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Battery - Quality/Strength Which Is Best


pokorskij

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Odyssey 650 is an ok battery with good short cranking

Power but don't ever leave anything on for a short while, not much staying power.

 

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Dave,

 

I hadn't seen the YouTube videos when I bought mine, so anyone reading my post should check them out before buying.

 

So far so good for me, but I wouldn't recommend the LFX18 based on what I've seen on YouTube.

 

I'm a 150 pounder but after adding in the weight of the RT, I didn't think the Shorai would provide a noticeable weight reduction. Although central Texas winter weather is mild compared to many parts of the US, there are many mornings with temperatures in the 20s that I ride. Considering the LFX21 is $200 or more, I checked for alternatives. The Deka, like the Odessey, is a deep cycle battery, so it can go longer periods without a battery tender than many other batteries. Only time will tell if the Deka fits the "sweet spot" for price to performance for me.

 

 

 

 

Not to try and justify my purchase, but I feel the loss in weight when coming off the side stand. It IS noticeable. I also notice it in quick transitions in lean angle. 12 pounds or so that far from the center of mass HAS an effect, especially when you run with half a tank, which I try to do when I'm preparing for some sport riding. I've also replaced the heavy ESA shocks with a set of Ohlins with manual adjustment for addition weight loss. So far both trade offs are worth it to me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I've used Deka sealed AGM bats for years. They are awesome. Made in USA. Not the least expensive though. Peace of mind on long trips away from 120V AC for the charger.

 

R1200RT takes an ETX20L

 

Deka batteries are made by East Penn Manufacturing: http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/

 

The Power Sports line has batteries for bikes, etc.: http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0278.pdf

 

They do about every battery under the sun including military.

 

Hope this helps - tom

 

Just ordered a Deka for my R1200RT from www.sepbatteries.com for $75.95 with free shipping. Before ordering, I did some google research and Deka's Power Sport line has a good reputation; maybe not quite as good as Odyssey but not near as expensive either. BTW, for hard core Odyssey fans, SEP has the PC680 for 101.77 with L brackets and free shipping,

 

SEP responded quickly to my order but after that I heard nothing from them. After two weeks, I emailed them. The response was that my order had been cancelled due to back order and supposedly I was emailed about that (I never received any such email). Out of curiosity, I checked their web site and now, the battery was $110 and shipping was no longer free. They still had a good price on an Odessey PC680 but shipping on that was no longer free either. After a bit of research, I found the Deka at Tristate Battery for $82 with free shipping. They shipped it the next day and based on UPS tracking, I should receive the new battery in under a week from when I ordered. Next time, I'll check Tristate first.

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I went with the Odyssey because it was the only battery specified for my 2005 RT that I could get locally. I bought the bike in April of 2011, and the battery that was in it died August of that year. It was the BMW OEM gel battery, but it had a mfg date sticker on it of 2005. So that tells me that sometimes, the OEM batteries can last some good years. In the winter, I pull the battery and put it in the basement and charge it once a month with a charger with an AGM setting on it.

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I have a 2005 RT, purchased new.

2.0 years ago (March 2012) I got a brand new Westco battery (according to the sticker the battery was manufactured 3 months before I got it). The battery worked fine for the first nine months... over the winter I put it on a slow charger twice a month for 4 to 8 hrs at a time (the charger was set to maintain 13.8 volts)... still the second season of riding I could tell that the battery was loosing storage capacity... This winter (again on the charger at least 2 times a month) I had hard times starting the bike even though I started her right after putting the battery on the charger. I would say the Westco is about as good after 2 years as was the OEM battery after 4 years. However the OEM always started the bike well after being on the charger, and was reliable for me for about six years.

My recommendation for you is to buy a brand new OEM battery (look at the sticker at the time of purchase). It should serve you well for at least 5 years. I hope I will get another 12 months out of the Westco I have now.

Note, your bike's spring settings and the roads you ride frequently could make a difference of how long your battery lasts... Frequent and harsh vibrations will deteriorate any battery much faster.

 

Good luck and let us know how your new battery works out for you.

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I ride year-round at any temperature above 40 degrees, rain or shine. OEM gel batteries have lasted 6-7 years every time. Worth the money on my beemer.

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roger 04 rt

I run a pc680 battery in my 1150RT. It's a good battery but the 1150 and many 1200s have a lower alternator voltage than the Odyssey AGM PC680 requires for full charging. One solution is to periodically fully charge it with an Odyssey approved charger.

 

To make a long story short (full story), after a couple years my 680 only had about an 80% charge, leading to slow starting. After half a dozen full discharge cycles it came back to 100% and then I modded my alternator to output 0.7V higher.

RB

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clip--My recommendation for you is to buy a brand new OEM battery (look at the sticker at the time of purchase).

 

Just remember that the date stamped on the BMW OEM battery is the SELL BY date not the build date.

 

Also, BIG money for a BMW (Excide) battery that has a pretty poor performance past history for most riders. Most riders that I know (at least up north here) get under 3 years of RELIABLE performance out of the BMW OEM battery.

 

There are a few outliers that have kept the OEM battery going longer but it seems every fall the battery most likely to die of (SCMBD) sudden cold morning battery death are the BMW OEM's.

 

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  • 5 weeks later...

I just installed the Deka ETX20L. What a pain in the ars. The post bolts are vertical, or horizontal facing rearward towards the metal cross member. If you use the horizontal bolts you have to make sure the bolt head will not rub up against the metal cross member. I did this with the negative lead after insulating the cross member with a piece of vinyl hose and electricians tape. I mounted the positive lead to the vertical bolt. Then the red insulator cap that goes over the positive post doesn't fit and you have to tape it down. The battery has to be shimmed both for height and width. You have to bend the eyes on the bikes connection leads 90 degrees to get an acceptable attachment to the posts. If time is money I would suggest going with posts that match the orientation of those on the OEM battery. Just not worth it.

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I just installed the Deka ETX20L. What a pain in the ars. The post bolts are vertical, or horizontal facing rearward towards the metal cross member. If you use the horizontal bolts you have to make sure the bolt head will not rub up against the metal cross member. I did this with the negative lead after insulating the cross member with a piece of vinyl hose and electricians tape. I mounted the positive lead to the vertical bolt. Then the red insulator cap that goes over the positive post doesn't fit and you have to tape it down. The battery has to be shimmed both for height and width. You have to bend the eyes on the bikes connection leads 90 degrees to get an acceptable attachment to the posts. If time is money I would suggest going with posts that match the orientation of those on the OEM battery. Just not worth it.

 

I don't understand why you needed to shim the Deka. My ETX20L was an exact fit in my 2011 RT. It didn't take much effort to connect the negative cable on top of the battery For the positive cable, I used an Odessey L bracket. Installation was quick and not very difficult. I saved more than enough to make up for an extra ten minutes of effort. And based on what information I have, the CCA of the Deka is much better than the stocker.

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This is for Canadians looking for a new battery. Best prices that I found on-line in Canada are at http://www.saskbattery.com/default.html and they are very helpful and quick in replying to questions.

The PC680 is there for $150 CAD, shipping included. I actually ended up buying a Yuasa YTX20L-BS AGM that is not a direct substitute for the BMW Exide in terms of size, but can be easily fitted there (it is 9 mm deeper).

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