Member Contributer dalesvfr Posted June 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 5, 2014 Battery died on my '03. It 's a Bikemaster TruGel that was already installed when I bought the bike. I googled the number stamped on the top and it starts with 'K' which I read means the case was manufactured in 2011. Three years seems to be a short life, but admittedly with all the snow we had this year I was bad about getting out to the garage to put it on a Tender every week or so.Honda dealer had the same battery and a cheap one. I declined and ordered a Yuasa hoping it will go longer. But one battery intrigues me, and that's the Deltran LiOn. Does anyone have experience with one? As an aside I have an Odyssey PC680 in my airhead, and it's going on seven years and has 12.8 volts at the posts. I do keep a little solar charger hooked up to that full time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 There's enough literature out there, that pretty much says Gel is a second class citizen to the top ranked AGM's. Ive never used lithium in a motorcycle, most of what Ive read has been very mixed. I have used a lot of lithium batteries in power tools, and they are superior to the old NiCad, but they do have their own issues, they can flake out( ive seen several end up this way), but even so still superior to NiCad overall. As far as mc agm battery life, I generally see failure come about 40,000/45000 miles . Southern heat is very hard on batteries, especially sealed up and sitting in 100 degree garages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JZH Posted June 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 6, 2014 Isn't the "TruGel" an AGM battery as well? ISTR looking into their batteries one time... Ciao, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNRabbit Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I installed an MMG Lithium Ion in my 5th gen last month. About 1500 trouble free miles thus far. Keeps 13.8 volt charge for at least several days when left sitting. can't really say much else since it's practically new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dalesvfr Posted June 6, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 6, 2014 Only thing that stopped me from getting the Deltran was the fact that when I added a fusebox and powerlet I kept all my wire runs as short as possible. I don't know if I could even pull them an inch to meet the posts on a smaller battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quest Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 The 1 year old Yuasa battery in the bike was working great and always on an Optimate charger. Had a few dollars buring a whole in my pocket and bought the new battery - now using an ANTIGRAVITY LiOn battery in my 2005 VFR800. The new ANTIGRAVITY battery has 365 cranking amps which is larger than my previous battery. Almost one month - no issues at all and we have dropped to -1C several times. The LiOn battery holds a charge perfectly. The bike starts instantly and no electrical gremlins or other issues to report. PROS - saved almost 5 pounds of weight, extra cranking amps, starts even in colder weather with no hesitation (-1C) which I was worried about, saves a small amount of room under seat CONS - expensive, it is suggested that a new battery tender is required; however, local Honda dealer says they have had no reported problems using the standard Optimate basic charger over the last several years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfr Posted June 16, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 16, 2014 Quest-what do you mean a new battery tender is required? Do newer model battery tenders have enhancements to handle LiON batteries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quest Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 VFR - the battery literature stated to not use standard battery tenders - only those tenders speciafically built for LiOn batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dalesvfr Posted June 17, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2014 I was at Rhinebeck Antique Motorcyle meet and people from Deltran were set up there. Couldn't believe how light the Lion's were. Right next to them they sold plain old Battery Tenders, and Battery Tender Jrs with a couple of the larger multi-bank chargers. I saw nothing that indicated a special charger, but then I didn't ask. Ended up using Amazon points to get a Yuasa AGM. Haven't heard the bike fire that fast in the couple of years I've had it. It does weigh a ton though, but to me that's ballast that keeps the semi's from blowing me around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTBakay Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I am not sure about the Deltran, but we sell a few lithium styles and you can not use a regular charger that desulfates as it will fry the internals of the lithiums. As well, on a regular charger, it only takes about 15 minutes. Any longer you risk over heating and burning the battery or worse, fire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer deltaboxii Posted June 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2014 In my battery experience working in the industry, the TruGels are junk. Many dealers complain about how many are bad right out of the box. I would go with the Yuasa or a Li Ion battery. Most of these you do NOT need to get a new battery tender. It's a common misconception. I have two Li Ions hooked up to my Battery Tenders with no issues. They are a bit pricier but I saved 6 lbs on mine for my Daytona 675 track bike. How else could you shed 5 lbs so cheaply? The downside to Li Ion is that they don't have as much cranking power when they are really cold. On V-twins this is more of an issue. If you are riding your VFR in really cold conditions (-30 degrees F), I would suggest going with a Yuasa AGM. Since you are in NY, it might be something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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