Who so much bikes?
Bike hog?
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Lithium Ion Battery
- Thread starter inreb
- Start date
Bike hog?
N3WMAN
Well-known member
Didn't like my Ballistic 4-cell. Barely started the bike at the best of times and if you started the bike, rode it for a couple minutes and shut it off it would not have enough juice to refire the bike unless you left it sitting for a while. For most part it would always start but it usually took a few tries and I got a knack for it over the season. I had to bump start it a few times though.
Probably going to go anti-gravity this year if I get one at all.
Probably going to go anti-gravity this year if I get one at all.
Had a LiFePo 6 cell on my street bike. It sucked below 10 degrees, was a real temperamental nuisance around 5 degrees. At zero, forget about it. Good for weight, orienting the battery whichever way you want, but only for use in warm temps. Back to lead-acid for me.
Matthew.Tremayne
Well-known member
Going down 6 pounds on a street bike is pointless. You can always go the cheaper route and starve yourself a bit and take a big dump before you get on the bike for a ride :lmao:
I just go squid, I've 'erd your leathers & boots can weigh up to 20lbs
Yes. I get a kick out of carbed/aircooled bikes. Thought I'd stock up while I'm still young and good looking. Why so many posts?
Honestly, there's been problems with every brand occasionally. The good brands like Shorai and Ballistic will give you a benefit of doubt and will replace a battery which shows problems it should not have. I am pretty sure for most people using them without operator's error they are reliable.
Expensive? Don't think so .... When compared to OEM or Yuasa lead acid battery, not CT version.
Expensive? Don't think so .... When compared to OEM or Yuasa lead acid battery, not CT version.
Combine a big dump and no breakfast with the battery and you've doubled your results.
The prices for the lightweight batteries have come down quite a bit and for few extra dollars are a reasonable option. I know the battery for my 04 zx10 was $140 and the ballistic for my race bike was $50 more.
Re ZX600 ... Lithium batteries will not tolerate being discharged below a certain point. Some of them may have internal protection against discharge, others not. (Typical rule of thumb: you don't get what you don't pay for.)
If you are in the habit of switching your bike off with the kill switch rather than the key, you are running an ever-present risk of forgetting to turn the key off, and a lithium battery is not for you. Personally, I never use the kill switch, I turn the bike off with the key, so this is a non-issue for me.
If your bike has significant accessories that are a constant power drain independently of the battery, a lithium battery is not for you, either. The digital clock on your instrument panel is a non-issue. Aftermarket alarm systems are a big issue.
If your bike originally had an old skool flooded lead acid battery (the kind you have to check and refill the water level), the charging voltage may not be sufficient to maintain a LiFePo battery. They prefer 14.4 volts and I think 14.2 is likely the bare minimum. Older charging systems often charge lower than this to avoid boiling the electrolyte out. On a Yamaha FZR, you are lucky to get 13.5 volts, and 13.1 - 13.3 is normal. That WILL kill a LiFePo battery! I found this out the hard way; Shorai warrantied the battery (because their instructions mention nothing about this) and after researching and revealing the issue, I upgraded the charging system to use a more modern voltage regulator. OEM charging systems for maintenance-free batteries should be OK. It is a voltmeter check away from finding out whether your charging system is OK or not. Personally I'm glad I did this upgrade. Aside from the weight savings, not having to check and refill the water in the battery any more is a chore that I don't miss.
If you want cold starting ... buy the bigger of the lithium batteries that are available for your bike (they usually give one choice for maximum weight savings and another for street use and cold starting). I have a small Shorai in my race bike (400cc 4 cyl doesn't need much cranking amps); it can always be bump-started. I bought an 8-cell for my ZX10R but with the higher compression on that engine (not stock ...) it was barely adequate. I swapped that into my street Fizzer 400 and have had no cold starting issues, I bought a Shorai for the ZX10R and it has been fine.
Some of these lithium batteries are just made-in-China standard LiFePo cells that are packaged up and sold. Others are actually designed for the purpose ...
If you are in the habit of switching your bike off with the kill switch rather than the key, you are running an ever-present risk of forgetting to turn the key off, and a lithium battery is not for you. Personally, I never use the kill switch, I turn the bike off with the key, so this is a non-issue for me.
