| Author | Message | ||
     S1owner |
Ok I was refered over here from old school as some of you may have better knowledge. So i am buying a new battery looking to save space thinking of a battery tender lithium. What CCA and amp range is 12-14 amp range good with 240 cold cranking amp Or is there another battery you would suggest? | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Call Shorai, they will be able to size you the proper battery. | ||
| Stevel |
If you expect this Lithium battery to perform in temperatures below 45 degrees F, it will not. Do your own research. Lithium batteries are advertised to perform below 32 degrees, but the rate of decrease in amp/hour rating is severe starting at 45F. This degradation is not just in discharge performance, but also in its ability to charge. This means that the battery must be removed and placed in heated storage with a lithium type battery tender at temperatures below 45F. If these use parameters are not observed, early, premature failure is certain. | ||
| S1owner |
Dont believe I said anything about temps below 45? Simply asking for some input from people that have expierience with them. And yes I have done my research! | ||
| Stirz007 |
I've used the MOTY, Ballistic and Shorai with success. For the 1125, I'd recommend 12 cell (vs. 8). Not sure of CCA offhand, but most vendors have cross-reference for your application. Edit - the Ballistics had some problems a while back, but have stepped up and replaced with the "improved" version at no cost. (Message edited by Stirz007 on April 03, 2015) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Perhaps he saw from your profile, you are from MN. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Stevel - I know better than to argue with you, but is the degradation really that bad starting at 45F? I have my first LiFePO battery in a 2012 1190RS. You're reinforcing my plan to leave the RS at the shop that never gets below 60F. When the insurance agent asked her primary use, I said "garage queen". Z | ||
| Fluffy282 |
I use a mooty battery and it's often below 20*f when I leave for work... No issues. | ||
| Elvinjones |
Hey there, I've worked at a lithium battery company and have tested thousands of motorcycle batteries. I have done head to head tests all the way up to destructive tests on them. I'd recommend Shorai. They're the brand that works the hardest to get things right, and they don't get everything right but they're good. Keep in mind when using a lithium battery that a regulator failure at high voltage, or that causes AC to send from the stator to the battery will mean a destroyed battery. So will continual cranking at <20 degrees or continual cranking when the battery is depleted (and it depletes *faster* than a lead acid battery....about 3x faster (around 1/3rd the capacity; same or better cranking ability though). I'd recommend the Shorai tender and keep it on store mode when not in use for longer than a week. With a lithium battery, even more so if you go lipo, I'd recommend a continuously displaying voltage reading. (Message edited by elvinjones on April 06, 2015) | ||
| Elvinjones |
Also leaving the batteries in the cold really isn't an issue; it's USING them when they're that cold without preheating them. Funny thing though, at the same time if I lived in Alaska I'd like a lithium battery. Even at -20 degrees when my lead acid battery wouldn't work, I know i should slowly turn on a headlight etc and the lithium would warm itself up to 100% starting power. But it shortens the battery life proportionally to stress it by cranking when very cold. | ||
| Stevel |
Zac4mac, Yes, battery performance does degrade rapidly below 45F. Please read the literature published by the cell manufacturers rather than the battery constructors. Most manufacturers state that these batteries will not charge below 32F, but will discharge at very reduced capacity until about 0 F. You also need to consider that motorcycle charging systems are very crude, much more so than those used for cars and trucks. LiPo batteries require constant cell monitoring and control to allow conformance to the specific cell in use. Out of all the available Lithium chemistries, LiPo's are certainly the best. They do not have the best performance, but they are the safest when it comes to resistance to catastrophic failure. It is clear that they are NOT a direct replacement for a lead acid battery. LiPo batteries have the advantage of size and weight and would be my choice in a racing environment ONLY. Fluffy282, It is clear your battery is serving you well. Just let us know when it craps out, as it will. You are abusing it and operating it outside of the cell makers recommendations.........good luck! | ||
| Elvinjones |
Fluffy, or anyone, depending on the particulars of your situation, your battery may conk out anywhere from soon or it may last a long time. It just depends on the use case. Battery CCA rating (or let's say the true battery performance, since advertised performance is a bit of a wacky situation), current draw + current draw characteristics, charging characteristics in addition to the temperature which will dictate its lifespan for your particular use case. Also, LiFePO4 batteries are generally considered safer than LiPo, so I'm not sure if Stevel meant to say that. LiFe batteries don't have the energy density, but they're a bit more durable and certainly longer lasting. | ||
| Stevel |
I was being lazy. LiPo was short for LiFePO4. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Thanks for that Stevel. With my climate in Colorado, I think I'll stick with AGM lead batteries in my Uly and 1125/1190R but the 1190RS can keep the light one. Z | ||
| Nobuell |
I have been using an earthX battery since last year in my 1125r tracker. I had a failure of a shorie and opted to try a different assembler. The earthX have on board electronics to monitor and adjust the charge rate to assure the cells remain balanced. They also have an on board relay that automatically opens the battery circuit to preclude over discharging. I do not believe other batteries have those features. They are also great to work with. My first battery they provided did not have the cranking power I would like as I was going for the smallest size that would work. They told me that I could return for a larger size if I wanted to. I ended up going to the larger size and they had it to me in two days, even before I sent back the old one. | ||
| Stevel |
Just a little background here. I am not a battery chemistry expert by any means. The reason that led me to acquire the info that I have just passed on was my purchase of a Segway X2 in 2011. I had never ridden one, but they looked pretty cool, so I bought one as a retirement present to myself. When I got the thing, I read all the books and pamphlets it came with and I was amazed at all the precautions and don't do's when it came to the batteries, like storage, charge and use temperatures. It has two 73.6V battery packs. This got my attention and caused me to investigate further. The first thing I discovered was that these things cost $1,000 each and must be changed in pairs. This really got my attention, as I didn't wish to be stupid and inadvertently trash the batteries. Yes LiFePO4 batteries do have superb energy density for their size and weight, still not good enough, but better than lead/acid or other available battery chemistries. I discovered that abuse kills them quick. Charge/discharge cycles appear to be a non-issue in usable life span, unlike other chemistries. Assuming no abuse, effective life appears to be time related more than anything else. I have read several white papers on this subject and consensus is that any life beyond 3 years is good fortune. Very rarely they last more than 5 years. I don't think this was well understood for quite some while. Segway has a 1 year unconditional replacement policy on new batteries, but last year they changed that policy stating that the 1 year guarantee starts the day the battery leaves Segway, not the day it leaves the dealer's shelves. Buyer beware. On one more note, since I bought my Segway,I have crashed 5 times. It took me 40 years of riding a motorcycle to crash 5 times. | ||
| Mog |
I will be very happy when this battery hits the market. Here is a comparison chart for giggles but does not specifically show a LiPo4 or LiPo type. The LiPo that I used for my boat remote control became a brick from leaving the RC on overnight just once. They are recoverable (sometimes) but undependable after recovery and should be recharged in a combustion containment case or bag, thus, it is off my boat. The battery TPX-1 and TPX-2 are very stable and the TPX-2 weight is about the same as a Li battery. can't wait.   |
