Battery and tender recommendations?

[KingWillard]

New to the forum and this bike. I picked up a “used” 22 model (1 mile on the odometer) that had been sitting for a while because the guy that bought it decided he didn’t want it. The battery is low and I have to kick start it. We also have some cold weather here, so the battery at a minimum needs a tender, but I was also thinking of upgrading the battery for fun. The current battery already has the harness for charging added. What are your favorite batteries and tenders? I honestly don’t know anything about this. I was thinking of the below to start with. Appreciate any suggestions with links if possible. https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-d...MIopaX1O3pggMVTjWtBh1V_QzWEAQYAiABEgIvUfD_BwE

 

[dmonkey]

If you're looking to replace the battery anyway, I'd personally go with a Lithium Ion replacement (and I have). If you do go Lithium, keep in mind that only a Lithium compatible charger or maintainer should be used. I have a CTEK brand maintainer I use on other Lithium batteries, have never needed to use it on my Honda Trail's lithium battery. If you're storing the bike for a few consecutive months you can avoid battery drain by simply disconnecting the battery.

If you stick with an AGM battery, I have used CTEK, Battery Tender, and OptiMate battery maintainers in recent years and they all work just fine.

 

[Fishwishin]

I literally just installed this tender over the weekend https://www.batterytender.com/two-bank Installation was a breeze.

We have two bikes and I am staying with the original style batteries.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

Another oil thread.
I've been using battery tenders for more than 20 years. Plenty happy.

 

[AZ7000']

Our dirt bikes all have lithium, I keep the 125 on lead batteries... Here in the mountains of AZ the lithium doesn't like the cold. If the OP doesn't use it in the winter then I wouldn't be afraid of lithium. I drive it to work the days I dont take the 90 throughout the winter. Starts at 10-20 degrees usually need a lithium warm up...

This morning the OEM lead started the 25 month old 125 at a balmy 26 degrees, started it at 20 degrees on tuesday and it lives outside year around.

Any other experience with cold lithium batteries here??

 

[oldskool]

Put a battery tender lithium battery in my Harley. Very impressive at first, even in the cold. Small, light powerful what's not to like. My buddy was impressed and bought one for his Big Dawg that never turned over easy with lead acid batteries. That thing really spun. Mine lasted about 18 months and died quickly without a hint she was going south, his died shortly after the same way. We both used the Battery tender chargers. Back to lead acid, at least when they die they give you a little notice and you don't have to take out a loan to afford it.

 

[dmonkey]

Any other experience with cold lithium batteries here??

My below freezing start procedure for the Honda Trail with a Featherweight Lithium Ion battery is that I turn the ignition on and then either kick start the bike or I'll run the aftermarket heated grips for a bit on high to get the battery warmed up before using the electric start. Once started the bike will sometimes stumble and stall before it gets warmed up enough. Freezing cold starts are hard on engines. On other bikes I will run the lights before trying to use the electric start, again to warm up the battery a bit. If the first crank doesn't get it going, the second crank usually has more power since the battery's warmed up a bit more. Once they're running and up to temperature I haven't had issues, and that's with running accessories such as heated grips and GPS. In the past I've used battery blankets/warmers on snowmobiles in the winter, but there usually isn't room for them on motorcycles.

Old video from 2022, but here's my CT125 starting with the Fire Power Featherweight Lithium Ion battery.

http://imgur.com/a/njVQq8T

 

[SneakyDingo]

I leave the lights on for a bit, around 5 minutes, and then kickstarting the bike. Has nothing to do with winter, and everything to do with me being forgetful, then remembering and feeling guilty asking the bike to sit there with lights on and engine off before then also asking it to use the electric starter.

 

[AZ7000']

Added a charging tail to the battery, was a bit rough on the 3yo battery starting at 9 degrees last week. It was chug.... chug.... then turned over and started just fine. The battery tender kept going green, key on and red for a minute then back to green. Just didn't like the cold.

Battery seems fine after 3 years and living outside in 4 seasons. I even got the battery cover off first time without breaking any tabs!

 

[derycksan]

I use Noco Genius2 I got for $30 on Amazon. Does lead or Lithium, also charges up my car batteries quickly.

Haven't had a need to change battery, stock is going strong. I won't be putting in lithium as they degrade faster when stored at full charge for extended periods and they don't handle being drained too low so a low voltage cuttoff is needed as well.

 

[B.C. Rider]

I also brought a Noco off amazon wired the pig tail off the battery and up and out the back side of the seat for easy plugin location been working just fine back in January we had a couple of weeks of cold weather 0 to -10 degrees and never missed a beat decent maintainer for the money.

 

[Farmer Mike]

The battery threads are always the most fascinating, here and elsewhere... Although I keep telling myself it's time to let go, I struggle with it, addiction is a horrible thing! Batteries and I go way back... to a time when GE Aerospace was just down the road, we had history... but I don't kiss and tell.

No Lithium Ion's for my Donkey, I'm holding out for the good stuff!

 

[AZ7000']

when GE Aerospace

Like Garrett AiResearch old??

 

[Farmer Mike]

Back in the 60’s, and 70’s. GE had a battery plant in Alachua Fl, they had a smaller section of the property known as GE Areospace. They made batteries for NASA to include the batteries for the Space Shuttle’s. They sold the plant to Gates Rubber who operated it under Gates Energy, who sold it to Energizer who sold it to some holding company who sold it to the Chinese, who paid some of the old guys to show them how to operate the equipment and then they literally moved 80% of the plant to China. I worked there in the 80’s, and did analysis on the plating fluids for concentration, and impurities and did secondary analysis on the stuff for NASA. Later I worked in R&D on ways to clean up the waste streams coming out of the plant. It was a very interesting place to work.

