lythium battery

The only things I know about lithium batteries are :

1. They don't like cold temps &

2. They have a very abrupt cut-off. They will give and give and give and then stop - no warning.

With regard to batteries in general, the key specification is CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) in other words the ability of the battery to start the bike or car.

 

I have a Motobatt in my bike,since fitting she has started easier as the battery has more kick. I am aware that they give no warning when they are failing but this can be in their favour as it should help with the famous sprag failure caused by a weak battery. I dont know about using an optimate on them coz I have never been a fan of them anyway.

 

Hi Folks -

I would like to revive this old thread. I need to quit charging the battery in my T-Bird and just buy a new one. I'm looking at the different types and wondering if the lithium or wet gel batteries are really worth the money. I came across the following comparison chart which is really helpful, but there is nothing like real experiences. Have any of you been using either of these battery types? If so, what is your opinion?
https://img.jpcycles.com/staticwebfiles/instructions/pdf/ZZ36009.pdf

 

bump...
Yuasa YTX12BS failed on me this morning - a combination changing the coolant over the weekend requiring multiple starts as I flushed out the old stuff and being 4c this morning (not really that cold but maybe a factor) - multimeter reading was only 12.4v, last used Wed last week (4 days ago)

Considering
- Motobatt MBTX12U (£50 ish) - have used before and was happy;
- Shido Lithium LTX12CNT (£100 ish) plus lithum charger (£?) - new technology, lighter, more space and more CCA - willing to spend the extra for new technology for more reliability and performance

Any thoughts on the lithium battery?
charging issues (doesn't like going over 14v apparently as this wrecks them)
reliability/compatibility with charging system and other electrics
Cold starting - apparently turning the lights on or cranking a couple of times warms the battery up and will start after a few secs

 

I replied to the original thread and at the time had a motobatt and was happy with it.I had to change it a few weeks ago, funnily enough when we had the hot spell as it had died totally. I used the bike the week before with no issues, nothing left on, and it was dead as a dodo, I have gone back to yuasa and for my Sprint , I got one with the same kick as a motobatt, however it cost just under 100 quid so not much cheaper than lithium but no charger worries

 

I've been using sealed gel batteries like Motobatt for years (My SPrint 1050 has a Motobatt, MBX12U, now and a Nitro previously). Never had an issue that would put me off them and find they hold up much longer than the liquid acid ones.

I prefer the battery to be consistent, the last time I had a liquid acid battery, as it neared the end of it's life, it got very inconsistent in whether it wanted to hold charge or not. Gel batteries get progressively worse & can suddenly decide they are done, but at least it's very clear, rather than working fine one day, dead the next, then being only sort of dead, then fine again!

I'm a year round rider so I've tested my batteries in the coldest conditions and gel batteries are more then able to deal with any conditions a rider can cope with.

Never tried Lithium batteries, but have been tempted for the reasons Red Thunder lists. I've heard/read that the thing with Lithium batteries is there's no cheap & cheerful option. They're either good, or cheap, NOT both, so you'd pay for compromising on price, whereas liquid acid batteries can be dirt cheap & generally reliable.

 

I have opted for the Shido Lithium through Amazon, any issues and it should be easy enough to return
Also a Optimate lithium charger for it.

Same as Deaks, I am a year round rider so will be interesting to see how it holds up through the English winter, although I don't expect temp to go below -10c which is noted in the specifications as the point a lithium battery starts to fail

 

Fitted a lithium battery to mine. .no probs yet but if I do run into any it's got a very quick charge time

 

I have had yuasa, gel and now a lithium battery In my 09 America ! The lithium battery beats all the other's hand's down. It will crank over the motor for absolute age's, and it can be left for a month and more without a trickle charger attached and still works fine ! As for cold use , it doesn't get much below 0°c here in Northampton WA, but on the coldest days here it still cranks/turns over fine ! The more it turns over on a cold morning the better/faster it goes ! Battery will charge up to full charge on a short 5 KLM run ! That's One of the Weaknesses of lead acid batteries beat hands down ! Lead batteries take many hours to set up and reach full charge, lithium takes 20 to 30 minutes to reach 80% of full charge and a couple of hours to be almost 100% !!

 

I have had yuasa, gel and now a lithium battery In my 09 America ! The lithium battery beats all the other's hand's down. It will crank over the motor for absolute age's, and it can be left for a month and more without a trickle charger attached and still works fine ! As for cold use , it doesn't get much below 0°c here in Northam WA, but on the coldest days here it still cranks/turns over fine ! The more it turns over on a cold morning the better/faster it goes ! Battery will charge up to full charge on a short 5 KLM run ! That's One of the Weaknesses of lead acid batteries beat hands down ! Lead batteries take many hours to set up and reach full charge, lithium takes 20 to 30 minutes to reach 80% of full charge and a couple of hours to be almost 100% !!

 

When buying a lithium ion battery, should I be looking for the same amps/volts that old one has?

 

OEM batteries are perfectly fine for road use, if you’re looking to loose weight for racing then choose something else.
But i think you’ve actually answered your own question after three and a half years you’re thinking of replacing it

 

The physical outer dimensions ! The cold cranking amp's available from a lithium battery are far greater ! So select by voltage ..!.. It has to be 12V..!.. And be physically big/small enough to fit into your batteries location on the bike ! I had the problem of battery box was visible on my '09' America and back when I bought my battery there was little choice/selection of outer dimensional/physical size ! So I had to move the battery, it was too small to go in the case ! It would have rattled to death !!!

 

I bought a Lithium battery for my 2010 S3 bike and it it was hit and miss onb cranking over so I sent it back and stuck with lead acid. If I have gone for a higher CCA may have been OK. Or maybe I was unlucky.

 

had a lithium on 3 of my last bikes. ktm 1290 sdr ducati xdiavel and 2012 speed r. now have one on my 2018 speed s. jmt is the make.one of the cheapest around.been fine but struggles to start the speed triple up if temperature drops below 8 c. a blast with the hair dryer around the front of the tank soon gets it going. bought mine for the weight reduction.