• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Battery Replacement - Recommendations?

P

Picky

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Location
Union City
Moto(s)
07 CBR600RR
The original OEM battery on the 07 CBR 600RR won't hold a charge for more than a day.

Looking for a replacement battery. Called CG and they have two options

1. Some brand, lifetime warranty roughly $150
2. Yausa, roughly 15-20 bucks more.

Looking for recommendations. I do not ride everyday so the bike might sit for a week to 10 days sometimes, if that is a valid variable.

Thanks!!
 
I'm intrigued by the lightweight lithium ion batteries made by Shorai.

The one for your bike ($150) saves 6 lbs over the standard lead acid battery.

They seem to be sold out (on their site) until mid August, however.

They claim they hold a charge for a year with no use and no battery tender needed.

http://www.shoraipower.com/default.aspx
 
Well, a friend of mine put one of these in his S1K:

http://www.rocketmoto.com/index.php...rai-extreme-rate-lfx-lithium-battery-327.html (Shorai eXtreme-rate LFX Lithium Battery (LFX09A2-BS12) - Shorai Batteries)

Sounds like it sheds a bunch of weight and reduces need for battery tenders and the like. Just a win. He's super happy.

[EDIT: GAJ geez, you posted at the exact same minute as me with the same opinion! But you got in first]
 
Last edited:
get a battery tender or battery tender jr. for about $30. it helps keep your investment and doesnt leave you stranded :)

bnt7JBn6lAjt999Rb5qqn23cbNTfbh92pC4eZLESpiKv-ZZRr8FSkQ32o1j6qf-GKQgQdzaY9eO9yJxA4mm-BUuxV8qDjCTBDcS_N2ErJ27j65ThfliJrIJjTJQ49Cf3VQPlk14UOaf4fL8pasgAwoPE99EXDc-VqhRDCxxXiA
 
Yuasa.

I bought the 'other' brand (MegaBoost or something like that) at CG too, only to bring it back 6 months later. Yuasa is OEM, and also carries a stronger current to start my bike.
 
Thanks for the great replies. I will probably stop by at CG after work and pick up both a Yuasa battery and a battery tender.

I'd rather get the battery today and not wait for shipping etc. I don't think there will be a huge difference in price once I add the shipping charges for a nice battery like the one RRider pointed out.
 
GAJ said:
I'm intrigued by the lightweight lithium ion batteries made by Shorai.

The one for your bike ($150) saves 6 lbs over the standard lead acid battery.

They seem to be sold out (on their site) until mid August, however.

They claim they hold a charge for a year with no use and no battery tender needed.

http://www.shoraipower.com/default.aspx
Click to expand...

this will be the next battery i buy, or another of the "speed cell" versions that use the same chemistry. you see, i assembled my own and abused the shit out of the individual cells whilst doing so, and the battery starts my 97 gsxr with ease, and the 75 goldwing with slightly less ease but i think that's because the starter is dying. LiFePo4 FTMFW
 
GAJ, that battery type does seem very intriguing but unfortunately I'd rather not wait that long. Would have loved to try this one, specially after hearing auntiebling's experience as well.

I'll try and see if somebody has an extra battery lying around. If yes, I might just wait for this battery to become available.
 
I just bought a Yuasa YTX12-BS through Amazon for $60+10 for shipping, fwiw. You'll need a tender to charge it though, they don't come pre-charged. I think Cycle Gear will do that for you.
 
i went with a shorai lightweight battery fro ~$100, at batterystuff.com: http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/lithium-iron-batteries/.

did research, and even the lower amp versions will start up with a bunch of crap connected to the battery. as an example, on my 06 R6 i have HIDs, power commander, integrated tail, and will also install PCV autotune and it has no probs starting up. also, you can leave it sitting for much longer periods of time w/out it losing charge.

i dealt w/yuasa + battery tender, this is honestly much better and not far more costly (unless you opt for the higher amps). and worst case, you can still use a battery tender as long as it has the ability to be in 'float' mode when the battery is fully charged. otherwise, they do recommend against traditional tenders because it has the possibility to overcharge. my cheap battery tender jr has float mode though so it's still good to use (if i ever need to, that is).

EDIT: I forgot to add, that Shorai is either based in Sunnyvale or has a main office there. Not sure that you can purchase direct from their office but worth a try to contact them to see if they can sell for even cheaper. But batterystuff has super fast/free shipping if not.
 
OP, as everyone else has said above, definitely get the battery tender and hook it up while you are putting in your new battery. It has saved my battery from dying in the last 2 years.
 
If you decide to go with standard battery, call around and see who carries Interstate brand. They are Yuasa with Interstate sticker on them and can usually be found 10-20% less than Yuasa.
 
Whatever battery you get, it will discharge gradually. Even a Shorai. This is because modern bikes have little things like computers and clocks and things that are always on, regardless of whether the key is off or not. So......

If you're leaving the bike for long enough periods so that you have trouble starting the bike, or it's cranking slowly, get a Battery Tender. Period.
 
GAJ said:
I'm intrigued by the lightweight lithium ion batteries made by Shorai...............They claim they hold a charge for a year with no use and no battery tender needed.
Click to expand...

And there's the rub.....

Yea, lithium ion batteries hold a charge for a long time if there's not a draw on them. However, just about every bike made today will draw on the battery even with the key off. The only way to prevent this is to disconnect the battery. So i say "big whoop" about holding a charge for a year. Getting that kind of life is not practical unless you're really not going to be riding for a long, long time. In which case, disconnect.
 
I have a lithium battery in my 450 and it is awesome! Weighs 13 ounces and has a quick disconnect plug. Well worth the money.

husky2004.jpg
 
ST Guy said:
And there's the rub.....

Yea, lithium ion batteries hold a charge for a long time if there's not a draw on them. However, just about every bike made today will draw on the battery even with the key off. The only way to prevent this is to disconnect the battery. So i say "big whoop" about holding a charge for a year. Getting that kind of life is not practical unless you're really not going to be riding for a long, long time. In which case, disconnect.
Click to expand...
FWIW: main motivation of my friend who went the lithium battery route was actually weight reduction instead of battery tender avoidance (which he considered a secondary benny).
 
LiFePO4 is better than LIon. Safer chemistry and not as temperamental with charging & discharge cycles. Also much higher CCA and output as well. Easy way to save 5-10 lbs off a bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGq6jb948M

On the comment about storage life, it's not about what the bike drains when it's off, but self-discharge characteristics of the battery itself (even when disconnected). I just went and measured mine at 12ma, probably the LED clock and alarm system. For the factory 8.6ah battery, this will drain the battery in 30-days. Even disconnected, a lead-acid battery won't store its charge for much more than this anyway. And having to continually hook it up to a battery-tender for life-support is a hassle. If you leave a charged lead-acid battery on the shelf next to a lithium battery for a year, then take them down and hook up to the bike. Guess which one will still have enough charge to start the bike?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top