Member Contributer kaldek Posted June 14, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 14, 2011 I fitted a Shorai Lithium Iron Phosphate battery today from Shorai power. Very impressed so far; even though my '02 has a weak charging system (original 2002 model stator), the voltages this battery holds when under load are way better than lead acid. When the engine is hot and the lights and radiator fan are on, she still cranks the motor hard when starting. My charging voltage seems a little low but I'm thinking that's to do with the battery not being charged fully when I measured the voltages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted June 15, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 Here's a good overview of the Shorai batteries from their CEO: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer bryan217 Posted June 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 Thanks for the vids! I've been following Shorai since I saw them at the IMS show in NYC in January. When my battery goes (it's not even 2 years old), I'm definitely going to get a Shorai. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted June 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 . When my battery goes (it's not even 2 years old), I'm definitely going to get a Shorai. So, in 7 years time....................... My OEM Yuasha lasted 9 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RED RUNNER Posted June 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 I fitted a Shorai Lithium Iron Phosphate battery today from Shorai power. Very impressed so far; even though my '02 has a weak charging system (original 2002 model stator), the voltages this battery holds when under load are way better than lead acid. When the engine is hot and the lights and radiator fan are on, she still cranks the motor hard when starting. My charging voltage seems a little low but I'm thinking that's to do with the battery not being charged fully when I measured the voltages. Thanks for the post. I was just reading a fairly in depth article about the Shorai batteries and their lightweight competition in Roadracing World. The Shorai seems to be the best bet because the battery posts are most like the OEM posts. Can you give us a pros/cons of your battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer carlitos92 Posted June 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 Thanks for the vids! I've been following Shorai since I saw them at the IMS show in NYC in January. When my battery goes (it's not even 2 years old), I'm definitely going to get a Shorai. +1 on both the thanks and the future plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted June 15, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 My OEM Yuasha lasted 9 years My older Yuasa is still going, only replaced because it was getting old. The replacement Yuasa lasted 15 months, hence the Shorai. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted June 15, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 Can you give us a pros/cons of your battery? Pros are that it works much like a lead acid battery with greater safety, less weight and continuous cranking power even when its going flat! The cons I think may only become evident as the battery ages, but in particular I'm curious what the actual capacity of the battery is. Shorai don't tell you because they know people would be put off by a raw capacity number lower than the lead acid battery they're replacing, hence the "Lead acid equivalent" rating on the Shorai. This is only a "problem" if your charging system dies and you're running off the battery, and we just don't know how long it would last in that instance. Update: I just found the specs for the battery which can be converted. The battery I purchased is rated at 60 watt/hour, which converts (60 watts / 14.4 volts) into 4.1 amp/hours. So it's a 4ah battery. Of course, they don't make lead acid batteries to "get you home if the charging system dies". They make them that big so that they have enough amps to crank a motor - the fact that they then have enough juice to let you ride around without a charging system for an hour or so is a lucky coincidence. Again, this makes the "lead acid equivalent" rating on the Shorai batteries a fair comparison. Shorai sell a "duration" version of each battery model, whose base amp/hour rating is higher, which would be a good idea for anyone running accessories when the engine is off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted June 16, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 16, 2011 Nice presentation! Thanks for the "Pop Up Video" style info nuggets, too. Now I know why you're replacing the flywheel along with the stator. Not having a Vtec, I had no idea about the rotor upgrade. I will admit that the Shorai packaging is a much better replacement option over the more DIY versions like MOTY. But I'm not sure why some people seem to be claiming the Shorai internally is a much better option. They are the same chemistry, no? I'm in no way suggesting you should have bought one over the other, just wondering why some are slagging the MOTY over the Shorai. Again, aside from packaging and ease of installation. Talking about day to day starting and riding. As for the "get you home" aspect; I had my RC51 stator apparently die on my recently, as I noted in another thread. It must have started shortly before my final fuel stop, as it cranked slightly slowly but started. The ride home was probably an hour, after which it would not crank at all. This was the MOTY. After this, I re-installed the AGM and went for a short ride. Probably 30 or less. After that ride, it would not crank at all. Neither battery showed any decrease in performance while riding, although they were not allowed in that time to drain fully. Both were around 10v when I got back. Not nearly enough to spin the big Twin. I'd have to think the "get you home" factor is not much of a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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