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Battery Info


EVLXX

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OK, I needed a new battery, and after researching and comparing batteries for the last 3 days, I decided to share my findings with you, in an effort to save you some time..... if you so choose.

Plus... I never can remember what the specifications for the Original Equipment battery are, so they are posted below as well.

Here Goes... and Because, things have changed since our beloved XX was retired.

Battery Info…

The OE stock Battery was a YTX12-BS (or equivalent, each manufacturer has there own way of labeling the first set of letters, to designate that it’s their battery). The specs for said battery are…

AH: 10

CCA: 180

L: 6”

W: 3.4”

H: 5.1”

LBS: 8

Cost is: $ 40 - $100 depending on which manufacturer you go with, etc.

Years ago I found out you can easily fit a YTX14-BS in the very same hole. The Bigger the battery the better… right? Well I think so… The spec for it are…

AH: 12

CCA: 200

L: 6”

W: 3.4”

H: 5.8”

LBS: 9

Cost is: $50 - $110 Just a little bit more… Not bad for the increase you get.

The extra CCA is what you will notice the most. It spins the motor faster, and spinning the motor faster makes the motor start easier.

This bigger YTX14 battery was the biggest strongest battery you could get that would fit into the same pocket, up until a few years ago. I can’t remember exactly when, but that’s not the point, the point is that there is a Lead Acid battery that somehow is smaller dimensionally, and yet, puts out even more power. It is the … YTZ14S. It’s specs are…

AH: 11

CCA: 230

L: 6”

W: 3.4”

H: 4.3”

LBS: 9

Cost is: $70 - $ 190, whoa! You really have to do your shopping on this one, because the prices are all over the place, but the power you get is well worth the slight increase in cost… in my opinion.

Once again, there’s a POWER increase, stronger, faster, Harder! If you haven’t figured it out by now… this battery has roughly 50 more Cold Cranking Amps than the OE battery had… that’s a huge improvement.

Note the Battery is Short, almost a full inch shorter than the OE battery so be ready to put something under the battery to prop it up a little bit.

Now for Lead Acid Batteries that’s the end of the road for now…. But there’s a New Kid on the Block, and His Name is Lithium Iron Phosphate., but he is still part of the Lithium Ion Family… So you can call him by either name. The point is, this New class of batteries, is a Power House compared to the old. What fits you ask… well, just like all the other battery manufacturers out there… there is no one universal battery sized and shape code (label) designation. So I’m going to go with Shorai batteries for now...

First up, the LFX14A4-BS12 , the specs for said battery are…

AH: 14

CCA: 210

L: 5.9”

W: 3.4”

H: 3.4”

LBS: 2

Cost is: $140 - $160 Ouch! That’s 2- 3 times the cost of the comparable Lead acid Battery. I guess if losing 6 lbs of weight is that important to you…. Ya No, not for me.

But wait, there is another one…

The Shorai LFX18A1-BS12, Now for the good stuff, Specs…

AH: 18

CCA: 270

L: 5.9”

W: 2.6”

H: 4.2”

LBS: 2.3

Whoa! 18 Amp hours and 270 Cold cranking amps… wow, now that is impressive.

However…

Cost is: $170 - $200 Double Ouch!

Now just wait a minute… lets back up and look at the differences between the top Lead acid battery you can stuff in the XX, and the Top Lithium Battery.

Lead acid: (YTZ14S)

Pros:

Tried and true for the Last 150 years.

More power than you need,

As long as you keep it topped off with a battery tender of some kind, it should be very reliable.

Any Charger you probably already have, will work.

Cons:

It’s a Lead Weight.

It gives off a corrosive sulfuric gas if it’s charged at too high an amperage rating.

Can loose it’s charge sitting on a shelf

Lithium: (LFX18A1-BS12)

Pros:

Massive power increase over stock, in amp hours as well as CCA’s.

Super lightweight.

Will hold a storage charge (if there is no draw) for a year or better.

Cons:

Not good in Colder climates, below 40–50 degrees F.

Cannot be charged with more than 15 amps (so don’t try jump starting it with a running vehicle)

It really should be charged with the charger designed just for it, and cannot be charged with a high frequency de-sulfation charger.

Cost, currently the cost is 2 and ½ times more than the above battery.

In Conclusion:

I personally can’t justify the Cost of the new Lithium batteries for a few extra CCA’s, and I’m not a fair weather only rider (I have been on motorcycle trips and found myself in sub freezing temperatures in the morning). So for now I’ll be buying the Maintenance Free Lead Acid batteries.

Note: Prices for the lead Acid batteries are all over the place, so you really need to do your homework shopping for one of these. I was able to find the batteries with very low AH’s and CCA’s for around $50, not what I would recommend. On the other hand I was also able to find the same battery with very high AH’s and CCA’s with a very well know name, which leads me to believe, it’s just a Name Brand thing.

