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Replacement Battery


14thumper

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I installed a shorai battery LFX18A1-BS12, one size lager then the recommendation because I was worried about the VFR's drain and cranking. Lasted 6 years never connected to a tender only disconnected over the winter or when I knew I would not be riding for more then a week, never had an issue until my RR to stator connector burnt this spring. On my second shorai now. 

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For VFRs, I'm definitely continuing with LiFePo4 batteries. The first lasted 7 years, 2nd one is on the 3rd year.

Riding season is roughly April to mid October, so for winter I just bring it in the house, sit it on my desk.

Never needs charging, except when it's time to give up the ghost.

Volts at bringing it in the house... Late October.. 13.3 v.... Volts at reinstall time, roughly April... 13.3v .. essentially no loss. 

If the trend continues, I have at least 4 more years to go on the one I'm running now.

It will be interesting to see what's available then.

I like them, they just work, no hassles..

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On 8/10/2020 at 11:34 AM, 14thumper said:

I wasn’t looking at any lead-in-acid style batteries. I realize there’s a couple styles of AGM (either the factory adds the acid or you do) but with AGM I don’t believe there’s any way for acid to drip because it’s absorbed into the glass mat and not susceptible to leaking. Well that’s my understanding anyway. I’ll keep an eye on it.

 

The battery I got is made by SigmasTek.

Well, ordinarily the acid in an AGM battery stays put, but I can tell you from personal experience that when your reg/rec fails in "overcharge mode" and you don't notice this until after a couple of hours riding at high speed on the Autobahn, acid will definitely be ejected onto the frame, shock and swing arm by the hissing and swelling AGM battery.  That's better than exploding, I suppose!

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

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I’ve seen it on an ‘04 GSXR 750, as well. Suzuki refused warranty, claiming we’d improperly serviced the battery, despite the obvious R/R failure. The shop owner did the right thing for the bike owner, by replacing the R/R, battery, swingarm, rear wheel, and peripheral bits that were ruined, then, went after Suzuki. Corporate Suzuki can eat a bag of dicks. 

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21 hours ago, JZH said:

.  That's better than exploding, I suppose!

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

 

 

Your glass (like mine) is always half full.....  :beer::goofy:

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I have a battery tender that has settings for normal and AGM but have no idea what type of battery is in there. Does it matter what setting the tender is on?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

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7 hours ago, interceptor69 said:

I have a battery tender that has settings for normal and AGM but have no idea what type of battery is in there. Does it matter what setting the tender is on?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 

I know that AGM's are OEM for 6,7,and 8gens. Assuming your 5th gen wouldn't be on its original battery anyhow, then unless you have a Lithium Ion Battery fitted it's most likely an AGM battery, and if you don't see any small filler caps on the top of the battery that would also give the indication of an AGM installed.

Set your charger to AGM mode.

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The OEM battery in my 1990 FL was an AGM battery (the kind you activate with an acid pack and then permanently seal with a plastic plug strip), but the OEM battery in my 1993 CBR1000FP was not.  

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

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On 8/3/2020 at 10:17 AM, ducnut said:

Two years ago, I purchased a desulfanator/battery charger unit.  I bought it to tend to my boat batteries to help them last longer.  I've used it to tend my 8th gen VFR battery as well, but the battery is pretty new as it is and takes very little time (15 min max) to go from desulfanation mode to trickle charge mode.  As Winter in Wisconsin approaches, I'm wondering if I should leave the desulfanator/trickle charger connected for months at a time, or just periodically connect it.  The Interceptor is in an insulated (but not heated) garage.
 

"Anytime a battery is discharging, it is sulfating. Sulfation ruins batteries, which is why one that’s left unused goes bad. It’s imperative a battery is regularly used and/or on a maintenance charger. I’ve managed to get 12yrs out of Yuasa in my SV, via diligent use of a maintenance charger. I know they work and usually have five of them going at all times."

 

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There’s a difference between trickle and maintenance chargers. You need to determine exactly what you have.
 

A maintenance charger can be left connected forever. 

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On 10/20/2020 at 6:29 PM, ducnut said:

There’s a difference between trickle and maintenance chargers. You need to determine exactly what you have.
 

A maintenance charger can be left connected forever. 

 

There was a time I would have agreed with you...

 

P1000853xyz.thumb.jpg.e12955cc4687dc777f4b9027a9021acd.jpg

 

The only one of the batteries in that photo (taken in 2008) which did not eventually die--sitting on a smart charger--is the one in the back with the acid pack sitting on top of it.  And that's only because I never activated it!  

 

As I've mentioned elsewhere, my AGM battery killing days are over.  My next battery will be an Aliant YLP14 (14AhPbEq, 245 CCA), which measures just 114mm x 69mm x 90mm (and thus fits every bike I own).  I was LiPo-skeptical until Honda started fitting them as OEM equipment.  Good enough for me!

