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Which Battery? Li-Iron? Favs, experiences?

Hyp Noob

Hyp Noob

Joined Apr 2017
244 Posts | 1+
California
The original batt in my '13 Strada is cranking just a bit slow, needs recharging. Still OK but not great. It's a sealed MF batt I believe.

I'm Considering Lithium Iron batt for it's light weight, small size and impressive CCA. I've heard of a few issues but mostly good.

In researching todays I found out it's OK to use a Battery Tender charger as long as you don't leave it on .... after batt is fully charged. Otherwise works fine at least on the Shorai

I'm considering Shorai, Anti-Gravity, Battery Tender and WPS.

Experiences? Opinions?
 
This is timely as I'm considering replacing the stock battery with Lithium Ion to shave weight and hopefully find a way to better secure the battery as the stock one is always bouncing around on the rough roads out here.
 
I have had very good luck with an Anti-Gravity in my Honda. I can't get a straight answer from my Ducati dealer on what a lithium battery might do to my warranty.
 
Warranty concern? Over a starting battery? Seriously?

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for companies to void your warranty or deny coverage under the warranty simply because you used an aftermarket or recycled part.
 
I've always used Yuasa, never had a problem. They last a long time (10 years when maintained) and function in all weather conditions. You won't notice the weight loss of a lithium battery, but your wallet will certainly weigh less!

The only compelling reason I can see for switching to a lithium battery on this bike is space savings. On the Hyper, space is very limited, so by installing a lithium battery you can put a fuse block, fuel module, tools, PB&J, etc in the extra space.

Regarding warranty - Ducati voided my warranty by stating that my fuel module damaged the starter motor. Similarly, they could easily say that replacing your battery with something else could cause any electrical problem. I wouldn't change the battery if I still had warranty. Or at least - replace it with whatever you want, then put the stock battery back in if you have a warranty claim.
 
RSL said:
Warranty concern? Over a starting battery? Seriously?

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for companies to void your warranty or deny coverage under the warranty simply because you used an aftermarket or recycled part.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I would like to go Anti-Gravity to save some weight and not have to use a tender.
 
MartyGarrison said:
Good to know. I would like to go Anti-Gravity to save some weight and not have to use a tender.
Click to expand...

Any dealer that mentions reduced warranty because of what we do to our bikes must prove that it was our purchase or action that was the cause of the failure, or they are violating the law.
 
I've been happy with my Ducati sized 16 cell Antigravity battery. Only once, while riding with heated grips and heated vest being used all day, did the low output Hyper alternator not fully recharge the battery.

If I were to purchase today, I'd ask EarthX for the biggest possible battery to squeeze into the Hyper battery compartment. This is because of the sophisticated protection circuitry built into the EarthX. Unique to EarthX.

The single biggest mistake people make when purchasing lithium is getting a size which is suitable for mild weather, thus too small for any challenging situation.
 
RSL said:
I've been happy with my Ducati sized 16 cell Antigravity battery. Only once, while riding with heated grips and heated vest being used all day, did the low output Hyper alternator not fully recharge the battery.

If I were to purchase today, I'd ask EarthX for the biggest possible battery to squeeze into the Hyper battery compartment. This is because of the sophisticated protection circuitry built into the EarthX. Unique to EarthX.

The single biggest mistake people make when purchasing lithium is getting a size which is suitable for mild weather, thus too small for any challenging situation.
Click to expand...

Right, I read most of that thread but not all. Good stuff but hard to wade through it. But I agree, seems riders tend to undersize the battery.

Low output Alternator? :eek: The Hyper puts out 490 Watts! IMO, more than adequate to power everything I would ever have.

My DR650 only puts out 200W and I can still manage a Gerbing and heated grips! I do run a low draw HID bulb, but that's it.

490W output on the Strada is a Super Powerhouse for me ... but I've not tested it yet with Li-ion batt ... so, have to see.

Seems like touring riders need to pack a small charger on tour to top up battery at days end?

And what about CANbus system? Any issues when using Li-Ion battery?
And do you need a special charger to safely charge a bike with CANbus like some BMW's?

I've been using a Batt Tender and another Smart Charger on my Hyper Lead Acid, seems OK so far.
 
Coming from BMW the 490 watts is under powered.

Charging should be by dedicated lithium charger. Inexpensive on Amazon for the top rated.

As for Canbus, I have zero concerns and my years of experience backs that up. It puts out more consistent voltage than any lead acid or AGM battery. MUCH more consistent. That is the hallmark of a lithium battery.

My bad experience day was a lot of restarts, low RPMs and all the demand. Quick bump and I was running again.
 
RSL said:
Coming from BMW the 490 watts is under powered.

Charging should be by dedicated lithium charger. Inexpensive on Amazon for the top rated.

As for Canbus, I have zero concerns and my years of experience backs that up. It puts out more consistent voltage than any lead acid or AGM battery. MUCH more consistent. That is the hallmark of a lithium battery.

