Triumphrat

Snakeoil

I know there have been comments here about Walmart batteries not holding a charge and sitting on shelves at partial charge and sulfating while waiting to be purchased. Personally, I've had good luck with Walmart Everlast batteries in that regards.

But, recently they have gone from individual cell caps to a solid strip that has all the caps as part of that strip. Try as I might to control the removal of the caps while pulling up on the end of the strip, it is almost impossible to not have the caps pop out and fling battery acid in the process. If you are not watching closely and do it with the battery in the bike you might not even notice, which could be very disturbing a few weeks down the road.

So, be cautious when removing that strip and perhaps draping a paper towel over it as you remove it will prevent any heartache later.

I'm going to start saving the individual caps from old batteries in case this becomes a trend with other battery manufacturers.

regards,
Rob

Morris the Cat

Last time that happened was the first time using an AGM battery, now going on 4+ years, and cheap enough to buy!

www.bikebatts.com

__________________

Morris of Main Street

DeanRider

Why not buy a Maintenance Free (MF) battery and be done with individual caps and refilling with battery water? Certainly no problem with "caps pop out and fling battery acid in the process."

htown16

I just bought one a few months ago. Don't see how they could discharge or sulfate in the store. The acid comes in a container packed in with battery. You add the acid to the battery before you install it.
I've used a bunch of them. They usually last about 3 years, but the heat here is hard on batteries. Make sure the overflow tube is securely attached and is long enough.

__________________
Htown16, Houston, Texas
1978 T140E Bonneville, 2004 XL 1200R Sportster, 1972 Commando,
1974 Commando, 1970 BSA Thunderbolt
Everything will be alright in the end.
If its not alright, its not the end.

Snakeoil

Yes, you are right, of course. I was just going from memory. Read a thread sometime back with folks complaining about Walmart batteries dying on the shelf. I always charge a battery before I used it anyway. I've bought several over the years and know that the acid is packed separately. Brain phart I guess. Happens more frequently than I care to admit.

regards,
Rob

htown16

I do think I am going to the sealed type from now on. Had an overflow line twist around and dump acid on a muffler. The price of the sealed types is getting very close to the older style.

__________________
Htown16, Houston, Texas
1978 T140E Bonneville, 2004 XL 1200R Sportster, 1972 Commando,
1974 Commando, 1970 BSA Thunderbolt
Everything will be alright in the end.
If its not alright, its not the end.

Speedycaptain

Shorai LFX DONE

Sent from my HTC Glacier using Motorcycle.com Free App

__________________
2011 Crystal White S3
All the R&G bits
Lots of CF bits!

68TR6R

I bought one of these over a year ago, and it still holds charge like new. It is fairly small, and sits well below the seat pan. Plus, it's a sealed AGM, so no acid to worry about.

__________________
Life's tough.......Get a helmet

thirdbike

I have tried most of the batteries and while better ones last longer, none give long service. While I have no issue with the sealed and AGM batteries, you really don't need a high cranking amp wet cell battery unless your bike has an electric starter and we all know about the Lucas starter.
If the rest of your electrics are sound, consider going to a dry cell. They are cheaper, smaller, lighter, completely sealed, last forever, stand up to heat and vibration and contain no wet acid to boil over. The other option is a capacitor

Morris the Cat

If you go to Shorai website, note that year,make, etc will bring you to an LFX09L2-BS12

The 'L2' designation is the wrong orientation for the terminals on a positive earth setup.

The correct designation is LFX-A2.



The '09' refers to amp-hours, which is correct for my '78 Bonnie.

Some don't mind re-wiring for this glitch.

My bike was originally wired so that the headlight could be switched on without the key, as long as the battery was connected, not the best setup for someone to accidentally (or on purpose) to drain the battery.

It's now wired so that it only lights with the key on.

__________________

Morris of Main Street