Any Lithium Ion Battery Fans?

Andrew Shadow

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Riding since '92 I concur on the original 5~6 year lifespan of an MC battery... till the change of the millennium...
New environmental regulations like RoHS forced changes in the used materials & compositions... not even car batteries will last longer then 2~3 years...
One might get a bit more if it's a daily driver, but job schedules and climate conditions do not support such...
I can certainly see and appreciate how your situation would get frustrating, and I understand now why you are searching for a long-life battery.
Thanks for the explanation.

I have a history of over 35 years long with motorcycle batteries and I have never had a one go flat in anywhere near such a short length of time in any of my motorcycles.

That is not what I have experienced with my cars either.
For example, I replaced the battery in my truck last fall before the winter cold set in. It was 10 years old. I was not having any problems with it at all even in extremely cold weather. The only reason that I changed it is because it was 10 years old and I figured that I was pushing my luck.
The battery in my wife's car was 11 years old when I changed it last year, for the same reason.
More of less the same result for the vehicles I maintain for other people in my family.

Maybe because they were older batteries they were not compliant with the new environmental regulations that you mention. Maybe the new ones won't last as long. I don't know, but I hope that they will.

Good luck with your search.
 

970mike

Mike Brown
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Here is my new battery for my 12 ST1300.

My 07 ST Antigravity battery is over 9 years old and still going strong.

This battery has the restart feature.

PXL_20220224_200755897.jpg
PXL_20220224_200806087.jpgPXL_20220225_023758081.jpg
 

ST1100Y

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This Li battery will probably be my next battery.
Not avail over here, whilst the [restart] (with remote) seems a nice concept...

I replaced the battery in my truck last fall before the winter cold set in. It was 10 years old.
Agree, the *original* battery of my '96 Toyota also lasted 10 years... but whatever I can get since then is done within 2... :rolleyes:

I suggest a portable jump-starter.
LOL! ;) Been there, with a Hawker Enersys inside... failed after 5...
Being able to crank it via booster (got a socket under the seat) ain't the solution for having a potentially dying battery in the motorcycle...
 

wjbertrand

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Would this NOCO require their own charger?
Would my Deltran Battery Tender Jr chargers work?
If you had to charge it probably yes. As it arrives 100% charged you don't need to initialize it. I bought a lithium charger for my Scorpion battery but only because the manufacturer ships them at only 60% charge. In 2.5 years I've never needed to touch the charger again as the self discharger rate is so slow the bike starts instantly even after sitting more than a month when I as out of the country. I'm betting you could put off buying a charger and perhaps avoid purchasing one all together. These lithium ones seem a lot less dependent on chargers that L/A. AGM or gel type batteries.
 

mello dude

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Just info....
I was an early adopter on LiFeP04 batteries with first tryout in 2010, with an 8 cell for my VFR. It worked out fine and went 6 years before it wouldnt keep a full charge on the bike.
I still have it and use it for a tester battery.... when needed, it charges in minutes with a cheap 1 amp charger.... back to 13.2V

I replaced in 2016 with a 12 cell battery that I am using today....

For charging ... the only consern on state of charge on the LiFeP04 battery I have run into is if you leave it set on you bike not riding it for 5 or 6 weeks, with parasitic losses.
I have only been caught maybe only twice like this and I just used a cheap 1 amp charger to bring it back up. 5 minutes and it was done...

Between seasons - winter, I pull the battery off the bike, bring it in the house and it needs zero charges for the 4 month down time. Volts off the bike Late October.... 13.30 volts,
Today


---- really off the bike between seasons the charger isnt needed..... And I dont think I would spend money on a special charger.

Another 2 cents... IMHO... I think the mistake guys do with these batteries is that they try to treat is like the common LeadAcid or AGM. Its not. Its apples and oranges.

So I'm 6 years out on the battey and it still has full life in it.....

And as usual technology marches on, so I'm sure that the newer designs are better than what I have been using, I wouldnt hesitate to get a new one... (my old one has to die first.)

Then cant say that I'm a fan... its just a battery...
 
