| Author | Message | ||
     Firemanjim |
Anyone with experience with the battery conversion kit for the S-1 fill me in,please. It must move the regulator and have a different hold-down??? This stuff still available? | ||
| S1eric |
Jim I did the battery conversion on both of my S1`s. The kit has everything you will need. The voltage reg gets moved to the right side of the battery hold down. Gets nice cool air there. (ha) You also get new battery strap and hardware. If I know Buell I`ll bet they can get you the kit.  S1Eric (Message edited by S1Eric on October 30, 2007) | ||
| Billetmetallic |
what is the actual battery, i heard it is a blast battery, is this true? what year blast? | ||
| Road_thing |
Jim: I went to buy a new battery for my S1 a few years back and the dealer told me they no longer stocked the original style battery, just the conversion kit (battery, box and hardware). He sold me the whole kit for, I think, about $100. It was very complete, went on easily and the battery lasted until about a month ago--probably 3 years, which I consider to be pretty good battery life. I'd be amazed if the conversion kits aren't still out there at the dealerships. rt | ||
| Djkaplan |
You can still buy them straight from Buell... it's expensive though! http://www.buell.com/en_us/gear/accessories/Produc t.asp?Menu_ID=2&ProductLineID=6&CategoryID=9&Produ ctID=1272 | ||
| Firemanjim |
Well,I have 2 brand new batteries so just need the other parts,wil have to check with my dealer. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Jim, Let me check the parts bin... | ||
| Darren |
Have a Look at the Red Top or The Odyssey PC 545MJ Battery. These two Batterys are more or less identical to the original size the differnce is the terminals are on side not the top. you may need to ad an extra pad on the base as the frame lip might catch the battery. You will not have to move the regulator. http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/BATTERIES-RED-TO P-Batteries/c110_116/p469/RED-TOP-20-13/AH-(545A-CRANK)/product_info.html?gclid=CNrAuOqUvI8CF QscQgodiRSxBw | ||
| Eshardball |
The replacement battery on the conversion is actually a VROD battery. I just replaced mine after 4+years. I can't imagine what they were thinking with what they speced for the s1 oem battery. My local HD dealer said $212! Told him to stay off the crack pipe. | ||
| Cyclonemduece |
what is being "converted" with this conversion kit? | ||
| Tombo |
I bought a WestCo battery for my S1 and it fit pretty well. I did have to add extra padding under the battery so that the tray lip would not cut into it, but the original strap fit and no need to move the regulator. | ||
| Bad_karma |
Cyclonemducce If I remember correctly the battery is being rotated 90 degrees. The terminals are on the long side of the battery instead of the short end. Tombo Do you have a part number for the Westco battery and does it have the terminals on the end not the side? Joe | ||
| Bad_karma |
Here are some photos of the original setup on my 98 S1W. Joe     And A picture of the current battery setup in my S1  | ||
| Bad_karma |
And the final S1 battery picture, no luck adding it in edit. Joe  | ||
| Darren |
The Westco battery is mounted on its side so technically the terminals are vertical. They are not on the top as the old S1 Battery. I once read a thread about the original S1 battery having major design flaw with the terminals running horizontally. The vibration shock them to bits. | ||
| Tombo |
My original S1 battery lasted 8 years. The vibration problem that was common was for the negative cable end to snap, this was corrected with a recall replacement. | ||
| Darren |
I still have my original S1 battery on a battery tender since 1998! My S1 is still in bits packed in boxes as I have moved around a lot over the last several years. The engine and frame sit next to me in my office. I now need to build a garage so I can reassemble it as a classic. (cheap classic bike Insurance) But I know the battery will die eventually. I will go for the Red top or the Westco so I can keep the original look. I am not keen on the reg strapped to the side of the battery it looks like it sticks out, a bit after thought. | ||
| Rocketman |
My experience with AGM batteries is legendary. After my original battery died years ago I didn't want the upgrade kit on my nickel framed S1W, as the upgrade battery left so much of the battery tray unused and on show. Given the lip around its edge, I just thought it looked like an after thought and unsightly. So I went with the (DMS Technologies) Varley Red Top 20 battery. I haven't had much luck with these batteries. That is until this last one, which has astonished me! Yes this current (no pun intended, lol) one is in its third year and lasting well. Not bad considering three previous attempts had managed one year each. To be fair though, all the failures have sat through the winter months on an Optimate II or Optimate III battery tender. So here's a thing. I'm told if you wish to stand these AGM batteries for a period of time then they should be discharged before standing. This I don't understand because I would assume the purpose of the Optimate is to maintain the battery for long periods of time by constantly feeding a small chip controlled amperage to maintain the battery at full charge. My experience has been that winter lay off and Optimate use has left the battery without sufficient energy after a few months downtime. But like I said, this most recent Red Top 20 I'm on is proving all others wrong. One last thing I will say. In the years of researching a better alternative (in the UK) eventually I found locally a really knowledgeable 'electrician' who knew much about batteries it made me stick with the Red Top 20. This person lectured me about AGM, Gel and goodness knows what else, and he rated the RT20 as the best performer on the market by far. It seems the one I'm using now is proving him right! For my US friends, I'm told DMS Technologies buy the (RT20) batteries in kit form from Odyssey in the US, and assemble them in the UK. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Here ya go Jim. Odyssey PC545MJ The RT20 is around £90 in the UK. If you're paying $260 for the US equivalent, that's way expensive compared to the UK market, but I'd have to say not out of the way. Interestingly, baring in mind what I've said above, the Odyssey gets a 2 year warranty. The RT20 only gets 1 year. Your extra price is at least somewhere towards a better deal. Rocket | ||
| Guell |
I can attest for odyssey batteries, had one in my last sport car, was an awesome battery. Cant go wrong with them. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I just replaced my stock 2005 XB9SX (2004 manufacture) with another stock Harley (AGM) battery. It would still turn over, but was clearly loosing margin, and I didn't want to kill my voltage regulator by running a failing battery. | ||
| Jos51700 |
FiremanJim, or anyone else on here still have their original S1 batteries? I'm interested in them if you do. Thanks, John |
