need new ST1100 battery, Scorpion any good?

dwalby

dwalby

Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
4,843
Location
soCal
Bike
'97 ST1100
Only the 2nd time in 40 years of riding I've had this happen, but today the bike started normally, then after a 30 minute ride the battery was totally dead when I tried to start the bike. I think something fatigues internally and it just goes all at once. I get 7-8 years out of the Interstates that I've used over the years, the current one was purchased March 2013, so a little over 7 years.

Looks like $93 for an Interstate (edit: called today and they're $75), $64 for the Scorpion, which I think I've seen mentioned here before as a common replacement battery. Is it worth saving $30 on the Scorpion?
 
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First, be sure the battery is the issue, not one of the common electrical connection issues the 11 is infamous for.

I got an AGM from Walmart for $88 for my '01 almost three years ago (August). Still starts like new every spring, even through two winters under cover outdoors without any maintenance charging at all.
 
Batteries are like light bulbs - you never know how long one will last. On top of that, I've not seen any 'average life' numbers posted for any brand of battery by either an independent testing group OR an interested party like the battery manufacturer. All of the info you get here is anecdotal and pretty similar to the tire reviews posted on The Tire Rack's website. By this I mean you pick the review or reviewer you like and believe that experience will mirror yours in the future. Things don't really work out this way.

Do you get what you pay for in batteries (i.e. more expensive batteries are generally better) or is there a free lunch (cheap batteries are the equal of the more expensive ones - or at least they will cost the same per year when they die)? I cannot answer this question, but I know what common sense tells me.

AGM batteries are widely considered to be a better battery than flooded batteries (and are more expensive), so make sure you are comparing apples to apples and not AGM to flooded.
 
yes, battery is the issue.

I've owned the bike for 23 years and have used 3 batteries, including the OEM, so 7.667 years average per battery. I can't recall what brand the 2nd battery was, but it was probably an interstate like the current one.

So basically, if someone can say they got 7-8 years on a Scorpion, I'd be interested to hear it. Otherwise, I'm going past the Interstate distributor tomorrow anyway, so I'll probably pick one up while I'm passing through.
 
I had a scorpion AGM battery in my ST1300 for 12 years! Currently running a scorpion Lithium in my Super Ténéré.
 
That reminds me that I should replace mine too.
It still works fine, but, it's one from 2014.
So, why wait until it fails, at 2 AM, on the side of the road ?

Mine is a Yuasa, YTX14-BS.
I can have a new one for $106 Canadian dollars, wich is, actually, about $ 78 US.
 
Maybe I'm overly cautious, but I think that batteries are like parachutes - you don't want to buy the cheapest one, you want to buy the most reliable one.

The potential costs associated with getting stuck somewhere due to a dead battery are pretty high - I've had that happen to me (not the battery's fault, but due the the infamous "red wire" on my ST 1100). The unexpected overnight at a hotel, taxi rides back and forth, finding the replacement components far away from home, etc. cost me nearly $500. For that reason, I'd recommend buying a battery that has a proven reputation. Personally, I buy OEM Yuasa's - but if the Interstate battery has a good reputation, that might be a good choice also.

Unless the Scorpion is on sale, marked down from a regular price similar to the Interstate or Yuasa, you gotta ask yourself why it is selling for so much less than the name brand batteries. There's probably a reason for that.

Michael
 
Now that I think about it, the OEM was Yuasa, and I'm pretty sure my first replacement was Yuasa also and I bought it at the Interstate distributor who carried Yuasa for m/c batteries at the time. Since this one died all of a sudden I'd rather get it tomorrow rather than buy online and wait for one to ship.
 
I'm a Yuasa man myself but you can't argue with almost 8 years to a battery.
Yuasa's are about £70.00 here.
I've never heard of Interstate, I presume (probably incorrectly) they're a Stateside battery.
Upt'North.
 
When I had my ST1300, I used Scorpion batteries and had good luck with them. I generally change out batteries in the 1300 and the Goldwing in 5 years whether they need it or not.
 
Interstate distributor has it in stock for $75, so I'm picking one up today.
 
Battery life, in my experience, is partly dependent on the environment.
.
I don't know anyone (including myself) down here in deep south Texas, who's had a battery reliably last seven years - three seems average. We have two seasons down here - really really really hot and humid ... and cool. Our nine months of extreme heat shortens a battery’s lifespan (car or bike battery).
 
Upt' North said:
I've never heard of Interstate, I presume (probably incorrectly) they're a Stateside battery.
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Well, of course they're American.. if they were a British company, they would be called Intershire, and if they were Canadian, they would be called Interprovincial. :biggrin:

(Just teasing you)

Michael
 
CYYJ said:
Maybe I'm overly cautious, but I think that batteries are like parachutes - you don't want to buy the cheapest one, you want to buy the most reliable one.
Click to expand...
I disagree, batteries are not like parachutes. The battery will race you to the ground every time, and not change your terminal velocity. :rofl1:

But what else you said is what I was suggesting in my earlier post. I've said more than a few times here, that I don't wait til components fail and routinely change my batteries (auto and bike) at the 4 to 5 year mark. I think I have only exceeded the 5 year life once on a battery before I adopted this practice. The last car battery that failed (in our Toyota Highlander) cost me exactly double what I would have paid at home (at around the 3 1/2 yr mark) and took about two+ hours out of a wonderful drive with my wife around south east Ohio.
 
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