Battery Comparison

[CBSIMONSEZ]

it would appear that i have taken the path that most have gone down here with the battery and starting issues. My battery to the best of my knowledge is at least 2 years old. It was used April thru Oct both years. Last winter i would charge it up on a trickle charger a couple times a month. As this season comes to a close, i find the battery doesnt want to turn the bike over when cold ... but after the bike warms up it gets even worse.

So i went looking for some comparisons for the Ballistic, Shorai and OEM battery. I have always bought batteries with the most CCA ... and it would appear that the Shorai wins out.

Shorai Motorcycle Battery vs. Ballistic Motorcycle Battery Comparison - webBikeWorld

Going off this and information posted by yall who already own an upgraded battery, i think im going to buy a Shorai. Hopefully no more hard to start issues when the bike is up to temp next year.

[ctc6698]

CB,

If you're in no hurry, I'd wait just a bit before taking the Shorai plunge. Both myself and Woodenhorse seem to be having "cold" issues with these batteries as well. One minute it will start, next it won't. Charger says battery is fully charged, bike won't turn over....then it will. I have a new Shorai in the mail delivering Tues so I can send 1st one back for testing. Shorai talks about the need to warm up a Lithium Ion battery by turning on the switch, waiting 1-2 minutes, cutting off the switch, waiting another minute then cranking. If this is what it takes to start the bike each time, I know I made a bad purchase, but at this point, I'm not sure whether I have battery or starter issue. I do know there's a snake in the woodpile somewhere.
Maybe woodenhorse will chime in here and spread some more insight for you.
I think MFR has a Shorai and it's doing great. Go figure!!

Just thought I'd give you a heads up.

[Señor Gar]

An AGM might be worth consideration ...< click

250 CCA ... just 20 shy of the Shorai !

[CBSIMONSEZ]

thanks for the heads up CT. And Senor ... is that what you are running now?

I could just by a new lead battery every year.

[Señor Gar]

Originally Posted by CBSIMONSEZ

... And Senor ... is that what you are running now?

Still running the OEM battery more as research than showing any commonsense . I have all the usual symptoms although it has never left me stranded and fewer symptoms since I began using a maintainer almost full time. If, as I suspect, our batteries are the problem, I would attribute our woes to sulphation. My charger/maintainer claims to have a desulphation mode that kicks in after a week on float (maintenance). We'll see if it can knock the sulphate crystals off the lead plates after 6 months of storage. if not, next spring I'll be packin' an AGM . More bang for the buck as I see it and compatible with my CTEK pulse charger/maintainer whereas the Shorai can't handle pulse charging.

[Clueless]

Originally Posted by Señor Gar

An AGM might be worth consideration ...
250 CCA[/B] ... just 20 shy of the Shorai !

The OEM Yuasa is an AGM battery,

[Señor Gar]

Originally Posted by Clueless

The OEM Yuasa is an AGM battery,

Well now, I feel better already . I have so much added electronic crap stuffed in there I can't see the side of the battery . Thing is, AGMs sulphate too so my research continues unabated .

[Señor Gar]

So, now that Clueless has informed me that I already have an AGM battery and, quite reasonably, I still believe sulphation is the enemy, I had better step-up my game .

How about (well worth reading) ...
TruGel 101–about the battery (best part follows)
"A standard lead-acid battery is an electrical storage device that uses a reversible chemical reaction to store energy. It uses a combination of lead and lead oxide plates or grids, and an electrolyte consisting of a diluted sulfuric acid (H2SO4, @ about 35% concentration) to convert electrical energy into potential chemical energy and back again. It does this because when the two plates (the lead and the lead oxide) are immersed into the acid solution, two things happen. One, the lead plate is forced to release protons into the electrolyte, and this leaves it in an electron rich state, or negatively charged. Two, the lead oxide plate is forced to release electrons into the electrolyte, and this ends up with more protons, and this is positively charged. When you connect a load to the battery, say a starter, the electrons from the negative (lead) plate try to rush over to the positive plate (lead oxide) to balance the plates out...

The loading of the battery and this flow of elections causes the formation of lead sulfate in the electrolyte, which is deposited on the plate surfaces (almost like a Sulfate Electro Plating). The "ate" in sulfate is oxygen which is stripped from the water in the electrolyte, and once stripped from the water, it leaves free Hydrogen as a gas to escape from the battery... So, when you apply a charging current to the battery you reverse all this process, and the result is that you need oxygen to "recombine" with the hydrogen. All of this to say that...

Because TruGel Nano-Gel Electrolyte has a "three dimensional" lattice structure (because the gel is made using Silica to stiffen it, which has a "lattice structure", during the charging process, it will guide the generated oxygen horizontally toward the negative plates where the recombination process occurs with the generated hydrogen, which in turn reduces the moisture loss, and increases the sealed performance, and thus battery life."


Hope this helps, BikeMaster.com

•Watch the "Still Works" Video and Learn More About TruGel Technology•
•Instructions & Specifications PDF•
•TruGel Battery Hardware•
•TruGel Battery Cross Reference and Specifications•
•Go to all BikeMaster Battery Applications•

Please note that I am not recommending this battery. Just putting it out there for your input. I have read mixed reviews and no long term reports. May not be suitable for some chargers. More research required.

[CBSIMONSEZ]

So now it would appear that i need to find a test that includes the Gel battery as well. Sheesh. Good thing we are just entering our off season here in the North East.

[Señor Gar]

Ballistic Claims 410 CCA vs. Shorai 270 CCA vs. YUASA 230 CCA OEM equivalent replacement.

Ballistic Lithium Iron
112MM (L) x 86MM (W) x 103MM (H) 38 MM shorter length than OEM
Positive Terminal Left
1100 grams (2.5 lb)
13.6V Charged
20 A/H (lead equivalent)
Cold Cranking Amps: 410
Temperature Operating Range: -18°C (0°F) to 60°C (140°F)
Typical Applications: 1000cc and over V-twin motorcycles.
Ballistic 12 Cell EVO2 (100-012) - $189.99 retail



Shorai LFX Lithium Iron
148MM (L) x 66MM (W) x 105MM (H) 21MM narrower width than OEM
Positive Terminal Left
997 grams (2.19 lb)
18 A/H (lead equivalent)
Cold Cranking Amps: 270
Recommended for Honda Fury
SHORAI LFX18A1-BS12 - $186.95 retail


YUASA YTZ14S Factory Activated, Maintenance Free Battery150MM (L) x 87MM (W) x 110MM (H)
Positive Terminal Left
3901 grams (8.6 lbs)
11.2 A/H (this is lead)
230 CCA
Comes Honda factory installed and activated at time of bike manufacture.
YUASA YTZ14S #YUAM72Z14 - $ 201.91 retail

Originally Posted by CBSIMONSEZ

... i went looking for some comparisons for the Ballistic, Shorai and OEM battery. I have always bought batteries with the most CCA ... and it would appear that the Shorai wins out.

Shorai Motorcycle Battery vs. Ballistic Motorcycle Battery Comparison - webBikeWorld

Although the review is seriously flawed the user comments are quite revealing.