Looks like my OEM battery bit the dust. Strange, my tender says it’s ok (I can’t find my meter to verify) but I hit the crank button and everything just shuts off after a loud click and no more electricity. I did try to jump start the bike and it worked but it ran horribly and I think was misfiring so I turned it off after a few min.
Anyway, the OEM battery is $140 but I see batteries like Mighty Max brand with similar CCA for about $35, much less. Has anyone tried those? If I need to go with Yuasa or OEM fine, but if these cheaper batteries work decent then I prefer to save a little $.
A battery can make voltage, which triggers a maintenance charger to indicate the battery is fully charged. However, the battery won’t make amperage, which is indicated by the starter motor’s inability to spin the engine. The battery is shot.
Anytime a battery is discharging, it is sulfating. Sulfation ruins batteries, which is why one that’s left unused goes bad. It’s imperative a battery is regularly used and/or on a maintenance charger. I’ve managed to get 12yrs out of Yuasa in my SV, via diligent use of a maintenance charger. I know they work and usually have five of them going at all times.
It’s crucial to properly prep a battery, before putting it into service. If one pulls it out of the box, squeezes the acid pack into it, slams the cap on, installs it, and sets about using it, the battery’s life can be measured in months. The best way to prep a battery is to insert the acid pack into the top of the battery and leave it sit for several hours (overnight is best—this applies to wet-acid batteries, too). This allows the matting/plates to fully absorb the acid and disperse any air bubbles. Then, put the battery on a maintenance charger, until fully charged. This slow-rate of charge allows for the most complete prep charging of the battery (slower is always better). Anytime the vehicle is parked, put it on a maintenance charger. If one follows these steps, they will get the longest possible life from their new battery.
Talking to people in the battery industry, they say all the world’s batteries come from only a handful of suppliers. I’ve noticed batteries that used to be “proudly made in the USA” are produced offshore, now. Anymore, I’m not so sure it’s worth it to buy Yuasa, Interstate, or other premium brands. If one can control the prep process by doing it as described above, the easiest warranty and replacement avenue is going to be from a box store or chain auto parts store, because they’re everywhere.
*I’ve been through a factory-provided, Yuasa training course on battery prep and maintenance.*
Good responses, thank you. I always plug the battery on a maintainer (I use the Yuasa 1A units) as I have x4 bikes, so they don’t all get ridden weekly. I purchased my VFR new in December 2016 but it’s a 2014 so I have no idea if battery sat. They assured me it was a new battery but I also rode it back to the Bay Area from LA right after purchase, no slow charge. For any new battery I purchase I absolutely do the slow charge before riding.
I’m really tempted to try the Mighty Max. My main concerns are wasting the $35 on a battery that will die quickly and potential issues with the battery that are far worse than spending $100 more (such as leaking).
Again, battery prep is going to be key. If the dealership setup guy did what I described to NOT do, then, the battery isn’t going to last at all. I’ve seen it in the dealership I worked in where a customer bought a bike, but, we didn’t have a prepped battery ready to go in the unit. We had no choice but to slam the battery in and send it, because the customer was waiting.
The above scenario playing out multiple times caused me to purchase a 5-bank Battery Tender and service a wide assortment of batteries, then, anytime I walked by the battery service area, I rotated batteries through the charger. Yes, the batteries will have age on them relative to the units, but, this ensured the customers were getting properly serviced batteries and techs not having to wait on batteries to send units out the door.
$35 is worth a shot. Most people spend more than that in a bar, only to piss it into a urinal. 🤷♂️
doesn't make sense to replace a battery without checking the charging system output at the same time. a weak charging system may have killed the battery and will do the same to a new one. i always scratch the installation date somewhere on any new battery.
Agree with squirrelman, you really should verify your charging voltage, before assuming your battery is at fault. However the 8gen has a very good R/R and puts out a fairly constant 14.5 odd volts. A 2sec check with a multimeter can confirm this.
A recent failure of my OEM Yuasa YTZ12S after 6 years showed a battery that appeared to charge well, however, when it's capacity CCA was checked it was only 99CCA when it's rated at 210CCA.
Battery Voltage is not a good indicator of battery capacity - it's ability to deliver plenty of cranking amps.
Replaced it with a cheapy YTZ14S equivalent which so far is working fine, See attached, the new battery prior to install, and the Failure report on the OEM.
I once bought the Batteries Plus brand YTZ-12 for my 5th gen. It lasted 2 years being full time on a battery tender. Don't know about the Duracell, but I'm wondering if they're made in China. A Yuasa YTZ-14 can be had on Amazon for $127 to the door, a -12 is $112 delivered. I replaced the B+ unit with the older Yuasa from my 6th gen and put the new Yuasa in the 6th. The older Yuasa is still going strong at 7 years. At least Yuasa is a known quantity - I'd want to know more about the Duracell before going that way. I'm not buying any more of the B+ branded units.