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

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Another thing to make you go hmmmm, I discovered today, when reading something on Antigravity's UK site.  They happen to sell Rick's Motorsports "Lithium Friendly Lithium Voltage Regulator Rectifiers", which I hadn't previously known was "a thing".  Anyway, Rick's Motorsports claims that Lithium-Ion batteries must not be used with OEM reg/recs:

 

Quote

Lith-ion batteries are not always compatible with an OEM (or OEM-style) rectifier/regulator. A rec/reg that is designed to produce a voltage of 14.5 volts DC (Vdc) across the battery terminals works great with a lead-acid battery. However, that same regulator may exceed the design parameters of a lithium-ion battery in regard to its charging voltage.  Rick finally came up with a solution & we’re happy to offer it to our customers. We consulted with the experts at OptiMate to fill a void in the market: a rectifier/regulator that will work WITH lith-ion batteries without damaging them. Because lithium-ion batteries rely on different internal designs than conventional lead-acid batteries, their voltage set points are often below standard lead-acid batteries. Rick’s new line of rec/regs will charge at a lower voltage without sacrificing overall performance, making them an ideal match to the lithium-ion batteries.

 

That may be news to basically anyone currently running Lithium Ion batteries in their (otherwise unmodified) motorcycles, but apparently also to the Honda Motor Company Ltd., which has somehow missed this shocking problem entirely and specified the same reg/rec (OEM pn 31600-MJJ-D31) for its LiFePo4-equipped CBR1000RR SP1 (Eliiy Power HY93) as it has for several other AGM battery-equipped Honda motorcycle models.  Specifically, the CBR1000RR 2014-2019, CBR1000RR ABS 2017-2019, Forza NSS300 2014-2016 and NC700X 2013-2017, possibly among others, all use the same OEM reg/rec as the CBR1000RR SP1.  (That reg/rec appears to be a Shindengen FHO14AA or FHO21AA--not sure if it differs between these models.)

 

So, I'm a bit skeptical of the "Lithium-compatible reg/rec" claim at this point.

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

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yeah, been using Shorai lithium on my CBR600RR for 10-yrs now with no issues.

 

Nice thing is I can leave bike out in cold snow all winter. And in late-spring, it starts

right up on 1st crank without any issues!

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On 11/16/2020 at 2:16 PM, JZH said:

Another thing to make you go hmmmm, I discovered today, when reading something on Antigravity's UK site.  They happen to sell Rick's Motorsports "Lithium Friendly Lithium Voltage Regulator Rectifiers", which I hadn't previously known was "a thing".  Anyway, Rick's Motorsports claims that Lithium-Ion batteries must not be used with OEM reg/recs:

 

 

That may be news to basically anyone currently running Lithium Ion batteries in their (otherwise unmodified) motorcycles, but apparently also to the Honda Motor Company Ltd., which has somehow missed this shocking problem entirely and specified the same reg/rec (OEM pn 31600-MJJ-D31) for its LiFePo4-equipped CBR1000RR SP1 (Eliiy Power HY93) as it has for several other AGM battery-equipped Honda motorcycle models.  Specifically, the CBR1000RR 2014-2019, CBR1000RR ABS 2017-2019, Forza NSS300 2014-2016 and NC700X 2013-2017, possibly among others, all use the same OEM reg/rec as the CBR1000RR SP1.  (That reg/rec appears to be a Shindengen FHO14AA or FHO21AA--not sure if it differs between these models.)

 

So, I'm a bit skeptical of the "Lithium-compatible reg/rec" claim at this point.

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

Guess I have been doing it wrong for the last 8 years or so......

 


So really....... marketing garbage fiction and more reasons to avoid Rick's products?

 

 

😎

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 11/16/2020 at 2:16 PM, JZH said:

So, I'm a bit skeptical of the "Lithium-compatible reg/rec" claim at this point

 

So, what are you going to do? Continue with your common-swap-lithium-battery plan for all your bikes? And try the lithium battery one by one to make sure each reg/rec is happy?  Or swap all your reg/recs too? Or continue to think about your options? 🙂 We appreciate pioneers who boldly try new tech with their machines before we have to. BTW, when you get it, please let us know how your covid-19 vaccine works... 😁

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There's been enough empirical evidence from millions of users that lithium batteries are plug-n-play compatible with lead-acid. I've used same Shorai lithium battery for past 10-years without any issue on factory RR on my CBR600RR. Only issue I had was when I transferred el-cheapo $45 4-cell lithium battery from my Ninja 250 race-bike to Ninja 250 street bike. I left lights on when walking down driveway to get mail. Talked to neighbor for about 25-30 min and headlight had discharged battery below limit. It couldn't be revived no matter how long I charged it (didn't have over-discharge protection circuit). Of course it worked fine in race-bike for 3-yrs because I didn't have headlights to leave on.

 

RR has no idea what battery it's charging.  No one's posted any real numbers. How about fully-charged voltage of batteries:

 

Lead-acid battery is 12.6-12.7v (13.8v fresh off charger).

LiFePO4 battery is 13.3-13.4v (14.4v fresh off charger)

 

Regular RR will tend to undercharge lithium battery. But that's OK as long as it has enough juice to start engine. Charging up to 80-90% will yield maximum life out of lithium battery. LiFePO4 batteries can also accept charging-rates 10-30x higher than SLA. So you can connect them to auto-battery charger without concern like SLA moto batteries.

