I plan to sell the DR650 soon.  Note: I didn`t buy a special charger for it as I believe you can use the standard one for a little top up (say half an hour) - just don`t let it go any longer me thinks. I plan to always have the Shorai with me on any trip.

[markmartin]

I just installed a Shorai in my FJ and am liking it, however, two weeks is hardly a test of longevity. I have had a Shorai in my dirt bike for two years and it has held up to the beating of off road riding and starts the bike perfect every time.

I'd consider the changing the regulator on your FJ if you go with the $$$ Shorai.  I've read on this forum more than once that the FJ's stock regulator can overcharge the battery.   I changed the regulator on mine to this one http://www.rpmracingca.com/products.asp?cat=39&filter=regulator  when I went to the Shorai because I've read that the over charging lithium batteries will kill them quickly and I didn't want to take the chance of cooking it.


On the bright side, they are very light, so shipping should be reasonable if you're going through the mail.

Mark

[mr blackstock]

Great suggestions!

I thought about going with motobat but a few friends have had negative issues with the batteries, although I imagine they are not riding enough to keep the batteries decently charged, I am after all a very superstitious motorcyclist.

I looked into the shorai and admit they look to be a very nice bit of kit, but for the price. However my "lilith" does not deserve too much at the moment, I just had to fork out $85 for a four wire ignition with a buggered stem lock from discount motorcycle wreckers in Melbourne.

So far it looks like SSB with 290 CCA is leading, good price, 1 year guarantee, free postage all for $105.

cheers, Gareth

[Fj.itis]

Hey

I have an Ssb and so far so good, but i got the 220 cca and found it was more then enough for the 1100 even though the 290 is the one that is recommended by SSB. Great warranty, i think 2 years replacement or something like that.

[theLeopard]

I replaced the battery the first day I bought my scooter. Was already tired of push-starting it.
The one before saw regularly infrequent use and lasted ~2years on a trickle-charge.
New battery runs ~$100 from an autoparts store with a 1year warranty.

[oldktmdude]

I replaced the battery the first day I bought my scooter. Was already tired of push-starting it.
The one before saw regularly infrequent use and lasted ~2years on a trickle-charge.
New battery runs ~$100 from an autoparts store with a 1year warranty.

What fucken batteries are you talkin about?

[ribbert]

Well, just to add more confusion to the mix, I bought a cheap Yuasa lead acid battery when I got my bike 5 years / 80,000km ago, still going like a beauty. It has at times had extensive cranking (Yes, even MY bike has been difficult to start occasionally )and lasts pretty well before the jumper leads come out.

I will no doubt jump on the new technology wagon when it dies (no Luddites around here) but I'm happy if I can get that sort of life from a $100 battery and reckon I'm on bonus time now.

Noel