Article [13] ST1300 - Odyssey PC545 installation

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hoowasat
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Two years and seven months now without battery issues. I said I'd be happy if it lasted three years ... 5 months to go.
 
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hoowasat
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OK, 3 years was my goal and this battery has performed to my satisfaction. Other than my own stupid mistake of leaving the lights on once, requiring a jump start, the Odyssey has performed flawlessly. I'm happy even if I need to replace it next week ... which I doubt.
 
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hoowasat
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I added a Battery Bug (BB) monitor on 1/1/13, and because it had no recorded history to think otherwise, it displayed 100% life remaining as soon as it was connected. The BB readings since then have been as follows:
57% & 13.0v on 1/2/13 after initial engine start
50% & 12.8v on 1/5/13 after several starts on a 45° day
49% & 12.6v on 1/15/13
46% & 12.9v on 1/21/13 after several starts during a 50° 160-mile ride to Richmond, VA
43% & 13.0v on 2/3/13
28% & 13.1v on 2/4/13 after starting when the bike sat out in 32° to 45° temps at work
28% & 12.7 on 2/6/13 after starting when leaving work today, 50° high temp

The 28% value had me a little concerned, and I was curious to see if I could reset the BB. So I left it disconnected from the battery on 2/26/13 for ten minutes, and when reconnected, the display said 0% (ZERO!) life remaining with 12.4 volts, beeped for 30 seconds, and displayed an "X" in its battery symbol. But the bike continued to start fine and the dreaded clock/odometer-reset ?signal? had not surfaced.

As of 3/11/13 the Battery Bug was still telling me "zero life remaining" and beeped for 30 seconds every time I turned off the engine. I hadn't used the Battery Tender, and the bike kept starting without the clock/tripometer-reset.

I wasn't too sure what to think of the Battery Bug, especially since the battery degradation appeared to commence as soon as the BB was installed. In hindsight, the BB gave me plenty of warning because the dreaded clock/tripometer-reset happened this past Wednesday, 3/13/13 when I was starting my bike at work for the commute home. It's replacement time!

I bought another Odyssey PC545 and installed it today. The first one gave me 26K miles of service over the course of 41 months. In one of my posts above I said I'd be happy if the Odyssey lasted three years. Well, I am happy ... I'm not ecstatic ... but I am satisfied with that amount of service life. The BB displayed 100% after hooking it up to the new battery, and displayed 74% life remaining after the first engine start & complete warm-up. "The countdown has restarted."
 
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Wow, great story on the BB. Hoping mine will give me an accurate countdown like yours did. When the weather was cold like yours, I had low readings. Disconnected it and hooked it up in warmer weather and it read normal, kind of around 35%.
I've been really happy with the readings from my BB.
Also, have a $9:95 battery off of eBay on stand by if mine fails tomorrow.
 
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I typed for 10 minutes (I'm slow), then lost everything I typed...don't know what happened. Long story short: My original Yuasa has been in my ST1300 for 6.5 years last Friday! Thank you for showing that a PC545 is possible as a replacement. Maybe you should check you bike for some drain you may not be aware of...???? Good luck.
 
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hoowasat
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My original Yuasa has been in my ST1300 for 6.5 years last Friday!
Congratulations! According to other threads, the OEM Yuasa batteries tend to give good service life whereas the replacements do not.

Thank you for showing that a PC545 is possible as a replacement.
You're welcome. All I did was illustrate what someone else had figured out & that they designed a suitable battery tray.

Maybe you should check you bike for some drain you may not be aware of?
I tend to think if I had a "ghost" electrical drain, then the Odyssey battery would not have lasted 41 months. I believe the only engine-off drain my battery sees are from the bike's clock and the Battery Bug.
 

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I added a Battery Bug (BB) monitor on 1/1/13, and because it had no recorded history to think otherwise, it displayed 100% life remaining as soon as it was connected. The BB readings since then have been as follows:
57% & 13.0v on 1/2/13 after initial engine start
50% & 12.8v on 1/5/13 after several starts on a 45? day
49% & 12.6v on 1/15/13
46% & 12.9v on 1/21/13 after several starts during a 50? 160-mile ride to Richmond, VA
43% & 13.0v on 2/3/13
28% & 13.1v on 2/4/13 after starting when the bike sat out in 32? to 45? temps at work
28% & 12.7 on 2/6/13 after starting when leaving work today, 50? high temp

The 28% value had me a little concerned, and I was curious to see if I could reset the BB. So I left it disconnected from the battery on 2/26/13 for ten minutes, and when reconnected, the display said 0% (ZERO!) life remaining with 12.4 volts, beeped for 30 seconds, and displayed an "X" in its battery symbol. But the bike continued to start fine and the dreaded clock/odometer-reset “signal” had not surfaced.

As of 3/11/13 the Battery Bug was still telling me "zero life remaining" and beeped for 30 seconds every time I turned off the engine. I hadn't used the Battery Tender, and the bike kept starting without the clock/tripometer-reset.

I wasn’t too sure what to think of the Battery Bug, especially since the battery degradation appeared to commence as soon as the BB was installed. In hindsight, the BB gave me plenty of warning because the dreaded clock/tripometer-reset happened this past Wednesday, 3/13/13 when I was starting my bike at work for the commute home. It’s replacement time!