Also: I realize that there are other Lithium batteries out there, just like there are different maintenance free lead acid batteries. I only used the above batteries as an example to compare the differences in each.

So...

The Battery I will be buying is here...

http://www.batterystuff.com/powersports-batteries/sYTZ14S.html

ps. Buy a good Battery Tender and keep it on the battery when it's not in use for more than a few days.

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I have several of the Shorai's, and this weekend will prove whether or not they can take a beating. I had a completely dead (~4v) Shorai in my 530 earlier this month. I have the Shorai charger... tried storage, charge, storage, charge cycles to bring it back - it would get to 13.8v, but any load knocked it back with just a touch of the starter switch. I took it out to my truck yesterday, hooked up the cables, and patiently waited for it to explode. After a long two minutes or so, I started the 530 and disconnected the cables, took it for a ride around the neighborhood. Started fine an hour after coming home.

This morning, 48*, it wouldn't start. Tried, but didn't. I think the kill switch might have had something to do with that, but what do I know. Anyways, I emptied the battery trying before looking at the kill switch, dumbass. Jumped it again, and it re-starts after idling for a bit. I may have abused it to the point of no return, but I'm going to mess with it for a while before giving up. The Shorai in my 990 lit up this morning like the day it was new, after three fairly cool months sitting in the bike with no attention from a charger nor "properly" putting it into "store" mode. I have a Shorai in the XX, it has rolled over slowly when cold a couple of times (as expected), but has always started it.

The cold thing isn't what some people interpret. I've started my 990 in 25* temps - the chemistry of the battery makes it warm up with load, so turning the headlight on for 30s helps warm it up. As it warms up, the voltage goes up. Mash the button a few times, and you can literally hear the starter run faster each time you try it - the opposite of what you expect in a lead-acid battery. I've heard of people in cold climes putting a grip heater around the Shorai, hitting a switch to turn the grip heater on, and sort of double-heating the battery that way. Seems a lot to go through for the weight savings. In the end, you can work around the different chemistry, even if it's a little unconventional.

I've been thinking that for an adventure bike, where you might be waaaay out, the way to go might be to have an SLA as your normal starting battery and have a Shorai in a saddlebag. They seriously weigh almost nothing, and if you're out alone, the cost and the volume it takes up would be well worth the peace of mind.

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WHOA..... HOLD THE FLIGHT, HOLD THE FLIGHT.

Back it up....

I may have a change of mind....

Not because the first half of the above comments by ifanboi are making me feel all warm and fuzzy, they're not. However I just Realized there is a Lithium Battery out there that has Comically Astounding Power compared to anything else that will fit in the XX.

How about 507 CCA.

Yes you read that correctly.... that's Car battery power, in a battey so small and light it made my head spin.

The Battery is the .... Scorpion Stinger Extreme High Output SSTX20CH-FP

the spec are...

AH: N/A

CCA: 507

L: 5.9”

W: 3.4”

H: 4.1”

LBS: 2.75

Cost.... $ 184

It is also a Quad Post battery, meaning it doesn't matter which side your power (+) cable is on.

See here...

http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/lithium-iron-batteries/sstx20ch-fp.html

I get my next paycheck in a week.... and then.... I'm going to have to splurge a little.... I think.

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Exactly... I'm thinking that, if that thing cranks out 507 CCA at 72 degrees.... it's gotta crack out 200 CCA at 30 degrees. More than enough to fire the bike no matter when I need it, without performing any "warm up" proceedures.

Plus.... I have other motorcycles and ATV's that could use that same battery.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I recieved the SSTX20CH-FP in the mail yesterday.... and it weighs Nothing compared to the stock battery.

The 2 day shipping was Nice.

Yes it fits perfectly in the battery box...

I can't wait to try it out. I'll reply on it further after I have had some time on it.

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That's Good News....

Very good news actually. I had heard that if you have a lithium battery that was completely dead and would no longer take a charge from the suggested charger, That there still is the possibility of recharging it, if you put a quick Boost charge to it. However... I don't know enough about this, and the internet is full of a bunch of crap information, so I'm not believing anything until I've had the time to do my homework.

Your "Charge or Go ahead and explode" procedure seems to have worked out for the best..... so far.

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If it doesn't, I got almost three years out of it. I think leaving the key on for several weeks on the 530 may have contributed to killing it.

The battery in the XX and the 990, purchased/installed at the same time, are still going very strong. Next time I go somewhere remote and alone on the 990, I'm going to take the XX battery along - it weighs virtually nothing, and would be excellent peace of mind.

I can't recommend the "connect to a car battery and duck" method of recovery, but it at least bought me some time. I guess if you're stuck in the middle of a trip somewhere it may be worth a try if you can't find a replacement.

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