I once bought the Batteries Plus brand YTZ-12 for my 5th gen. It lasted 2 years being full time on a battery tender. Don't know about the Duracell, but I'm wondering if they're made in China. A Yuasa YTZ-14 can be had on Amazon for $127 to the door, a -12 is $112 delivered. I replaced the B+ unit with the older Yuasa from my 6th gen and put the new Yuasa in the 6th. The older Yuasa is still going strong at 7 years. At least Yuasa is a known quantity - I'd want to know more about the Duracell before going that way. I'm not buying any more of the B+ branded units.
Ok Cogs...Allright you talked me into it.... going Yuasa, Made in Pennsylvania. Amazon order.... (Geez, what dont they have? lol)
For grins, walked to the garage to look at the OEM, and whatya know? Yuasa too. It only lasted 13 years.....
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To @14thumper - mostly on things you get waht you pay for and those cheapo battery are lead acid..... for me, I wont go that way, I bought a cheapo once for my VFR and it pissed acid on my swingarm.
Classic saying, one bitten, twice shy.
- There's probly a Yuasa size 12 for reasonable money for your bike...... check cold cranking volts and amp hour rating to compare when you do...
To @14thumper - mostly on things you get waht you pay for and those cheapo battery are lead acid..... for me, I wont go that way, I bought a cheapo once for my VFR and it pissed acid on my swingarm.
Classic saying, one bitten, twice shy.
- There's probly a Yuasa size 12 for reasonable money for your bike...... check cold cranking volts and amp hour rating to compare when you do...
:beer:
Hi mello.
I'd sure hope 14thumper would be purchasing a sealed AGM battery not a Lead Acid for his 8gen. There are a huge variety of cheap AGM batteries out there for the 8 or 6gen, be it the YTZ12S (original OEM) or the slightly higher rated YTZ14S.
Whether to go the big bucks for the Yuasa or a cheaper equivalent is certainly a debatable point.
You can hardly find wet-cell lead acid powersports batteries these days--even if you wanted one. AGM lead-acid batteries have been bog-standard OEM fitment since at least 1990 (my FL had one). Apart from Lithium, there has been no significant change in powersports battery technology since 1990. In the early 2000s the OEMs started going with "factory activated" AGM lead-acid batteries, but the only difference between those and the previous AGM lead-acid batteries was the fact that they were activated and sealed at the factory (and then sat on a shelf, slowly sulfating, until purchased).
I picked up a battery from batteryshark.com for $35 shipped. It’s on my 1A charger so I’ll give it a go tomorrow most likely. Big price difference between that and Yuasa. All my bikes are always on a charger so hopefully this will last a few years.
To @14thumper - mostly on things you get waht you pay for and those cheapo battery are lead acid..... for me, I wont go that way, I bought a cheapo once for my VFR and it pissed acid on my swingarm.
Classic saying, one bitten, twice shy.
- There's probly a Yuasa size 12 for reasonable money for your bike...... check cold cranking volts and amp hour rating to compare when you do...
:beer:
I wasn’t looking at any lead-in-acid style batteries. I realize there’s a couple styles of AGM (either the factory adds the acid or you do) but with AGM I don’t believe there’s any way for acid to drip because it’s absorbed into the glass mat and not susceptible to leaking. Well that’s my understanding anyway. I’ll keep an eye on it.
I wasn’t looking at any lead-in-acid style batteries. I realize there’s a couple styles of AGM (either the factory adds the acid or you do) but with AGM I don’t believe there’s any way for acid to drip because it’s absorbed into the glass mat and not susceptible to leaking. Well that’s my understanding anyway. I’ll keep an eye on it.
The battery I got is made by SigmasTek.
Keep us in the loop on how the battery works out... I like cheap too.
I didn't realize AGM batteries existed. If choosing between an AGM and lithium for the 5th gen what would you guys choose? Based on price vs longevity.
Tried a Shorai in my SV and it was mediocre at cranking the engine and died at the 4yr mark. The Yuasa that came in the bike was 12yrs-old, when it croaked. I have a Motobatt in it, now. My other two bikes are AGM.
Tried a Shorai in my SV and it was mediocre at cranking the engine and died at the 4yr mark. The Yuasa that came in the bike was 12yrs-old, when it croaked. I have a Motobatt in it, now. My other two bikes are AGM.
No more lithium, for me.
I'm curious what your experience with the failure mode was. I have no personal experience with it but have read that lithium batteries tend to fail abruptly with no warning whereas lead acid batteries begin to show fatigue with slow(er) cranking first before finally cashing in. In a remote area that can be the difference between being left stranded and having enough warning to get a replacement. Any color on that you could share?
I didn't realize AGM batteries existed. If choosing between an AGM and lithium for the 5th gen what would you guys choose? Based on price vs longevity.
