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Shorai Lithium Ion Battery


SSNOWDEN77

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Has anyone here on the forum had experience with purchasing and installing a Shorai Lithium Ion Motorcycle Battery on their 8th Generation VFR800? I checked Shorai's official sight and they only 1 such battery for a 1998 - 2014 Honda VFR800 Interceptor, When I seek to match it to my 2015 Honda VFR800 Interceptor from sellers sights I get a Does not fit your bike. The Battery for the 2014 and 2015 VFR800's are the same.
      My current battery is the O.E.M. Yuasa YTZ12S battery which cranks okay when first starting, but after riding for about 30 minutes or such and shutting down, when you attempt to start the bike I get the sounds of a dead battery draw from the starter and Lights go out on the bike. I tested the battery while connected in the bike with 12.72 voltage, then a draw down to 9.43 under cranking for a few seconds. The bike will start okay and the system is charging at 14.41 volts while running. I had the same problem about a month ago. The bike has been setting for two to three weeks at a time with me not attempting to start it. I also tested for a slow current draw on the battery but did not discover one. Push starting this Bike is not a fun activity. But, at east I am still capable of doing such.
     I tested the battery on my 2012 VFR1200 which is a Yuasa YTZ14S and it cranks but never drops below 10.0 Volts when under a load from cranking. The battery holds a charge on with no problems and has not been a problem since I replaced it two years ago.
    Thanks in advance for any guidance, advise, input or answers. I also do not Trust ordering a Shorai Battery from Amazon because it could be a cheap imitation.

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Sorry can't advise on the Shorai. But your OEM YTZ12S certainly sounds like its done, and is at the point of letting you down!

Anything below 10v when cranking is a worry and having the LED headlights drop out while cranking is also another warning sign.

Also (sorry for repeating myself) battery terminal voltage is not a good indicator of battery capacity, it's ability to deliver plenty of cranking amps.

 

The YTZ12S was used on all the 6gen and 8gen so I'm surprised Shorai state it doesn't fit your bike.

 

If you end up sticking with an AGM battery fit the YTZ14S (or the 14S equivalent)as per your 1200. They are the exact physical size but the 14S has greater cranking capacity.

Good luck which ever way you go.

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Thanks for the Information Grum. I will look into replacing the current battery with the YTZ14S instead. I will contact Shorai tomorrow to get the specific Lithium Ion battery that will fit the VFR800. Since they list it fitting a 2014 VFR800 then it should fit the 2015. This is their Battery which from reading comments elsewhere is a good purchase.
I tested the battery again in the bike and the Voltage had dropped to 12.34 then 7.43 when cranking. It did not start either. I tried just a few seconds after that attempt got 12.68 pre-crank the 9.73 under crank load and it started. I have the battery removed, will let it sit overnight and check the voltage in the morning. 

https://shoraipower.com/lfx18a1-bs12-p86

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Be aware that Shorai batteries do not have overcharge and overdischarge protection circuit. Overcharge not too much of problem as they can take 2-3C charge-rates (20-30x more current than lead-acid batteries). Also, their 14.8v fully-charge state won't be reached my most regulators. Charging up to 85-90% will actually extend life of battery lots. However, if you leave lights on after turning off bike, you can drain them to point where they cannot recover.

 

Capacity is often confusing because LiFePO4 batteries can be discharged down to 25-30% while lead-acid can only handle ~60-70%. This means for same AHr capacity, LiFePO4 can deliver 3x more than lead-acid. Or you can get similar capacity with 1/3 AHr rating as lead-acid.

 

Having accidentally destroyed many lead-acid and lithium batteries by leaving headlights on, I prefer Battery Tender line of lithium batteries with overcharge and overdischarge protection built-in. This will also save your battery in case your RR takes dive and starts putting out 16-20v !!!

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  • 3 weeks later...
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I bought a Shorai battery and Shorai charger for a GSXS1000 a few years ago. Almost $300 total as I recall. Benefit is weight savings and better (purported) charge preservation. Weight better for sure but the battery is higher maintenance than standard lead battery. The bike has about a 6 milliamp parasitic draw which drains the Shorai battery more quickly than my old lead battery and has left me wearing helmet, gloves and a dead bike. The Shorai charger is a bit fragile with delicate connectors for a motorcycle attached device and directions on the device are not entirely clear. Shorai doesn't come out and say their charger is necessary but leaves a seed of doubt for those considering a standard charger for their $200 battery.

 

Bottom line: for bikes where a few pounds matter and you don't mind keeping the charger on the bike, it might be worth it. For me and my basic once a week riding habits, a standard lead battery and once in a while trickle charger does just fine. For whatever it is worth.

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2 hours ago, BGFallbrook said:

I bought a Shorai battery and Shorai charger for a GSXS1000 a few years ago. Almost $300 total as I recall. Benefit is weight savings and better (purported) charge preservation. Weight better for sure but the battery is higher maintenance than standard lead battery. The bike has about a 6 milliamp parasitic draw which drains the Shorai battery more quickly than my old lead battery and has left me wearing helmet, gloves and a dead bike. The Shorai charger is a bit fragile with delicate connectors for a motorcycle attached device and directions on the device are not entirely clear. Shorai doesn't come out and say their charger is necessary but leaves a seed of doubt for those considering a standard charger for their $200 battery.

 

Bottom line: for bikes where a few pounds matter and you don't mind keeping the charger on the bike, it might be worth it. For me and my basic once a week riding habits, a standard lead battery and once in a while trickle charger does just fine. For whatever it is worth.

Agree with your logic. Appears there is still a way to go with this technology till it's confidently adopted to general bike use.

 

Interesting to note Honda have installed a Japanese made Eliiy HY110 Li-ion battery as standard for the Africa Twin CRF1000L since 2018. You'd want to be sure this battery lasts a good while, the replacement cost of the OEM battery is frightening!!

 

Guess there are pros and cons for both chemistry's, most certainly YMMV.

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I was fed up with buying lead batteries every year or two for my bikes and switched to lithium, with one bike exception.  If bike has good mosfet regulator installed, switching to lithium battery is not a problem. If the bike is older or has cheapo regulator from factory, it has to be upgraded to mosfet regulator before installing lithium.

My vfr12 come with Shorai from PO and being mounted laying on the side it didn’t occurred to it is not OEM equipment. 🙄 I am not using tenders, since I am riding year around, and the battery has been 100 percent reliable for past two years.  

Still testing other bikes as installation is relatively fresh. I hold on on my oldest bike for as long as the lead battery holds, then will be upgrading it too with mosfet and lithium.

 

20210219-151548.jpg

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I have had an SSB Powersport Lithium in my G8 for nearly 3 years. I don’t trickle charge and have never had any issues. It didn’t cost any more than a Yuasa.

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I've had MMG lithium battery in my CBR600RR for 6-years now without any issues. It's very basic battery without overcharge or over-discharge protection. So I've been very careful about stopping bike and leaving lights on. I haven't used it very much past 3-years. One nice thing is I don't have to trickle-charge it over winter. Last time it sat for 6-months. Started right up on 1st crank VRrrrooommm!!!!

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