Oddyssey battery type for 1200GS

[SpaceKing]

I am replacing my battery on the just new to me 05 GS. West coast battery says that the PC 680 is the right one for this, but it does not look like it will fit. Does anyone know the answer to this question? And how long should a battery last? The stock is 2 years old forchrisake and left me stranded in the Nevada desert.

I am working on it now, if you know the answer could you let me know . .. no battery no ride tonight . . . sigh. . .

thanks

b

[Jim VonBaden]

No, that is for the older 1100/1150 bikes, you need the 535, IIRC.

 

Jim

[SpaceKing]

No, that is for the older 1100/1150 bikes, you need the 535, IIRC.

Jim, you da man. I am going to be ordering your DVD by the way. I am pissed that those guys at West Coast sold me a battery that doesn't fit my bike. Now what? I guess I can sell it. What is IIRC? Brand?

Beno

[Jim VonBaden]

No, that is for the older 1100/1150 bikes, you need the 535, IIRC.

Jim, you da man. I am going to be ordering your DVD by the way. I am pissed that those guys at West Coast sold me a battery that doesn't fit my bike. Now what? I guess I can sell it. What is IIRC? Brand?

Beno

 

Thanks, IIRC means If I Remember Correctly. I KNOW the PC 680 will not fit your bike, but am not 100% on the nomenclature for the 12GS battery. I believe it is the PC535GS, yes confirmed, that fits snugly.

 

Jim

[SpaceKing]

PC535GS

Is that an Oddysey?

Are you still on your original battery Jim? I remember when you got your GS, late 2004 IIRC

B

[Jim VonBaden]

PC535GS

Is that an Oddysey?

Are you still on your original battery Jim? I remember when you got your GS, late 2004 IIRC

B

 

Yes, original battery, November 2005.

 

Jim

[SpaceKing]

What depletes battery life? Two years and 11,000 miles seems not very long for battery life.

B

[Ken H.]

Yes. the Odyssey PC535 will fit the R1200GS. Just did one in mine. It's not perfectly 'plug-n-play' though. You have to discard the factory hold down bracket. The "PC535GS" is just A & S's kit with a different bracket. But IMHO it is not necessary, it's not going to go anywhere. Especially for the high $$ A & S charges for the battery compared to what you can get it for elsewhere.

 

You have to re-route the battery leads. I took off the upright post brackets that came with battery and put the re-routed leads on flat. Notice how I routed positive along the front of the battery, under where my Autocom is.

 

Also on the rear of the battery (as positioned in bike) trim off a couple of the 'fins' on the battery out at each side before you drop it in. On the left side to clear a wire bundle, on the right side to clear a brake line. (You can't see them in this photo, they are on the back side of the battery as shown.) But if you look down into the 'well' after the old one is out, it will be clear what you need to trim for.

 

 

Spins 'er over just dandy!

[SpaceKing]

Ken, once again you are a remarkable asset to this board. Pictures and everything. Thank you very much for your thorough response, and for saving me a bunch of time and figuring I owe you a beer. You might however have to come to Vancouver to collect.

cheers and thanks again

b

[Jim VonBaden]

What depletes battery life? Two years and 11,000 miles seems not very long for battery life.

B

 

Time and miles are only part of the reason for a dead battery.

 

How long you ride, short rides deplete more than charge since the used power for starting is never recovered. There is also atmospheric issues like high humidity with high salt content causing corrosion of the terminals and poor charging. Then there is the occasional killing of the battery with accessories left on, or using the wrong battery charger.

 

Lots of reasons, but the main one is that the battery from the factory seems to be a bit small in capacity for the bike. The PC535 fixes that.

 

Jim

[Emoto]

Great thread, guys. My R1200GS battery is to the point where it goes down to 3-4 volts if I let it sit for any length of time, and that is unacceptable. Frankly, so is only getting 3 years out of a battery, but there is nothing I can do about that other than replace it.

 

Sounds like everyone likes the PC535 for the 1200GS?

 

Any pointers on the best place to buy from?

 

Thanks!

 

Bob

[moshe_levy]

Hi-

 

Someone asked what kills a battery. My company manufactures military grade UPS systems, so I have some experience with the subject.

 

FYI, more than time, and more than miles - more than anything, really - it's heat. A standard sealed, maintenance-free battery has a typical lifetime rating of 3-5 years, rated at 25 degrees ambient. Above that temperature, and life starts dropping exponentially, to approximately 9-18 months at 50 degrees, and maybe 2-6 months at 55. See http://www.bb-battery.com/productpages/BP/BP17-12.pdf for an example - this B&B product is very similar to the other generic brands (Exide, Panasonic, Yuasa, etc.) that people mention in here. You can also read our short application note ( http://www.novaelectric.com/eetb.php ) which explains to our customers why Hawker batteries may be worth extra $$$ if their application calls for extreme temps. We are not a dealer, so no affiliation by the way.

 

Hawker batteries are rated for 8-12 years at the same 25 degrees C ambient. Their operating temp is a very wide margin - about 60 degrees Celsius or up to 80 degrees with a metal jacket. Further, their shelf life is about 2 years, not a month or two like a typical sealed MF battery. Translated, that means you can leave it siting there uncharged for YEARS before it discharges.

 

Do they work? Well, in a word, yes. We get free batteries for our bikes at work because we use Hawkers constantly in the high grade UPS. My controller has had his in his Harley since 1997, and it's still going strong. I replaced the tired Exides with Hawkers in my bikes, and fully expect the same performance out of them.

 

It really is a fantastic quality product.

 

-MKL

[Ken H.]

My R1200GS battery is to the point where it goes down to 3-4 volts if I let it sit for any length of time,

Not sure what you are calling a length of time, but if your battery goes that flat in say within 2 - 3 weeks of sitting, sounds like your bike needs the software upgrade that is out for just this issue.

[Emoto]

My R1200GS battery is to the point where it goes down to 3-4 volts if I let it sit for any length of time,

Not sure what you are calling a length of time, but if your battery goes that flat in say within 2 - 3 weeks of sitting, sounds like your bike needs the software upgrade that is out for just this issue.

 

Sadly, I am fully up to date. My dealership mechanic is a good guy and a 1200GS owner, so has made sure I'm current. I do not run the alarm, and I always shut down any accessories and never have anything "on" unless the motor is running, except my GPS at gas stops.

 

 

What I have not done is stick a meter in between the battery and battery cable to measure any drain. Anyone know what setting I should use for that and/or what the acceptable drain should be?

[1432]

3 years for a bike battery is pretty good. You can get prices by shopping the net. They seem to have the best deals.

[Emoto]

3 years for a bike battery is pretty good. You can get prices by shopping the net. They seem to have the best deals.

 

Really? I usually get more than 3 years. More like 5-7.