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12V... time for a new battery?

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JulesMaximus

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
My bike started a little hard the other day after I was filling up on my way to work. I checked the battery yesterday after it had been sitting overnight and it read 12V according to the dash and it was blinking. I put the tender on it and charged it overnight and it reads 12.1V this morning.

The battery is the original battery that came with the bike 3.5 years and 15,000 miles ago so I'm thinking it is time to bin it and get a new one.

Charging system is fine, it reads between 13.7-14V at idle.
 
12V is normal for a good batt or a weak one, the issue arises when you need the CCA (cold cranking amps) to turn the motor over, a worn out battery starts to struggle with this as it ages, 3.5 yrs is not too bad IMO, just buy another before you get stranded (unless your bike can be kick-started).
 
I bought a new Shorai Lithium battery and installed it this afternoon. My old battery checked out okay but I figured I'd just replace it anyway since it is 3.5 years old now. Plus one of the posts was bent (it was always like this) and these new Lithium batteries are almost 8 pounds lighter than a comparable lead acid battery.

oldsmoboat said:
AGM or wet cell?
Click to expand...

AGM
 
BUTCH1 said:
12V is normal for a good batt or a weak one, the issue arises when you need the CCA (cold cranking amps) to turn the motor over, a worn out battery starts to struggle with this as it ages, 3.5 yrs is not too bad IMO, just buy another before you get stranded (unless your bike can be kick-started).
Click to expand...
12v is technically discharged for a car battery. 12.6v is fully charged. I'm not sure how different motorcycle batteries are, though.
http://www.autobatteries.com/en-us/battery-basics/how-a-battery-works/
 
Does your bike's charging system know you have put the lithium battery in it? The charging algorithm is different for lead acid vs lithium battery.
 
sontakke said:
Does your bike's charging system know you have put the lithium battery in it? The charging algorithm is different for lead acid vs lithium battery.
Click to expand...

This battery is specified as compatible with my bike. Not sure what I would be able to do to let it "know" I put a lithium battery in it. :hmm:
 
JulesMaximus said:
This battery is specified as compatible with my bike. Not sure what I would be able to do to let it "know" I put a lithium battery in it. :hmm:
Click to expand...

The web site says it will charge okay as long as your charging system is working normally.

It does say to be careful hooking it up to a maintainer, and not to use a "desulfator" type maintainer.
 
LTC8K6 said:
The web site says it will charge okay as long as your charging system is working normally.

It does say to be careful hooking it up to a maintainer, and not to use a "desulfator" type maintainer.
Click to expand...

I didn't hook my Deltran connectors up when I installed the battery because I wasn't sure if it would work or not. From what I've read it doesn't seem like I need a tender since I ride the bike fairly regularly.

Reading the forums it seems that quite a few people are running these batteries on their Ducatis and most people are saying a lot of positive things about them. They've been around for a couple years now so I'm sure the technology has matured a bit.

I was surprised by how much smaller and lighter this battery is than the original AGM battery my bike came with. Shorai includes a bunch of adhesive backed foam pads of various thickness and length you can cut down and use to line your battery box so the new battery fits snugly inside it. Took a few minutes of measuring and cutting to get the box lined so the battery would fit but otherwise installing it was a piece of cake.

Bike fired right up and runs great. I took it for a 20 mile ride just to make sure everything was working properly and that the battery had a chance to charge fully.
 
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