Article [13] ST1300 - Ballistic Battery Install

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Silverdale, WA
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Looking at the install photos I can see there is ample space for mounting an xfer relay and fuse panel to hook-up and power all your aux circuits. What a convenient location and side benefit to using such a compact battery.
 
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I was browsing at a local Honda dealership, and ordering a few parts for my 1300. There was a display on the counter for a battery similar to your Ballistic in size and weight - i think it might have been the Shorei (but this is just a guess on my part). I got to talking with the parts guy. First, he said it was Lithium Iron - not Lithium-ion. I saw another post here where someone said he had mixed results with his battery and he mentioned it was LIFe (I forget what else he wrote), which would be Lithium Iron. This reassures me, at least, because I have heard about fire problems with Li-ion batteries, not only in airplanes. Apparently, a Tesla car recently burned to the ground after the battery was damaged in an impact - an unlikely danger to a MC.

He told me that charging systems that have an anti sulfate cycle will destroy the battery, and echoed the other points Shuey made.

Then I asked what the downside was. He said, in cold weather, the battery seems to lose its charge. If you leave your bike in an unheated garage, you will not be able to start it when you turn the key in the morning (we were talking about freezing weather). Then he said, 'but if you turn on the lights and wait maybe 30 seconds, the current draw will warm up the internals of the battery and then you will be able to start the bike normally.' This dealership found this out by accident (we are in Cleveland, Ohio - and it gets cold here).

I asked about low draw items like the clock on my 1300. He said that would not bother the battery, but they had discovered if you leave a GPS on, or similar devices, it will run down the battery in a relatively short time (I forget what he said about this - my impression was it would take a days, not hours or weeks).

I asked how long this battery would last compared to a standard lead acid batt, and he said they did not know from experience - the battery has only been out for a couple of years. I was impressed. Not only by the battery and its technology, but by his honesty. (He also told me he rides 15,000 miles a year).

Hope this adds to the discussion, I am simply passing on what I was told by the parts guy.
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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I am simply passing on what I was told by the parts guy.
Looks like you got the same information all from one source that's been amassed here by several contributors in multiple threads. I'm really interested in longevity compared to OEM batteries. Cold weather isn't too much of a problem in this area of CA.

I don't recall if anybody has fitted a 12-cell LiFePo battery in an ST1300 but that's what I think I'd want to do. Would that be overkill? Would it even be possible to fit in under the plastic?
 
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Re: Ballistic Battery Install

+1 i think the parts guy lurks here :)
small niggle li iron battery is just one type of lithium ion battery.
They can burn
 
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Shuey

Shuey

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Re: Ballistic Battery Install

I just updated my first post to change . . . correct, Li-Ion to Lithium Ferrous. Thanks to those who provided the correct description.

Second, as some know, my trusty "U Bee" went end-over-end back in July on I-10, twice in fact, laying a track of debris for yards down the median strip. "U Bee" was totaled with the good front wheel/tire, frame and engine selling at auction in TN for $400+ dollars. The Ballistic battery came through just fine, but was deemed of great value by someone along the bike recovery path and so . . . was not available for a more detailed inspection at the end of the line.

Shuey
 
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