I bought another Odyssey PC545 and installed it today. The first one gave me 26K miles of service over the course of 41 months. In one of my posts above I said I'd be happy if the Odyssey lasted three years. Well, I am happy … I’m not ecstatic … but I am satisfied with that amount of service life. The BB displayed 100% after hooking it up to the new battery, and displayed 74% life remaining after the first engine start & complete warm-up. “The countdown has restarted.”
Just curious if you load tested the battery after charging it to determine if the battery was bad or just went off your battery bug?
 
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hoowasat
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No, I did not load-test the battery. When the clock/tripometer-reset occurred, I knew it was time to replace the battery or risk being stranded (or at least needing a jump). Considering the poor performance I got from the replacement Yuasa battery, I am pleased with the Odyssey. The Battery Bug itself failed during the fall of 2013, and it may be due to my own fault. Condensation formed inside the BB and eventually ruined the circuit board ... which I confirmed later when I disassembled the BB. When I mounted my BB, I covered a vent hole with some double-back tape, and I believe that was the reason the condensation collected inside the unit.
 
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I just installed PC545, but did it horizontally.

You have to cut right side of the battery tray. Be careful not to cut brake hoses :)

Then I used galvanized band to hold battery in place instead of stock metal bracket and rubber tie to hold outer case (with cutted out top part).

Battery touches brake hoses and I will keep an eye on it, but other than that I am satisfied with the result. By the way - you have about 25 or 30 degrees to play with for one of the brake hoses (thinner one) - just loosen the bolt and turn the connector. That will allow you to install battery without bending hoses. Be careful not to loosen it too much - brake fluid will spill.



(arrow pointing to the bolt which should be loosen to turn the brake hose, so you have enough space to install the battery without bending hoses.







Bottom arrow shows place to hook galvanized band to. Top arrow shows position of the brake hose after turn.
 
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I wouldn't recommend this battery. After not using my bike for a month I wasn't able to start it (apparently I have a parasitic draw). But after recharging battery it cannot hold the charge. Load test shows drop to 8.41 volt when battery fully charged.

Official Web site lacks support info.

From now on - only stock batteries :)
 
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I wouldn't recommend this battery. After not using my bike for a month I wasn't able to start it (apparently I have a parasitic draw).
I have no explanation for your experience, other than you may have gotten a sub-standard Odyssey ... especially if it cannot hold a charge. In post #26 above, I said I was satisfied to have gotten 41 months of service from my first PC545. I am now approaching the 42-month mark with my second PC545, and I've had no issues whatsoever. My bike has not sat idle for a month like yours, but it started effortlessly this evening after sitting untouched for a week. I do not use the Battery Tender on a regular basis, but did connect it tonight after starting the bike and shutting it down with no ride-time to recharge the battery ... idled for only a couple minutes.
 
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Just realized I haven't updated my status in a while. As of May'17, my Odyssey is now in its 50th month of trouble-free service.
 
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While I'm not too happy about having to buy another battery, I am pleased to have gotten 5 years of service from my last Odyssey PC545. OK, not exactly a full 5 years ... it lasted just 2 weeks shy of 5 years. Bought a new one and will install it later today, 3/3/18, and the last one was installed on 3/17/13. After prior poor performance from a couple Yuasa batteries between 2007 and 2009, I'm glad I made the modifications to get the PC545 to fit in my 2006 ST1300A. At this rate, I'll have to get another one about the same time I plan to retire in 2023.
 
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Re: ST1300-Odyssey PC545 installation

12-month status report ~ The Odyssey battery has continued to operate flawlessly during its first 12 months on in my bike. On the other hand, there was one occasion where it would not crank the motor ... then I slapped my head with thoughts along the line of, "I am such a fool idiot," when I realized the kill switch was turned off.

A month ago, I added XM radio with NavTraffic and NavWeather data services. The bike sat outside for a few hours with the key in the ACC-position while I tried to get the correct satellite signals. I realize that a few electronic gadgets will draw very little amperage, but these were running for a few hours (4 or 5 hours), and I expected I would need to recharge the battery before cranking the engine. Nope. Started right up.
Any long term update you or anyone can provide for this battery? I just took possesion of an '09 ST1300PA that I won in a Gov't auction. Battery needs to be replaced. The dead battery is an odyssey PC545. I see from this post that you used a kit from Huntington Bch Honda. This bike appears to have the same kit hardware. Or is this just standard in the Police model? This bike appears to have been serviced or initially purchased from Huntington Beach Honda. I need to purchase a battery and wondering if another PC545 is the way to go, thanks.
 
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My 2nd PC545 has been in the bike 27 months now without a single hiccup. As others have suggested, I did upgrade my battey charger to one that desulfates ... bought a BatteryMINDer model 128CEC1. After letting it run for a few days, I have noticed a slight improvement. Haven't tried to measure any difference, but the battery just seems a bit more "alert" and the bike starts just a wee-bit faster. Perhaps I'll get more than 5 years of service from this one.

Let me also say I've done almost zero riding during this pandemic and I do not leave the charger connected ... hook it up for a day or so every few weeks. I've been fortunate to be able to work from home. I just refueled my F250 for the first time in 2 months.
 
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