 

The main differences between them are how to charge them while in storage. Trickle float-chargers that keep battery at 100% charged state is not good for either type. You'll want to use newer 8-stage intelligent chargers that has 8th-stage of "long term storage" that actually turns off charging until  battery self-discharges down to 90%. Then charges it back up to 95% or so, then disconnects again and waits.

 

https://www.power-sonic.com/blog/lithium-vs-lead-acid-batteries/

https://www.power-sonic.com/blog/how-to-charge-lithium-iron-phosphate-lifepo4-batteries/

 

BTW - I've built my own LiFePO4 batteries from scratch from individual 26650 cells and PCB charging/protection circuit. There's no rocket-science here and you can save a tonne of money and weight with DIY. Even carry one in glove-box of auto for emergencies.

 

 

 

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22 hours ago, DannoXYZ said:

BTW - I've built my own LiFePO4 batteries from scratch from individual 26650 cells and PCB charging/protection circuit. There's no rocket-science here and you can save a tonne of money and weight with DIY. Even carry one in glove-box of auto for emergencies.

 

 

Wait. You mean I can just pick up what, 4?, standard 3.7v Lithium batteries, solder them together and have a perfectly usable VFR battery? That seems too good to be true. I may be reading too much into your comment. If you have more information on exactly how to do that please elaborate. Thanks! (FYI I always think of electrics as rocket science.)

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No hardly.  Batteries are multiple lithium cells of certain capacity and size.  Take apart a battery from a power tool/drill you have, many are rebuildable and there are businesses that do just that, cheaper than OEM.

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My 2014 is on the original Yuasa that came with the bike.  That's all I need to know about batteries.  It starts and runs like it was new.  

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On 11/23/2020 at 5:53 AM, Gebruiker said:

 

Wait. You mean I can just pick up what, 4?, standard 3.7v Lithium batteries, solder them together and have a perfectly usable VFR battery? That seems too good to be true. I may be reading too much into your comment. If you have more information on exactly how to do that please elaborate. Thanks! (FYI I always think of electrics as rocket science.)

Yup, did you ever play with remote-control cars as kid? I used to build NiCad battery packs for those things as newer battery-tech came out giving higher capacity and power-output. Same thing with latest lithium batteries. Note LiFePO4 not same as problematic lithium-cobalt used in laptops; won't ever catch fire or explode.

 

- 4x A123 26650 LiFePO4 cells w/tabs. A123 is one of leading suppliers of lithium batteries used by many OEMs

- or 4x LiitoKala 32700LiFePO4 cells w/tabs. higher-capacity

- 100a protection circuit, prevents overcharging and overdischarging

- 4ga solder lugs for battery terminals

- portable spot-welder - optional. Since I was building batteries for all sorts of things: moto, auto, home solar packs, etc. I got spot-welder to easily attach tabs to batteries

 

 

1. first charge each cell up to same voltage so they're balanced

2. assemble 4x cells in series, can hot-glue them together, solder tabs (drill 4mm hole in tabs beforehand for easier soldering)

3. connect to protection PCB, solder on 4ga cables with lugs for output

4. drop into case and install,  I just bolt lugs to harness cables

 

LiFePO4 is super-robust chemistry compared to lithium-cobalt used in laptops that gave lithium batteries bad name. LiFePO4 is super stable and if you cut it open and place over fire, its innards aren't flammable and will actually put out fire. It also has much higher discharge and charge rates compared to any other battery. Discharge of 20-35C is common and charging rates of 1-4C is possible (vs. SLA of only 0.1C). You can't hurt it by charging with automotive charger! This is also how Teslas can quick-charge to 80% capacity in under 1-hour @ +200amps.

 

Also with protection-circuit, your RR can fail and it won't fry battery like SLA/AGM.

 

Quick & dirty proof-of-concept. Actually, smaller 18650 cells will work also.

 

 

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While LiFePO4 has become commonplace for moto/auto batteries, next generation is on horizon. Lithium-titanate promises even higher storage density and even faster charging-rates of 10-15C for EV. Imaging charging dead battery at 40-amps, ready to go in 15-minutes!!!

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On 11/25/2020 at 1:32 PM, DannoXYZ said:

 

Quick & dirty proof-of-concept. Actually, smaller 18650 cells will work also.

 

This is good stuff. Thanks Danno! I've seen those lithium jump starters for $50 but I'd be more interested in building my own VFR battery. Not that I'll be doing that any time soon. It still looks like rocket science to me...

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4 hours ago, Gebruiker said:

 

This is good stuff. Thanks Danno! I've seen those lithium jump starters for $50 but I'd be more interested in building my own VFR battery. Not that I'll be doing that any time soon. It still looks like rocket science to me...

Here's another video on how to build your own (you actually only need 4-cell series pack):

 

This one more sophisticated and uses spot-welder. This concentrates all heat between spot-welder tips and doesn't send any heat into battery like soldering would. Also includes protection-circuit:

 

 

 

 

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