texasscott1 wrote:
Scott, if you check the specs real close you'll find that those lithium ion batteries only have an actual CCA of about 160.

The problem with buying a factory activated battery is that if it drops down to below 12 volts for some time while sitting it starts sulfating.
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Hi Scott,i think you missed many things that were talked about here by maybe not reading the full post because its not lith-ion batteries i am refferig to at all like you mentioned,these are factory activated newer gen AGM lead acid batteries i am posting about here.

I realize your not rec lit-ion batteries here but since you brought them up i personally would not use or rec lith-ion battery for the R*.

I say that because they cost 3x more then the a high perf agm battery does,they have lower CCA at times (like you stated) then agm battery does,and they have issues with starting power/cca when in colder temps.

I read on i belive was the Shorai Lith Ion Bike Battery website where you have to try mult times in a row to start the bike hitting starter many times or by leaving headlight on for xamount of time to as they put it to " fully wake up the lith-ion battery in colder temps " to even turn the motor a few time to actually try to fire it up which i feel is just crazy to have to deal with when it costs 2x-3x more to begin with,they can keep it!/LOL!!!!

Only plus for lith-ion bike battery for me is it weighs less,but R* is such a lrg heavy slow bike the agm battery being what is it 8-10lbs heavier doesnt mean squat with such a heavy slow cruiser the R* is.

Also, as for shelf life of factory activate batteries,1st is thats how std lead acid car batteries have been doing it for many yrs with no problems at all selling factory activated car/truck batteries.

And 2nd you also mised the point i made that when i checked into with deka and also a battery supplier i use online they told me they keep a close watch on stock vs how many factory activated batteries the stores are moving/selling to avoid issues with old stock.

I have bought approx 4-5 factory activated Deka AGM bike batteries over the past 4-5 yrs ,2 for my 2 bikes and 3 for other peoples bikes i was working on and they were all mfg'd/activated between 2-3 months of me buying them which is just fine with none of them failing thus far too.

And what Deka also does to ensure the consumur knows how fresh the battery is they have a date code on the side of the battery case that shows thru a window/cutout on the side of the box when buying it new so you can see if its been sitting too long prior to buying it to protect the consumer.

And lastly,AGM batteries are specifically designed to have a lower discharge rate and less sulfation then std lead acid batteries do too so less issue with going low on volts when sititng for a couple month prior to use.

Even with slight voltage draw with my basically sotck 06 silverado when sitting for 6-6.5 months over last winter here in upper NY state without charging the agm deka ETX20L 310cca battery tested at 12.4 volts prior to firing it up for 1st time i spring with no problem.

So why would a newly mfg'd & activated freshly charged agm bike battery thats stored inside where its warm with no outside source draining it (like ecm and or clock etc did on my bike) have issues with battery voltage going very low under 12volts when my mult yr old agm battery dident go under 12.4volts sitting for 6+ mnoths?

So with agm batteries being designed to be more resistant to sulfation and more resistant to voltage loss then std lead acid batteries are that havong agm bike batteries sitting a few months after being factory activated prior to use shouldnt be a big issue at all .

And think about the fact lower grade std design lead acid factory activated automotive batteries that are more suseptable to voltage loss & sulfation that dont have issues being stored a while post activation prior to being sold so why would newer better design AGM bike batteries that are designed to be more resistant to voltage loss & sulfation have issues when sitting a while post activation prior to selling them?

The ans to that is they dont!

The battery mfgs, stores & or suppliers that sell car & motorcycle batteries sell way more factory activated batteries then non factory activated batteries these days and have been doing it for many yrs now having it down pretty darn good making sure they dont over stock ending up with issues down the road.

The factory activated Excide battery i bought for my maxima lasted 10yrs ,an autozone fac activated battery i bought for our 98 olds lasted 8.5 yrs ,and a fac activated walmart battery i last had in my 1977 kawi kz1000 lasted 8yrs.

There are normally no problems buying a factory activated battery these days because the battery industry is setup and geared to properly deal with it over the many yrs they have been doing it that way.