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AGM every time, Lithium has too many real world compromises with only one advantage, reduced weight. But it is in a sports tourer and not a MotoGP bike so that benefit is redundant too.
I've been using Lithium Iron batteries since 2009... First was the
(SpeedCell) since sold to a customer... currently Mr.RC45 is powered
by a Shoria... I think days of the old heavy lead acid battery are
number... smart money is on the new light weight Lithium Iron
battery...
It feels like an empty case when you pick it up, and has worked perfectly so far. I have also had a lithium Ballistic (now defunct) in my RZ350 that has outlasted every other battery it's had by at least a factor of 2. As long as it's a quality brand designed for the application it is superior technology. Twice the price if it lasts 3 times as long is a bargain, and ⅓ the weight is a nice bonus.
I'm curious what your experience with the failure mode was. I have no personal experience with it but have read that lithium batteries tend to fail abruptly with no warning whereas lead acid batteries begin to show fatigue with slow(er) cranking first before finally cashing in. In a remote area that can be the difference between being left stranded and having enough warning to get a replacement. Any color on that you could share?
From day #1, it never cranked as well as when the Yuasa was healthy. Throughout the 4yrs, the cranking power never improved. As it closed in on the end, it was just like a slowly dying AGM battery. Truthfully, I was hoping for its death, so I could gain renewed confidence with a new AGM replacement.
Note: The size I bought was the correct, cross-referenced size on Shorai’s page, at the time.
For sure, they’re feather-light, compared to an AGM. But, with my fatass sitting atop any bike, weight is a moot point.
I installed a shorai battery LFX18A1-BS12, one size lager then the recommendation because I was worried about the VFR's drain and cranking. Lasted 6 years never connected to a tender only disconnected over the winter or when I knew I would not be riding for more then a week, never had an issue until my RR to stator connector burnt this spring. On my second shorai now.
I wasn’t looking at any lead-in-acid style batteries. I realize there’s a couple styles of AGM (either the factory adds the acid or you do) but with AGM I don’t believe there’s any way for acid to drip because it’s absorbed into the glass mat and not susceptible to leaking. Well that’s my understanding anyway. I’ll keep an eye on it.
The battery I got is made by SigmasTek.
Well, ordinarily the acid in an AGM battery stays put, but I can tell you from personal experience that when your reg/rec fails in "overcharge mode" and you don't notice this until after a couple of hours riding at high speed on the Autobahn, acid will definitely be ejected onto the frame, shock and swing arm by the hissing and swelling AGM battery. That's better than exploding, I suppose!
I’ve seen it on an ‘04 GSXR 750, as well. Suzuki refused warranty, claiming we’d improperly serviced the battery, despite the obvious R/R failure. The shop owner did the right thing for the bike owner, by replacing the R/R, battery, swingarm, rear wheel, and peripheral bits that were ruined, then, went after Suzuki. Corporate Suzuki can eat a bag of dicks.
I have a battery tender that has settings for normal and AGM but have no idea what type of battery is in there. Does it matter what setting the tender is on?
I have a battery tender that has settings for normal and AGM but have no idea what type of battery is in there. Does it matter what setting the tender is on?
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I know that AGM's are OEM for 6,7,and 8gens. Assuming your 5th gen wouldn't be on its original battery anyhow, then unless you have a Lithium Ion Battery fitted it's most likely an AGM battery, and if you don't see any small filler caps on the top of the battery that would also give the indication of an AGM installed.
The OEM battery in my 1990 FL was an AGM battery (the kind you activate with an acid pack and then permanently seal with a plastic plug strip), but the OEM battery in my 1993 CBR1000FP was not.
Two years ago, I purchased a desulfanator/battery charger unit. I bought it to tend to my boat batteries to help them last longer. I've used it to tend my 8th gen VFR battery as well, but the battery is pretty new as it is and takes very little time (15 min max) to go from desulfanation mode to trickle charge mode. As Winter in Wisconsin approaches, I'm wondering if I should leave the desulfanator/trickle charger connected for months at a time, or just periodically connect it. The Interceptor is in an insulated (but not heated) garage.
"Anytime a battery is discharging, it is sulfating. Sulfation ruins batteries, which is why one that’s left unused goes bad. It’s imperative a battery is regularly used and/or on a maintenance charger. I’ve managed to get 12yrs out of Yuasa in my SV, via diligent use of a maintenance charger. I know they work and usually have five of them going at all times."
The only one of the batteries in that photo (taken in 2008) which did not eventually die--sitting on a smart charger--is the one in the back with the acid pack sitting on top of it. And that's only because I never activated it!
As I've mentioned elsewhere, my AGM battery killing days are over. My next battery will be an Aliant YLP14 (14AhPbEq, 245 CCA), which measures just 114mm x 69mm x 90mm (and thus fits every bike I own). I was LiPo-skeptical until Honda started fitting them as OEM equipment. Good enough for me!