Battery Insulator Really Necessary?

[cookie]

I just replaced the original battery in my 2015 RT with the (recommended in this forum) Yuasa YTX20CH-BS one. Pulling the original battery was fairly difficult, and it wasn't going any better installing the new one with the foam insulation. So I removed it entirely and the job went from "near-impossible" to just "very tight".

 

Does the battery become so hot from normal operation that its life will be significantly shortened without this insulation? I have never seen it on any other motorcycle, though I've seen thermal insulation on car batteries occasionally (don't know whether that was for heat or cold).

 

I'm not sure I can face pulling the battery again and trying to tape together the insulation. It wasn't in great shape to begin with (and it was the original battery on which it was fitted).

[LIRider]

I always thought it was a vibration thing (foam helped dampen some of the vibration) rather than a thermal thing but I doubt it really matters that much either way if it's there or not.  I did manage to wrap it around the replacement though when I did mine. 

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, cookie said:

I just replaced the original battery in my 2015 RT with the (recommended in this forum) Yuasa YTX20CH-BS one. Pulling the original battery was fairly difficult, and it wasn't going any better installing the new one with the foam insulation. So I removed it entirely and the job went from "near-impossible" to just "very tight".

 

Does the battery become so hot from normal operation that its life will be significantly shortened without this insulation? I have never seen it on any other motorcycle, though I've seen thermal insulation on car batteries occasionally (don't know whether that was for heat or cold).

 

I'm not sure I can face pulling the battery again and trying to tape together the insulation. It wasn't in great shape to begin with (and it was the original battery on which it was fitted).

Afternoon cookie

 

BMW calls that battery insulation "Thermal Protection", is it needed for the battery to work (probably not).

 

Is it desirable to keep it to reduce battery heat-soak & heat damage (probably yes, or BMW wouldn't have gone to added expense & extra assembly time of installing it.

 

In a cool climate with not much extreme ambient heat to deal with  & not a lot of long idle times for battery thermal hot-soak then it probably isn't needed as much as if the motorcycle is used in extremally high ambient temps or long idle periods in hot weather. 

 

Obviously in pre-production durability testing BMW must have measured higher than desired battery temps that drove the reason for using thermal insulation. 

 

  

[cookie]

Thanks for the insight, dirtrider. That was pretty much my thinking as well (and I live in Pennsylvania, so doubtful I would ever be in extreme heat conditions, and I don't do any urban riding with a lot of idling).

 

I just thought there was a tiny possibility that someone would pipe up and say "Hey, I took the insulator off and my battery died in five months!"

 

Think I'll take my chances, though I saved the insulator.

[alegerlotz]

I installed my Yuasa YTX20CH-BS, including the foam without issue, so its doable.  I live in the southwest, so I've ridden in temps over 110, so it seemed like a good idea to keep it on there.

[cookie]

OK, so you shamed me into it . . .

 

It was less difficult today because I put the bike up on my lift, rather than working from the floor as I did previously.

 

 

[WBinDE]

I thought it was just a spacer. I bought a new battery, pulled out the OEM one and the foam piece, replaced it with the new taller one, and rode another 30K before selling the bike. No issues. I'm not sure what gets hot enough down there that the battery needs thermal insulation.