 

[TrailBoss]

I use Noco Genius2 I got for $30 on Amazon. Does lead or Lithium, also charges up my car batteries quickly.

Haven't had a need to change battery, stock is going strong. I won't be putting in lithium as they degrade faster when stored at full charge for extended periods and they don't handle being drained too low so a low voltage cuttoff is needed as well.

I tried one of these as well, and it seems to do a fine job keeping things topped up. HOWEVER, Noco made a strange decision to NOT go with a standard SAE connector on their included battery pigtail, nor on the unit itself. It's some X-connector or something. Deal breaker when 99+% of bikes (and other things) already have an SAE pigtail installed. An adapter is a whopping $18!

The best solution I've found is to buy SAE plugs for a few dollars and cut and solder them on.

A black eye on an otherwise decent product.

 

[TrailBoss]

I tried one of these as well, and it seems to do a fine job keeping things topped up. HOWEVER, Noco made a strange decision to NOT go with a standard SAE connector on their included battery pigtail, nor on the unit itself. It's some X-connector or something. Deal breaker when 99+% of bikes (and other things) already have an SAE pigtail installed. An adapter is a whopping $18!

The best solution I've found is to buy SAE plugs for a few dollars and cut and solder them on.

A black eye on an otherwise decent product.

My mistake, they want a whopping $28 for the adapter!

Amazon.com

 

[TrailBoss]

The battery threads are always the most fascinating, here and elsewhere... Although I keep telling myself it's time to let go, I struggle with it, addiction is a horrible thing! Batteries and I go way back... to a time when GE Aerospace was just down the road, we had history... but I don't kiss and tell.

No Lithium Ion's for my Donkey, I'm holding out for the good stuff!

Lithium batteries now scare me. If anybody remembers the Felicity Ace cargo ship that sank a few years back, well they're saying it was due to a Porsche lithium battery. Not a huge surprise as it was a car carrier ship but now it's more or less official.

It's not just the car batteries though, I've watched a few videos of e-bike batteries going up in flames and I've always wondered how bad the fire would be if either a car, or even a smaller e-bike went up in flames in my garage. These folks found out:

I'm officially sticking with lead acid batteries as much as I can (cars, bikes), and will hope that the lithium batteries that are in everything else now (phones, power tools, etc) won't cause a big enough fire if they go up.

 

[oldskool]

Lithium batteries now scare me. If anybody remembers the Felicity Ace cargo ship that sank a few years back, well they're saying it was due to a Porsche lithium battery. Not a huge surprise as it was a car carrier ship but now it's more or less official.

It's not just the car batteries though, I've watched a few videos of e-bike batteries going up in flames and I've always wondered how bad the fire would be if either a car, or even a smaller e-bike went up in flames in my garage. These folks found out:

I'm officially sticking with lead acid batteries as much as I can (cars, bikes), and will hope that the lithium batteries that are in everything else now (phones, power tools, etc) won't cause a big enough fire if they go up.

Those batteries are in everything these days laptops cell phones ECT. My wife gets mad because I will not leave devices to charge while not home to monitor them. I will not charge them in areas that could easily catch fire. As an example I charge my E-bike battery in the cast iron tub in the unused bath rather than in the garage next to motorcycles and gas powered tools. People I know quit charging U/W scooter batteries in the house or garage after several of them had caught fire while being charged. A couple went so far as to build small cinder block sheds away from the house to charge them in.

 

[Farmer Mike]

Now before this goes off the rails... in my opinion... Lithium ion batteries are the problem children. Lithium Iron Phosphate are the good guys (they do not catch fire), they are still lighter than lead acid, but heavier than Lithium Ion... but their power density is lower, and so size becomes an issue... but they are still smaller and lighter than a standard lead acid battery. They cost even more (up front), and so the market is loath to bring them to us... yet, but that is slowly changing. The largest barrier to these coming to the market is, well plain old capitalism. A Lithium Iron Phosphate battery in your car would only need to be changed once a decade or longer... are you seeing the problem yet. Lead acid batteries generate guaranteed sales every 3 to 4 years... why mess with that? Better and safer battery chemistries are coming fast and furious, I won't predict which one will win, in fact there may be several dominant chemistries that persist and fill different niches... the only prediction I will make is that Lead Acid batteries are like Baby Boomers (yes I'm in that group), on the way out.

As a secondary note, there are few safety requirements on those e-bike/scooter batteries at the moment... and yes I believe they and the chargers they sell with them are dangerous. My e-bike batteries are UL and CE certified... but they cost $1000 each... which is just insane for what they are. But they are not likely to catch fire. They are however not problem free... they have no so much safety tech in them, that they brick themselves at the drop of a hat, and they only warranty them for two years, on top of they they engineer death circuits in them, is case you were to try and repair it yourself. I already had to replace one of them. In case anyone is wondering they are Bosch.

 

[SneakyDingo]

In case anyone is wondering they are Bosch.

Bosch is notorious for 1) having pretty good QC on both the chargers and batteries but 2) also being completely unhelpful if you want to mod or otherwise repair their gear. Like the Bosch batteries are not the kind that typically have fire issues; they have good chargers, good BMS's, good isolation and brick themselves out of caution for tampering. Or, if you're really unlucky, dropping them from more than about 6" high off the ground. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's not like the cheaper Gotway / Begode configuration I have sitting in my garage. That being said - exactly the same rules as @oldskool in my house - the charging devices are right next to a double exterior door. I want to be able to toss that through the window if I need to save the house and the dogs.