If your bike has significant accessories that are a constant power drain independently of the battery, a lithium battery is not for you, either. The digital clock on your instrument panel is a non-issue. Aftermarket alarm systems are a big issue.
If your bike originally had an old skool flooded lead acid battery (the kind you have to check and refill the water level), the charging voltage may not be sufficient to maintain a LiFePo battery. They prefer 14.4 volts and I think 14.2 is likely the bare minimum. Older charging systems often charge lower than this to avoid boiling the electrolyte out. On a Yamaha FZR, you are lucky to get 13.5 volts, and 13.1 - 13.3 is normal. That WILL kill a LiFePo battery! I found this out the hard way; Shorai warrantied the battery (because their instructions mention nothing about this) and after researching and revealing the issue, I upgraded the charging system to use a more modern voltage regulator. OEM charging systems for maintenance-free batteries should be OK. It is a voltmeter check away from finding out whether your charging system is OK or not. Personally I'm glad I did this upgrade. Aside from the weight savings, not having to check and refill the water in the battery any more is a chore that I don't miss.
If you want cold starting ... buy the bigger of the lithium batteries that are available for your bike (they usually give one choice for maximum weight savings and another for street use and cold starting). I have a small Shorai in my race bike (400cc 4 cyl doesn't need much cranking amps); it can always be bump-started. I bought an 8-cell for my ZX10R but with the higher compression on that engine (not stock ...) it was barely adequate. I swapped that into my street Fizzer 400 and have had no cold starting issues, I bought a Shorai for the ZX10R and it has been fine.
Some of these lithium batteries are just made-in-China standard LiFePo cells that are packaged up and sold. Others are actually designed for the purpose ...
I don't see why one would necessarily be an issue over the other... I mean... are we talking about people forgetting their keys? Kill switch or not, the first thing I do when I get out/off of any of my vehicles is take my key with me.
I am not in the habit that is the problem hence why I forgot to turn the key off, anyways that issue is solved as I am installing a key-less switch, so now my kill switch will completely shot down power
I've seen plenty of bikes stopped at various hangouts with the headlight still on, and we know what that means.
I bought a used Shorai and it saved my *** over a lead acid battery on a long trip home when regulator started to fail. It puts out way more volts at starting and my 1999 Hayabusa breaks starter cases if voltage is too low.
In real cold 0 Celsius, you need to get current into the battery by leaving the lights on for 5 minutes (if you read the manual).
Second, only a lIfo charger work, dont ask me how I know. Battery tender WILL not charge a Lifo battery to 14.5 volts.
Stark power sells the best Lifo battery with built in circuit to keep voltage from going too low. I purchased their charger for $20 bucks and use it on My Shorai. ( Shorai charger is $70).
I will never use a lead acid battery again in Powersports. even in the cold they will put out double the cranking amps of same size lead acid.
BB
In real cold 0 Celsius, you need to get current into the battery by leaving the lights on for 5 minutes (if you read the manual).
Second, only a lIfo charger work, dont ask me how I know. Battery tender WILL not charge a Lifo battery to 14.5 volts.
Stark power sells the best Lifo battery with built in circuit to keep voltage from going too low. I purchased their charger for $20 bucks and use it on My Shorai. ( Shorai charger is $70).
I will never use a lead acid battery again in Powersports. even in the cold they will put out double the cranking amps of same size lead acid.
BB
My shorai was outside all winter in the bike including the deep freeze. No charger on it, bike was parked in October, just under a bike cover. I had intended to retrieve the battery and bring it inside, totally forgot.
Battery still had a full charge and fired the bike up a couple of weeks ago! No way a lead acid could do that...
Battery still had a full charge and fired the bike up a couple of weeks ago! No way a lead acid could do that...
kwtoxman
Well-known member
For the benefit of the forum, this is wrong. A standard smart lead acid charger with auto shut off (and no desulphation mode) works just fine on LiIPh batteries. You are welcome to ask me how I know. And I hope a battery tender doesn't charge a Shorai battery to 14.5 volts, that's overcharging.
I just used a 1000 cc battery, that you put the acid in yourself, from Walmart in my 650. But it's just a street bike.
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