Need help with battery replacement

[flyingreg]

I am in need of a new battery for the '04 RT. I don't want another gel battery if I can help it. I couldn't find a OEM battery model number to help me find a replacement. The local cycle shops need this info to find a cross reference for a Yuasa. My shop manual doesn't have the battery model number either.

 

Can someone post the right model numbe for me?

 

TIA!

[JonathanE]

Greg,

 

My advice, and worth the price paid, take measurements and purchase based on dimensions and the location of terminals. They're all 13.8 volts lead/acid cells, charged at or below what you BMW puts out.

 

My choice is Odyssey.

[Ken H.]

Odyssey PC680 AGM. Install it on its side for easier cable reach.

[y0shi]

What's the accepted typical life span of the OEM battery? I still have the original in that came when I bought in 03.

 

I've never had bad trouble, but this morning, the bike didn't want to start back up after a stint of stop and go traffic with the grip heaters on. I know that I should have turned off the grips when I didn't need them, but it feels so nice and toasty.

[Good_Fixs]

My 02 RT oem battery still working fine, I think the way people ride there bike make diffrence. I do a lot of freeway riding,(constant speed = constant charing?) I did my 36k service and the plugs, alt belt came out like new. Thanks

[Ken H.]

There's a lot of variables that effect the answer. Driving style - lots of high speed 'charging time' riding or stop-and-go mostly? Maintenance - often check the water level and top it off or, "Where's the battery?" Keep it on a 'tender' when not ridden for weeks or don't even own one. Load - lots of extras or never even ever turn on the grips. Vibration - smooth pavement only or, "What's pavement?"

 

In general terms I think if we can get three years out of a motorcycle battery we should be happy. (And now someone will post, "I'm on the seventh year with mine!)

[DavidEBSmith]

Yuasa's website (www.yuasabatteries.com) lists the YuMicron 51913, 19 aH, 7.4375" x 3.25" x 6.875" all Oilheads. The current BMW OEM flooded battery is labelled Exide (but is made by ? because Exide and Yuasa at one time were connected).

 

I have to swim against the current here and not recommend an Odyssey battery. I got one this year and had nothing but faults, even getting stuck one time when it was nearly dead. On load tests the brand-new Odyssey doesn't hold up as well as a 2 year old flooded battery. Maybe it's just one bad battery, but now I'm stuck with having to ship a 10 pound battery back to somebody for warranty replacement (if they'll cover it).

[RFW]

What's the accepted typical life span of the OEM battery? I still have the original in that came when I bought in 03.

 

I've never had bad trouble, but this morning, the bike didn't want to start back up after a stint of stop and go traffic with the grip heaters on. I know that I should have turned off the grips when I didn't need them, but it feels so nice and toasty.

 

Your bike has what amounts to a car alternator, that is easily capapable of keeping up with heated grips even at idle. After all, heated grips only consume a couple of amps. This is less than your engine management system consumes when the motor is running. Sounds to me your battery has a problem (or possibly your alternator).

 

Bob.

[Ken H.]

that is easily capapable of keeping up with heated grips even at idle

Have to disagree a bit. I have an aftermarket voltmeter installed (calibrated with a DVM) and at idle with any load on (lights, grips...) it will show 12.2 - 12.0 volts, definitely in discharge territory. Only when I rev the bike above 1500 or so RPM does it then jump to 14.1 - 14.2 volts, i.e. - charging.

[DavidEBSmith]

Off the top of my head, the specs for the alternator output are about 150 watts at idle, 700 watts at 4-5000 rpm. The headlight is 55 watts, the taillight is 5 watts, the city light under the headlight is 5 watts, the fuel injection etc takes maybe 50 watts? So with the grips on (30 watts?) you are getting close to the alternator output at idle. (Especially sitting in traffic holding the brakes and the 21 watt brake light on).

 

I would think it would be even more so for a wizzy-brake bike.

 

BTW, even in a car, you can drain the battery sitting and idling in stop-and-go traffic with the headlights, defroster fan, heated back window, and radio on. Ask my wife.

[RFW]

that is easily capapable of keeping up with heated grips even at idle

Have to disagree a bit. I have an aftermarket voltmeter installed (calibrated with a DVM) and at idle with any load on (lights, grips...) it will show 12.2 - 12.0 volts, definitely in discharge territory. Only when I rev the bike above 1500 or so RPM does it then jump to 14.1 - 14.2 volts, i.e. - charging.

 

Agreed. Purely at idle, the alternator output is pretty low. I guess what I really meant was that he wasn't sitting for hours at idle. Even with stop and go traffic, there is easily enough "Go" with a 500 to 700 Watt alternator, to make up for the "Stop" times.

 

And as I mentioned, the load placed on the system by the heated grips is only a small percentage of the total load. Heated grips only generate 10 or 15 Watts apiece, which is about 2 amps in total. Not enough to seriously load down the system.

 

Bob.

[flyingreg]

Yuasa's website (www.yuasabatteries.com) lists the YuMicron 51913, 19 aH, 7.4375" x 3.25" x 6.875" all Oilheads. The current BMW OEM flooded battery is labelled Exide (but is made by ? because Exide and Yuasa at one time were connected).

David, do you know if the dimensions are the same? This model covers up to the 2000 model year, I have an '04. Do you have the stock OEM battery model number for a cross reference.

[Ken H.]

David, do you know if the dimensions are the same?

I'm not David and I don't play him on TV, but the 1100 series and 1150 series battery dimensions are the same.

[flyingreg]

... but the 1100 series and 1150 series battery dimensions are the same.

Thanks to all that helped out on this issue. I'll be replacing the battery with a new YUASA soon. Sure wish you didn't have to remove every bit of tupperware and the tank to change a battery.

[Stan Walker]

Thanks to all that helped out on this issue. I'll be replacing the battery with a new YUASA soon. Sure wish you didn't have to remove every bit of tupperware and the tank to change a battery.

 

You don't. Just the left side tupperware. Tank stays, right side tupperware stays.

 

Stan

[Joe G]

Greg, as Dr. Phil mentions, you can get the battery out w/o removing the the gas tank and the right side panel. Take the left side panel off, taking note of where the 4 long screws came from (mirror and down at your left foot), undo the air filter tube, the rubber tie-down strap and disconnect the negative terminal (left side of the battery). Undo the breather tube, slide the battery out and then disconnect the positive terminal.

 

The cd repair manual mentions that after reconnecting any battery to turn the ignition on (w/o starting the bike) and twisting the throttle full open once or twice to allow the Motronic unit to read the throttle stops.

 

 

[flyingreg]

Stan, Joe, thanks for the info. I hadn't consulted the manual as yet and it didn't look like the battery would fit out the left side. Nice to know it will. And Joe, thanks for the heads up on allowing the motronics to re-program.