But bike shops like you work in are about the only place that still do a fair amount of old school filling & charging of batteries prior to selling them.

Scott

I'm going to need a new one as mine is still OEM and going on 7 years!

scottw wrote:
Dave,there is another 500+cca battery thats been on the market for the R* for a few yrs,its the " Shorai Lith Ion " upgrade battery for the R*,its 540cca that retails for only $349.50!(OUCH!!!!)

Thier std rep lit-ion batt for the R* is rated at 405cca that retials for a measly $275!(LOL!!)
Scott
Believe me I read all the posts and was referring to your statement in a previous post. Sorry for the confusion.

The biggest majority of the batteries sold at the dealership here are activated at the time of sale. There is a very specific sequence involved in activating an AGM battery which involves letting it sit for a specific period of time after adding the acid before charging. 12 AH or less = 30 minutes - larger = 1 hour. Not following the period necessary to soak the plates will result in their being damaged. Which might explain some of the early failures we read about.

You're very lucky that your battery only discharges to 12.4 after 6 months. I've never tried that - mine is always hooked to a maintainer.

texasscott1 wrote:
scottw wrote:
Dave,there is another 500+cca battery thats been on the market for the R* for a few yrs,its the " Shorai Lith Ion " upgrade battery for the R*,its 540cca that retails for only $349.50!(OUCH!!!!)

Thier std rep lit-ion batt for the R* is rated at 405cca that retials for a measly $275!(LOL!!)
Scott
Believe me I read all the posts and was referring to your statement in a previous post. Sorry for the confusion.

The biggest majority of the batteries sold at the dealership here are activated at the time of sale. There is a very specific sequence involved in activating an AGM battery which involves letting it sit for a specific period of time after adding the acid before charging. 12 AH or less = 30 minutes - larger = 1 hour. Not following the period necessary to soak the plates will result in their being damaged. Which might explain some of the early failures we read about.

You're very lucky that your battery only discharges to 12.4 after 6 months. I've never tried that - mine is always hooked to a maintainer.
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Hi Scott,Ah,good point explaining how some AGM batteries may have bit the dust early if the acid hasnt had enough time to properly soak into the plates before charging which could result in overheating the plates warping them damaging the battery greatly reducing its srv'c life in the process.

Yeh i would generally use a maint charger for off season storrage too , but storrage situation last yr for my bike didnt have elec avail for a charger and i was busy with medical issues of my own on top of dealing with medical issues with my elderly parents too.

So with all that going on at the same time i never got arround to removing the battery from the bike so i could put it on the maint charger at home.

And i too was surprised the battery held up like it did being over 12volts months later but i have found thru 1st hand experience installing the deka AGM batteries in mult bikes over the past few yrs (inc my 2 bikes too) that Deka's hi perf fact activated maint free AGM batteries are a good quality battery thats a good value being only $89 inc S&H to you door ready to go.

But if the 2 AGM maint free fact activated batteries i posted on (375CCA & 500CCA) both being less then $100 to your door turn out to actually have/produce the higher advertised CCA ratings when tested and also work well being reliable with a decent srv'c life too they would also be a good value for money spent.

But it will take some people buying those batteries & then putting some time & yrs on them to see how how they perf/pan out in the end.

Scott

07roadstar wrote:
I'm going to need a new one as mine is still OEM and going on 7 years!
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7yrs is very good , but i would not trust it another full season esp if you do a lot of riding /put on a lot of miles in warmer temps that could finsh off an already 7+ yr old battery in a bike with no kickstart that could leave you stranded.

So,question is are you going to buy a fresh battery and if yes would you be game to be 1 of the 1st RSC members to buy & try one of the 2 factory activated AGM maint free batteries i posted on here with either 375 or 500CCA's for $99.99 or less to you door?

Or would you chicken out (LOL!) and buy a proven reliable Yuasa or Deka (on sale today for only $87.95 to your door!/see link pasted below) both being thier top of the line maint free factory activated AGM 310CCA battery?

http://www.batterymart.com/p-Big-Crank-ETX20L-Battery.html

Note,Deka mfgs the battery for the BigCrank label.

Scott