Battery

[Rotor]

Any of you have experience with this battery or something you can recommend that gave you good performance?  https://www.autozone.com/miscellaneous-non-automotive/power-sport-battery/p/duralast-agm-ready-to-ride-power-sport-battery-etx14l-220-cca/273066_0_0?cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:BAC:8366688869&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwbLb_POt-AIVioXICh1QGAZCEAQYDiABEgLQm_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds  Want an AGM I can purchase locally.

[beemer chuck]

Those are good batteries, made by DEKA in Pennsylvania.

have used them in several bikes. 
My current favorite is the motto batt series that have 4 post positions and include adapters that give you a lot of choices for cable attachments. 

[eisenwal]

I like Odyssey batteries. They are not inexpensive. The one I had in my K75 lasted ten years and I only replaced it because I was getting worried it might die. Check polarity of battery so it fits your bike's configuration.

[Rougarou]

6 hours ago, eisenwal said:

I like Odyssey batteries. They are not inexpensive. The one I had in my K75 lasted ten years and I only replaced it because I was getting worried it might die. Check polarity of battery so it fits your bike's configuration.

 

If you go Odyssey, you gotta figure in a "special" tender/charger, as a regular tender/charger will ruin the battery.

 

I'm not going Odyssey again.

[Brodiepunker18]

My bike came with the odyssey and I won’t get another one due to the higher charging requirements as noted by @Rougarou…I didn’t even know what I had until I did maintenance this spring. 

 

Duralast makes decent batteries and that would also be my choice based on price and accessibility.

 

although that Motobatt battery intrigues me due to the unique 4 post top. And it’s not much more than the Duralast as well.

[Rotor]

Thanks to all for the input.  Just ordered a Yuasa AGM.  I preferred to go local and just pick it up but opted to order it.  Bikes down for a bit anyway waiting on parts so no worries I guess.

[lkraus]

I bought the Optimate 4 "CANBUS compatible" charger shortly after I bought my '06 RT in 2011.  When the original battery failed in January, 2012 I bought the Odyssey PC680 because that was considered "the best".

 

Then I discovered that the nifty new Optimate would "ruin" my expensive new battery.

 

 And that the RT also charges at less-than-optimum voltage (~14.3V).

 

 Well, crap. I was tired of spending money on the bike and farkles and decided to just use the Odyssey until it died and then try something else.  So, I was riding regularly and did not use any charger for the first year. The second winter, I was avoiding cold, so the bike mostly sat for three months. I occasionally plugged in the Optimate for a few days every couple of weeks until it showed green, because something should be better than nothing and I got to use that special auxiliary port.

 

Eventually, I actually read the Odyssey Technical Manual and found a couple of pertinent recommendations:

"Determining the charger output voltage is the most important step in the charger qualification process. If the voltage output from the charger is less than 14.2V or more than 15V for a 12V
battery, then do not use the charger."  ( So the RTs charging voltage was just barely acceptable.)

 

And for long life, the optimum charging method is to apply 14.7V until fully charged and then switch to a maintenance (float) mode of 13.6V.   

 

So what was the Optimate charging voltage? 13.6V. I tested my other automotive chargers and found that the old Schumacher charges at 14.7V in maintenance free/deep cycle mode, 13.7V in conventional mode. How convenient!  A hour or two (since it is already mostly charged) on the Schumacher until the current drops to near zero and then switch to the Optimate for day or so and I've achieved the recommended profile.  

 

My personal feeling is that constantly being on a tender might keep a battery at its highest state of charge, but also shortens overall battery life.  So I just top off the battery every 3-4 weeks when inactive, or whenever I happen to think about it.  Right now, the bike has been sitting for two weeks, with no charging, and the voltage is 12.67V. The tech manual says that corresponds to an 85% state of charge. (12.84V being 100%)  That's not bad for a 10.5 year old battery.  I'd have no problem recommending an Odyssey, if it fits.

 

 

[Brodiepunker18]

2 hours ago, lkraus said:

I bought the Optimate 4 "CANBUS compatible" charger shortly after I bought my '06 RT in 2011.  When the original battery failed in January, 2012 I bought the Odyssey PC680 because that was considered "the best".

 

Then I discovered that the nifty new Optimate would "ruin" my expensive new battery.

 

 And that the RT also charges at less-than-optimum voltage (~14.3V). 
 

 

I bought the same charger at the end of last season, and while having the bike apart for maintenance this spring I discovered I had the Odyssey…this is why I’m going to look elsewhere, IE the duralast or motobatt most likely, for a battery.

 

also, at least on the oil heads…you can upgrade the regulator on the alternator that up’s the charging to 14.5v. I also did that this spring.

[MarinPhil]

On 6/15/2022 at 9:24 AM, Rougarou said:

 

If you go Odyssey, you gotta figure in a "special" tender/charger, as a regular tender/charger will ruin the battery.

 

I'm not going Odyssey again.

Dont know where you get that from. 2 yrs ago i changed to an Odyssey pc680.  I use an old bmw maintainer  that is marked  “For Gel”batteries.  Sometimes it’s plugged in for 4 months while im away.  No issues. Ive also used the Ctek also perfect.  

[Rougarou]

On 6/20/2022 at 5:54 PM, MarinPhil said:

Dont know where you get that from. 2 yrs ago i changed to an Odyssey pc680.  I use an old bmw maintainer  that is marked  “For Gel”batteries.  Sometimes it’s plugged in for 4 months while im away.  No issues. Ive also used the Ctek also perfect.  

Got it directly from Odyssey and their authorized chargers after ruining a PC680 with the BMW maintainer. 
 

The BMW doesn’t push enough juice, you’re lucky so far.   I currently use an authorized CTEK for that bike in snow mode. 
 

 

[Sonor]

Call me old fashion, but I still use Westco from BeemerBoneYard. $85 and lasts three years.

[aggieengineer]

I was a big fan of Odyssey  batteries but recent reports have not been good. Much is made of charger characteristics, but remember, most of the charging occurs from the alternator and voltage regulation while riding the bike.

[dirtrider]

13 hours ago, aggieengineer said:

I was a big fan of Odyssey  batteries but recent reports have not been good. Much is made of charger characteristics, but remember, most of the charging occurs from the alternator and voltage regulation while riding the bike.

Morning   aggieengineer

 

"Remember, most of the charging occurs from the alternator and voltage regulation while riding the bike"

 

This is true but remember most of the battery damage (typically sulfation) is caused by improper trickle charging from incorrect charger voltage/amperage/float cycles for the battery type or it's specific requirements.   

 

Plus, while riding, the battery temperature on the BMW boxer motorcycle is pretty high as the battery is mounted above that hot engine & the hotter the battery typically the lower the voltage that is required to fully charge it. 

 

The BMW boxer alternator regulator is a temperature compensating regulator but the alternator is more in the air flow than the battery. 

 

Most modern (electronic based) uplevel trickle chargers are internally  temperature compensated but they don't know battery temperature they only know their own temperature. Plus, I'm not sure that the temperature compensation on a lot of trickle type chargers (even smart ones) matches the PC 680 temperature vs voltage requirements (this should be verified with an accurate voltmeter at nominal temperature of the battery during charging/maintaining)

 

 

 

 

[MoteroNC]

Well I have had a great experience with Odyssey. no problems at all and after not running the bike sometimes for weeks it provides great crank up starting. 

[Doctor T]

I prefer Motobatt. Used them on many bikes. My Himalayan is known to have a parasitic draw when sitting but with the MotoBatt i can now leave it for 2 months without a charger instead of 1 week. I wouldnt touch a battery with only a 6 month warranty. They can't have much faith in their produces