My Local Dealership Quit On Shoria/ballistic/all Lithium Batteries....

[CandyRedRC46]

I've had my ballistic evo8 for about two years

[spud786]

My scorpion battery ytz14 I consider about half life at this point(at 23,000 miles). This battery has seen more time than miles. Usually I burn through miles quicker than time. But the manual specs for batteries on the VFR is only 2 to 3 years(time wise). The scorpion is a present test in comparison to Yuasa Life, and it was about $40 cheaper, so far Ive been pleased as its been flawless. Although I did use the yusa nuts and screws as the scorpions were cheap in comparison.

The goal is to get in the 45,000 mile range life wise

[WGREGT]

For me, the difference in longer life, no matter what brand it is, is having it on a Battery Tender. I've got 6 bikes all hooked up to them, and they're only off when I'm riding them. I pull in, and they get pluged up before I get my helmet off. I've had some Yuasa batterys go 8-9 years before , and I attribute that to the Tender. Never cold here in SoCal, but they all sit for a while until their week comes up in rotation for commuting/weekend duties.

[spud786]

It could be also, those that have seen short battery life, have also seen wiring meltdowns during those times. Ive not have any wiring meltdowns, all my connectors are completely stock with out the melting issues.

[FJ12Ryder]

Odd how so many dealers won't sell them, and there are many riders (on this forum and folks I know from bike-nights who are not on VFRs) that love them and would only buy another one as a replacement. Something doesn't jibe.

It might be that many of the owners on here are aware of the shortcomings of the VFR electrical system and keep a closer eye on their charging system and batteries than do average riders.

[VFR4Lee]

I have Ballistics in the VFR and 1 Tuono, and a Shorai in the other Tuono.

I had one Ballistic that was DOA and replaced with another with 2 more cells.

Otherwise no problems, and I don't charge between rides, just try to ride each bike at least once or twice a month.

The VFR is nearly always an easy starter.

For the Tuonos, the lithium battery spins the engine much faster and starts it quicker than the lead battery ever did.

I've hear cold can be an issue, but not so much here. :tongue2:

[Beck]

The Yuasa YTZ14S is in the bike and it now starts and idles as easy and smoothly as it ever had. Bike's happy, now idling much stronger, smoother and starting instantly. with the better spark at the plugs. And man does it spin that starter really good. Must be those 230 CCA's showing what its all about! :fing02:

Just as surprised as everybody with the vote of no confidence from many of my local parts/battery sources. Bad cause I thought by this time lithiums had been around long enough to quash most doubts on them. Bad too cause I don't really feel like buying one from a source I cannot get good, quick support from in case of a failure/warranty claim later.

Like I said, maybe when Honda and other MC manufacturers start putting lithium batteries in their new bikes as standard equipment, then I cold trust them enough to buy one for my bike....

[klrtovfr]

the scorpion lifepo4 I bought works awesome even at 28 degrees. I bypassed my faulty relay for my heated grips and then proceeded to forget to turn them off and drained the battery over night. Just a quick jump to get it started and I shut it off after less than 30 seconds. Then hit the starter and it started right up. You could never do that with a lead acid/agm battery. It holds enough voltage to start all the way up to 99% drained where a conventional battery would get too weak well before that.

The Scorpion battery is a generation newer than the shorai/ballistics that most have been using and have had issues with. It has circuitry to balance each cells that the others did not and uses better cells.

[PhotoOp]

with, shall we say, extensive experience in the motorcycle industry, i can offer a little behind the counter review of the state of lithium batteries.

They are hit and miss.

Some riders get them, install them, understand them, and love them. And some riders fight with the damn things to no end. Its a bit infuriating from the parts counter perspective because as a thing, they are great! loads of power, light weight (saves on shipping charges), easy packaging (very small) and a breeze to store since you don't have to keep them charged up waiting for a customer like all those F-----g YTZ factory activated jobs the new dirt bikes use. But, they have a very different failure mode and service requirements than "conventional" batteries we are all used to. Get one really cold and it might need to warm up a little before it will work. Let the charging voltage get too high and they overheat to the point of flammability (that will get your attention at 105 on a 450x in a hurry!). These are just new requirements we need to come to grips with to make use of this new tech but until they are a little better understood and widely accepted you run into early adopter issues like lack of service support and limited options for manufacturers.

So, is the Lithium battery the power source of the future? Abso-freakin-loutly! do I have one in my bike? Not yet. The scorpions look promising as does the next generation of Balistics, which should be out any damn time now. On a bike like my indefinite project hawk gt I'd probably use a lithium now just for the weight and cool factor. But on a distance bike like my VFR, that I'm going out of my way to get lost on, its an old fashioned Yuasa for now.

Also, by the time you factor shipping, acid storage, Osha compliance and recycling, and the losses due to shelf life limitation on slow moving models, batteries are a loser for most shops except for the most common and fastest turning models. And no, I don't work for or represent anything in the bike biz any longer. Just a note for your enlightenment.

[BusyLittleShop]

All energy packed in storage presents some risk and Lithium-ion batteries
have about seven times the energy density of traditional lead-acid
batteries, which means you can get much more power from a much
smaller-and lighter-battery pack. As with any new, unfamiliar
technologies, lithium~ion batteries have spawned various alarmist
views but used properly, they're superior to their old lead-acid
predecessors.

For owners of performance oriented machines installing a Lithium
batteries is the cheapest quickest and easiest way to shed unwanted
weight but I’ve noticed they're not for everybody... especially some
of my customer who close their wallet with a torque wench...

I've been using Lithium Iron batteries since 2009... First was the
(SpeedCell) since sold to a customer... currently Mr.RC45 is powered
by a Shorai... I think days of the old heavy lead acid battery are
number... smart money is on the new light weight Lithium Iron
battery...