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ST Gui

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I think the mistake guys do with these batteries is that they try to treat is like the common LeadAcid or AGM...
How so? I'd think putting them on a charger not designed for Li batteries would be a mistake. One of the warnings is not to use a battery charger/tender that has a desulfation mode.

To anybody in general — what does an Li-specific charger do (other than lack a desulfation cycle) compared to a typical lead-acid battery (which includes AGMs)? I thought I read somewhere that the charging voltage is different. Or is it the current rate?
 

mello dude

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My experience off bike.. the battery doesnt discharge over months, IMHO, leaving it on a charger over the winter would not be good for it.
(just info... .if I ever need to put a charge on the Lithium, (almost never, its been mostly near replacement time) within minutes its full. )

Versius an AGM I have, I have a 1 amp charger on a timer for a half hour daily to keep it up...

I would be interested in the charger difference question... my little 1 amp guy will go to 14.5 v and then shut off completely.
Another curiousity, what's the difference for the battery between the bike charging system and a bench unit?
 
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Another curiousity, what's the difference for the battery between the bike charging system and a bench unit?
The bike's alternator puts out a lot of current, most of which goes to running the bike, and whatever is left will charge the battery at a rate dependent on the relative voltage difference between the two, and discharge to keep the bike running if the RPMs are too low.

A battery charger will deliver a lower but steady charging current, which decreases as the battery voltage rises. A charger doesn't have to contend with sudden high-current engine starting, and attempt to recharge the battery well enough for the next several starts.
 

Gerhard

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My experience off bike.. the battery doesnt discharge over months, IMHO, leaving it on a charger over the winter would not be good for it.
I have a Shorai in my bike since 2015 and I use Shorai charger for it all winter, it has a storage mode which keeps the battery charge to somewhere around 80% capacity. The battery was still cranking the motor like new last year and hope it will do the same in 2022.
 

mello dude

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I have a Shorai in my bike since 2015 and I use Shorai charger for it all winter, it has a storage mode which keeps the battery charge to somewhere around 80% capacity. The battery was still cranking the motor like new last year and hope it will do the same in 2022.
Thats interesting.. every check battery volts before and after? Curious...
 

ST1100Y

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My 07 ST Antigravity battery is over 9 years old and still going strong.

PXL_20220224_200755897.jpg
Interestingly it uses the full avail volume, whilst other MFGs utilize only 2/3rd and fill the rest with pieces of empty plastic (spacers...), claiming "meeting the specs of the conventional battery"...
Or did you purposely select a way larger model that fits the battery tray?

The NOCO will arrive next week (their GENIOUS5 charger is already in the mailbox), we'll see how it fits and performs then...
If this is the real deal I'll get two others for the NT700 and my '94 ST1100...
 

970mike

Mike Brown
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Interestingly it uses the full avail volume, whilst other MFGs utilize only 2/3rd and fill the rest with pieces of empty plastic (spacers...), claiming "meeting the specs of the conventional battery"...
Or did you purposely select a way larger model that fits the battery tray?

The NOCO will arrive next week (their GENIOUS5 charger is already in the mailbox), we'll see how it fits and performs then...
If this is the real deal I'll get two others for the NT700 and my '94 ST1100...
I have one in my Suzuki DR650 and Yamaha Super Tenere. I also talked Tim from Canada to get one for his ST that is stored here, he had been through about 4 Yuasa batteries.
 
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Interestingly it uses the full avail volume, whilst other MFGs utilize only 2/3rd and fill the rest with pieces of empty plastic (spacers...), claiming "meeting the specs of the conventional battery"...
If I was going to an LI battery, I would look for the largest one that would fit in the space.
 

Willsmotorcycle

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Here is my new battery for my 12 ST1300.

My 07 ST Antigravity battery is over 9 years old and still going strong.

This battery has the restart feature.

PXL_20220224_200755897.jpg
PXL_20220224_200806087.jpgPXL_20220225_023758081.jpg
Where did find the “Remote Reset”. I’m using the battery and it works as expected. I tried charging my phone over night and drained it, but the restart saved the day.
 

970mike

Mike Brown
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Where did find the “Remote Reset”. I’m using the battery and it works as expected. I tried charging my phone over night and drained it, but the restart saved the day.
 
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