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Battery replacement and amp rating

12K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Bgriff008 
#1 ·
I'm getting to the point where I need to replace my OEM battery, so I'm looking at options.

Motobatt seems highly recommended but I'm curious about the different models that are available (in general for all battery brands) and the different amp rating those models have .

Is there likely to be an issue with choosing a battery that has a higher amp rating than the OEM -- the bike will only draw as much current as it needs. The answer seems to be no but would like to confirm.

This will also be my first time filling and charging a dry battery. Is a battery tender jr acceptable for the initial charge? Just leave it hooked up over night and then drop it in the bike.
 
#2 ·
Yes you can put a larger ah rated battery in. The only limit is the space you have. As long as it fits you're good.

Last time I looked at a JR they only put out like 500mah which isn't enough. 1ah is about the minimum. You want to charge at 10% of the batteries rating for at least 10 hours. So a 9ah battery would be 900mah. However most cheap chargers are very optimistic about their actual output. For a maintenance style charger I would say 1-1.5ah would be a good range for the initial charge.
 
#5 ·
IMO lead-acid batteries are from the stone-age. I got the 18Ah Shorai and the dedicated tender/charger about 3 years ago (around $250) and love it. Only weighs a couple of pounds and and keeps the charge much longer than a lead-acid battery. Lithium batteries can be sluggish in cold weather so I got the 18Ah instead of the standard 14Ah. The tender/charger plugs into a separate cable to a 5 pin port on the battery and shuts down automatically on full charge, although I mostly use it as a tender for storage in winter. With reasonable care it can last 10 years. Heavy lead-acid batteries may be ok for cars, but a light powerful lithium battery is a no-brainer for motorcycles. The Shorai is a lithium-IRON motorcycle battery, not lithium ion so it does not have any fire hazard.
 
#6 ·
The Shorai is a lithium-IRON motorcycle battery, not lithium ion so it does not have any fire hazard.
That's an interesting distinction. I've been toying with the thought of going lithium, but haven't looked into that seriously yet. Part of my hesitation was ignorance - afraid of burning my house to the ground. Thanks for the quick edjumacashun.

:thumbsup
 
#9 ·
Turns out, MotoBatt only sells factory-activated batts. Have any of you had issues with this particular brand. I'm a little concerned that these are activated months (or years) in advance and just sit in storage. Hoping that they activate upon order... may go the Yuasa + battery charger route just to be 100% sure that its fresh.
 
#10 ·
I put a Yuasa in mine. I don't remember who told me, but they said to stay away from Lithium. At the time I was still inexperienced and just got a new replacement for the old battery. Didn't feel like researching Lithiums. Maybe next time I will go Lithium but it all depends how long my new lead acid battery lasts. I put mine on the tender any chance I get. Easy to do, so I do it.
 
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