RC45 Standard Recommendation LFX14A4-BS12

[jeffyjeff]

The problem for me is the Shorai lacks much "reserve capacity", that is, the inability to run the bike after the charging system takes a dive. In the four years / 50,000 miles I have owned my bike, it has happened twice. I have ridden my VFR 15 miles on (lead-acid) battery power alone, and I'll bet there are others who have gone a lot farther than that on battery power. The Shorai let me down. I won't own another.

Jeff J.

[deltaboxii]

with, shall we say, extensive experience in the motorcycle industry, i can offer a little behind the counter review of the state of lithium batteries.

They are hit and miss.

Some riders get them, install them, understand them, and love them. And some riders fight with the damn things to no end. Its a bit infuriating from the parts counter perspective because as a thing, they are great! loads of power, light weight (saves on shipping charges), easy packaging (very small) and a breeze to store since you don't have to keep them charged up waiting for a customer like all those F-----g YTZ factory activated jobs the new dirt bikes use. But, they have a very different failure mode and service requirements than "conventional" batteries we are all used to. Get one really cold and it might need to warm up a little before it will work. Let the charging voltage get too high and they overheat to the point of flammability (that will get your attention at 105 on a 450x in a hurry!). These are just new requirements we need to come to grips with to make use of this new tech but until they are a little better understood and widely accepted you run into early adopter issues like lack of service support and limited options for manufacturers.

So, is the Lithium battery the power source of the future? Abso-freakin-loutly! do I have one in my bike? Not yet. The scorpions look promising as does the next generation of Balistics, which should be out any damn time now. On a bike like my indefinite project hawk gt I'd probably use a lithium now just for the weight and cool factor. But on a distance bike like my VFR, that I'm going out of my way to get lost on, its an old fashioned Yuasa for now.

Also, by the time you factor shipping, acid storage, Osha compliance and recycling, and the losses due to shelf life limitation on slow moving models, batteries are a loser for most shops except for the most common and fastest turning models. And no, I don't work for or represent anything in the bike biz any longer. Just a note for your enlightenment.

That's exactly what I bought my lithium battery for- my Hawk GT- for weight and cool factor. So far no issues. Will I get one for my VFR? Probably not.

[Dustin]

I wonder if it's better to judge these batteries in mileage rather than years? A year of riding to one person may be a month to another. It's totally unscientific, eh? Haha

In February 2013, the battery on my 919 died. I was considering a lithium battery just for the sake of trying it. I went to the local shop and it turned out the Shorai version of my battery was only $10 more so I gave it a go.

I had read some of the concerns about cranking power in cold temperatures and what not and I decided to give it a go anyway. I park my bike outside at work and during the winter it can get as low as -10C/14F in the evenings. Although the Shorai battery did feel a little weak (same as any battery in that temperature), my bike always cranked to life.

I subjected the Shorai to all conceivable conditions and just under 20,000km/13,000 miles of use and had absolutely no concerns. I didn't get to grab the battery off the 919 before it went to the insurer, I might be using it today if I did.

[ecn]

How many miles are folks getting from Shorai in a VFR? Do they die quickly without a warning?

My Shorai gave up last weekend after 20,000 miles / 18 months.

It was very cold and my heated gear didn’t seem to be working so I pulled over to put another layer on and the battery was dead upon trying to restart .. not even enough juice to show the LCD time.

The Shorai recharged but it could only go about 3 miles before it died. $160 for 20K of Shorai does not seem reasonable. I installed a new Yausa yesterday. If I did something to kill the Shorai early (e.g. there is a problem in my heated gear or charging system) I might try another or other brand next time.

For now, I know my Yausa will last 6 miles but I’m not wild about finding out how far an AGM battery will get me if my charging system is messed up. There is also a chance my jacket liner played a role as the line running through the liner to my left glove no longer works (did a short do in the Shorai?).

[Switchblade]

Which Shorai did you have the 14 or 18 ?

[ecn]

 

Which Shorai did you have the 14 or 18 ?

It was a Shorai LFX18A1-BS12

[Switchblade]

 

Which Shorai did you have the 14 or 18 ?

It was a Shorai LFX18A1-BS12

I have the same one but had a LFX14 to die at 13 months. Shorai replace it but I upgrade to the 18 .

[ecn]

Any idea how may miles the LFX14 covered in 13 months?

I was hoping to get 40,000 miles out of the LFX18 which is what a 4 year warranty implied for me.

If they make good on their pro-rated warranty, my replacement would be 50% off...but that works out to $240 for 40,000 miles of battery.

I wish them well as a local company developing a high tech product but will wait before tying them again.

[Switchblade]

Any idea how may miles the LFX14 covered in 13 months?

I was hoping to get 40,000 miles out of the LFX18 which is what a 4 year warranty implied for me.

If they make good on their pro-rated warranty, my replacement would be 50% off...but that works out to $240 for 40,000 miles of battery.

I wish them well as a local company developing a high tech product but will wait before tying them again.

Somewhere around 20,000 miles.

[HRCCBR]

Just installed a new Shorai LFX19A4-BS12 in my '08 VFR. Very happy so far, the bike now starts like a Honda. I have a fair amount of experience with lithiums from a R/C background and have the equipment to charge and balance it on hand. We'll see about the longevity over time for me.

The bike is about 5lbs lighter now.

During the winter (less than 32) you need to warm the battery a few minutes before trying to start your bike so it can "wake up". Just turn on your headlights for a few before you try. If it doesn't start, give it a few seconds for the voltage to settle and hit it again.

If the weight and power supplied doesn't mean anything I would suggest sticking to AGM's. IMHO The reserve power such as when your charging system takes a crap is less with a LiFE battery.

[Switchblade]

Yeah I think that's what happen the first one . ^^^^