Farkles for my Strada

Hi All,

Just installed a Shorai LFX14A1-BS12 battery. Lost nearly seven pounds from high and rearward. I took nine off of my Buell XB that way, and I could honestly feel the difference. I'll find out how it feels on the 'Strada on Sunday. I went with the 14 (amp hour equivalent) instead of the 18 as the Buell started great on the 18; I doubt the Duc is as hard to start. It seemed plenty eager when I tested it with the Shorai. This makes five bikes I've put them in, no problems so far. No affiliation, etc.

Hopefully the UPS guy will bring my sliders today, they will go on next. Went with Speedymoto, and their water pump cover looks tempting, too.

No, this is a lithium-iron phosphate battery. Another popular brand is Ballistic. Optimas are regular AGM lead-acid, with the plates rolled up.

My experience has been very good with the Shorais, but they can get hot. We'll see how this one does in that strange rubber sock...I do have the original on a charger just in case. One of the advantages of the Li-Po is that it does not self-discharge like lead-acid batteries, which typically lose about 1% per day at room temps. I've parked my MuZ 660 (with a teensy 7 AH Shorai about the size of my fist) for six months and it fired right up.

UPS didn't manage to get my package on the truck yesterday so I'm waiting until Monday for the sliders. They are making USPS look good...

I am not running any powered accessories, so I went one rating down from what Shorai recommends. The case of the 18 AH version is actually the same size. So I'd stick with their LFX18A1-BS12 for your bike. It's not cheap, though.

Those are amp-hour "equivalents," which I'd normally take with a grain of salt*, but my experience with them indicates that this is fairly comparable to the AGM ratings. I note that the OEM battery is rated at a mere 10 AH. And charging is unchanged, these things can take a decent charge rate.

It's cranking that really tests a battery, and a Li-Po battery actually heats up and makes more current as you drain it. They advise leaving the lights/ignition on for a minute first if it's cold. So it's probably not a great idea to hold the starter button in too long. I've not had any problem with heat. This heat sensitivity is obvious the first time you charge it - on a 1.25 amp Tender it goes from red (<80%) to green in less than five minutes. It warms up and starts working!

One warning - use only a charger without any "de-sulfation" feature. This is a short burst of higher voltage and will overheat the battery. I use Battery Tenders, both 1.25A and minis.

*As in, "Specifications are lies made up by marketing departments"