My bad experience day was a lot of restarts, low RPMs and all the demand. Quick bump and I was running again.
Click to expand...

RSL which Anti-Gravity do you use, small case or OEM size?
 
The OEM size 16 cell because it was designed to fit right, and does. It is enough of a change for the cables without changing the case size.
 
RSL said:
The OEM size 16 cell because it was designed to fit right, and does. It is enough of a change for the cables without changing the case size.
Click to expand...

"Change for the cables"?? Do you mean it's a stretch to connect them to the battery? Shorai and others provide foam inserts to ensure a tight fit. Seems pretty important that it's an easy reach to connect POS and NEG.

RSL said:
Coming from BMW the 490 watts is under powered.
Click to expand...
I get it. BMW's put out massive elec. power. Best heated grips ever!

RSL said:
Charging should be by dedicated lithium charger. Inexpensive on Amazon for the top rated.
Click to expand...
Yet Shorai and other OEM's say it's OK to use a conventional Lead Acid charger as long as you don't leave it on to "maintain" the battery, just remove when topped up ... and no desulfate mode.

Neither of my Batt Tenders do desulfate mode. Seems the Li-Ion specific chargers are best at balancing cells (pulse?) and you can leave them on 24/7.

I'm looking at them ... reckon the Optimate is one of the best. They've been around a long time. (UK based)

Which one did you find on Amazon?

RSL said:
As for Canbus, I have zero concerns and my years of experience backs that up. It puts out more consistent voltage than any lead acid or AGM battery. MUCH more consistent. That is the hallmark of a lithium battery.

My bad experience day was a lot of restarts, low RPMs and all the demand. Quick bump and I was running again.
Click to expand...
I only asked about CANbus as our HyperStradas are also CANbus systems,
not sure every owner is aware of that fact.

With BMW, early CANbus systems caused a lot of headaches. Lots of bad history there, took them about 10 years to sort it out. Several GS buddies had issues that were CANbus related in some way or other. (one is sales manager at Cal BMW, the other a BMW dealer mechanic)

In that big Li Ion thread I read a few comments about how a weak batt could ruin your starter motor and may trip fuses or cause other elec. issues.

For me it's a no brainer in cold temps to do the quick battery warm up, "just in case". No big deal to me.

Until I 100% trust Li-ion ... I'll pack some sort of small charger as in cold I use Gerbing (77W) and grips/gloves (30W) at 100% all day ... so according to Cy, may need a brief charge up at days end.

I'm also buying an Anti-Gravity Aux battery to have for charging devices and to bump my friends dead bikes! :D

Which one do you think is best without doing OVER KILL?
(not starting a Semi Truck here!) :)
 
As for a jump battery, I would only buy the EarthX one because it is a LiPo, the others aren't. Much safer.

As for charger, this is a _cy_ top pick:
OptiMATE Lithium 4s 0.8A, TM-471, 8-step 12.8/13.2V 0.8A Battery saving charger-tester-maintainer

As for the Ducati battery leads, I flattened the positive.

2017051607513422-A02025B4-A5D6-4571-A261-D9DDAE8B654C-X3.jpg
 
I've had a Shorai for 2 years. You can search for thread with specifics as I copied another member.

The weight savings is significant for a light bike. I'd say at least 4 lbs. The size savings helped as I also have a tuner module that rests on top of the ECU.

The terminals and hardware for the Shorai are excellent. I have a beefy aux running light setup but don't run any peripherals. I also use a standard battery tender jr. because both company's say it's fine.

Only negative is the cold weather cranking combined with my stock POS starter. You really do have to warm the battery up when the bike sits <50 F. I run the high beams for a minute or two before cranking. I originally thought my starter was toast before the forum pointed me towards Li-Io cold weather behavior.
 
gatdammit said:
I've had a Shorai for 2 years. You can search for thread with specifics as I copied another member.

The weight savings is significant for a light bike. I'd say at least 4 lbs. The size savings helped as I also have a tuner module that rests on top of the ECU.

The terminals and hardware for the Shorai are excellent. I have a beefy aux running light setup but don't run any peripherals. I also use a standard battery tender jr. because both company's say it's fine.

Only negative is the cold weather cranking combined with my stock POS starter. You really do have to warm the battery up when the bike sits <50 F. I run the high beams for a minute or two before cranking. I originally thought my starter was toast before the forum pointed me towards Li-Io cold weather behavior.
Click to expand...

Ditto, except I've had mine for four years now. I don't ride the Strada all that often any more, and it does not self-discharge nearly as much as the AGM type. So I don't have to keep my bikes on Tenders, although I rotate a mini between them sporadically.

As for size and rating, the manufacturers want to sell you much bigger units that needed. The battery only stores energy, mostly for starting; it's the alternator and rest of the electrical system that provides juice for that heated gear etc.

And yes, a regular old Battery Tender works just fine with these.
 

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