Batteries, Batteries, Batteries...

[k3nn3y3]

My battery died in my "99 1500 se. Should I go with the OEM, or are there better batteries out there to choose from?

[Wingsconsin]

Go to your local Batteries Plus and get an X2 AGM battery...
It will be around $100 and work perfectly for several years..
They start with 330 cold cranking amps (CCA) and mine still offers 281 CCA 4 years later..
Easy to change - and works just fine...2 year warranty ...lots of stores nationwide shold you ahve an issue while traveling.

[k3nn3y3]

Thanks, this is just what I needed to know.

73

[k3nn3y3]

I went to my local Battery Plus store, and picked up the "X2 AGM" battery.
They come fully charged, and they test it before they give it to you, and they
print out a report to show what the battery is putting out.
It's rated at about 330 cca, but when they tested it, it put out 425 cca.
My big red turns over faster than it ever has.

My only question is, what type of tender is recommended?
I use a "Battery Tender Plus", but the the red charge light never goes out.

I thought the tender was bad, so I switched the tender with the one from my st1300,
and the charge light still doesn't go out.

But on my st1300 w/ the oem battery, the green light comes on.

[jimmydicki]

I have a DEKA that has lasted me 11 years. I am changing it right now just because i fixing to go on a 3 week ride with the wife and don't want to press my luck. I think I need to go get it tested and see how far it has lost its cca. Still turns over fine no lag or draw.

[WingAdmin]

I went to my local Battery Plus store, and picked up the "X2 AGM" battery.
They come fully charged, and they test it before they give it to you, and they
print out a report to show what the battery is putting out.
It's rated at about 330 cca, but when they tested it, it put out 425 cca.
My big red turns over faster than it ever has.

My only question is, what type of tender is recommended?
I use a "Battery Tender Plus", but the the red charge light never goes out.

I thought the tender was bad, so I switched the tender with the one from my st1300,
and the charge light still doesn't go out.

But on my st1300 w/ the oem battery, the green light comes on.

That's odd - I wonder if they have some different chemistry that alters the cell voltage? The Battery Tender works by monitoring the battery voltage, so if it's not high enough, it will continuously charge. That said, the AGM that is in my GL1500 works fine with a Battery Tender.

Let it charge for a good day or so, take it off the charger, let it sit for an hour, then measure the battery voltage right at the battery terminals. I'm curious as to what it will be.

[SteveB123]

I have a house-brand AGM, and my Tender Jr. works just fine on it.

[wjnfirearms]

Odds are that if the charge light isn't going out and the charger resetting itself to a fully charged condition, there might be a defect with the battery. On the other hand, I have seen that some chargers state that they aren't compatible with gel batteries. Whether this is a marketing thing or not, I cannot say for sure. That said, I've never had any issues charging gel batteries with any charger I have.

[k3nn3y3]

When I first bought the battery,I put it in, and went for a long ride.When I parked it in the garage,I plug it into the tender as usual. I didn't go back to my bike for three days. I saw that the light was still flashing red, so I cranked it, and it spent so fast, that it started right up.

I went for another ride. This time when I parked it, I switched tenders with the one on my st1300, same type, Battery tender Plus.
The next day, the red light was flashing on the gl1500, but it was green on the st1300.

I haven't road it again 'till this day, because of all the rain, and the red light is still flashing. I cranked it, and it starts right up.

By the way, I use to think that an AGM was a GEL battery, but it's not, they are different, and they have to use different types of chargers.

[norrisde]

FYI....the Batteries Plus X2 battery is made for them by Deka! It is rock solid and it comes with a 2 year free replacement warranty. No one else in the industry offers that.

As for charging. Battery Tenders are good but the Noco Genius 1100 is the best bang for your buck.

http://www.geniuschargers.com/G1100

This one desulfates as well as maintaing a full charge. It will make your battery last the longest and start the strongest. Also available @ Batteries Plus.

It is near impossible to find a Gel in a powersport size. You DO NOT want a Gel battery as a starting battery. AGM is better option.

[detdrbuzzard]

my odyssey pc 680's are holding up very well, they are about 5yrs old now

[norrisde]

Ah yes! The Odyssey is also a great battery with an equivalent 2 year warranty. It actually has more CCA's in the first 15 seconds than any other lead based battery. However, you will pay a premium for that battery and I will tell you that if you let the voltage drop too low on the Odyssey then they will fight you on honoring that warranty by stating that the end user failed to maintain it. They have become pretty tight about that over the past couple of years. Batteries Plus stocks that one as well.

You can't go wrong with either one as long as you keep a maintainer on them. If you are lazy about charging in the off season, you run the risk of eating a warranty on the Odyssey. The X2 warranty requirements are not as strict.

[k3nn3y3]

False alarm, I feel stupid.

The reason why the red light was flashing on my tender, is because my in-line blade fuse had blown. The one that's attached to the battery, in line to the pig tail plug in.

I plugged in a new 7.5 amp fuse, went back out and checked, and the light is green.

Now the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all is well again.

Thanks for holding my hand through this great, and fear inspiring time.