Antigravity Lithium Battery - Install and Initial Impressions

[AdvToorer]

Wanted to do a quick post on installation and initial experience with Antigravity lithium-ion battery. My 6 year old Yuasa battery finally bit the dust. I probably pushed it farther than I should have but due to limited replacement choices and indecision on going with lithium technology, I ended up riding it out until it was completely dead.
My initial interest in lithium batteries was the weight savings (hey, the ST is a BIG girl!) but after asking around about lithium batteries someone made a good point about some of the newer batteries. Some now have a "restart" capability built-in. In the case of Antigravity, if battery has been depleted there is a push button that can be used to activate additional capacity that should allow enough juice to start the bike, or at least get you a couple attempts on the starter motor. Just this summer I made at trip up to Canada and twice inadvertently shut off the bike with the ignition on. So this feature was suddenly important to me.

Installation was fairly straight forward. As the battery is shorter than the OEM, it came with a couple dense foam pads that can be used as shims. In my case I put the shims on top as it leaves access to the "restart" button. It was necessary cut and double stack the foam shims to provide a snug fit in the battery housing.

(apologies pic doesn't capture foam shim details)



The only issue I had was the positive terminal is slightly large and interferes with the case of the battery. I had the option of cutting or enlarging the hole in the cable but instead opted to cut away of bit of the battery case. This is only an issue on the positive lead. Maybe Yamaha does this as a way to enforce polarity.


At this time I've only gotten in a few rides with the new battery. I had some concerns as the battery runs at slightly higher voltage but have not experiences any issues. Living in Denver I'll have to see how it does during the colder mornings but hope to not be testing it in sub-freezing temps. The starter motor definitely turns with more authority and fewer rotations than with the lead-acid battery.
It appears Antigravity sells a remote switch for the "restart" which I'm not using. It's easy enough to pop the side panel and hit the button. And everyone knows there's a 4mm allen wrench under the seat to remove the screws, right?

 

[DutyFirst]

Wanted to do a quick post on installation and initial experience with Antigravity lithium-ion battery. My 6 year old Yuasa battery finally bit the dust. I probably pushed it farther than I should have but due to limited replacement choices and indecision on going with lithium technology, I ended up riding it out until it was completely dead.
My initial interest in lithium batteries was the weight savings (hey, the ST is a BIG girl!) but after asking around about lithium batteries someone made a good point about some of the newer batteries. Some now have a "restart" capability built-in. In the case of Antigravity, if battery has been depleted there is a push button that can be used to activate additional capacity that should allow enough juice to start the bike, or at least get you a couple attempts on the starter motor. Just this summer I made at trip up to Canada and twice inadvertently shut off the bike with the ignition on. So this feature was suddenly important to me.

Installation was fairly straight forward. As the battery is shorter than the OEM, it came with a couple dense foam pads that can be used as shims. In my case I put the shims on top as it leaves access to the "restart" button. It was necessary cut and double stack the foam shims to provide a snug fit in the battery housing.

(apologies pic doesn't capture foam shim details)

View attachment 96047

The only issue I had was the positive terminal is slightly large and interferes with the case of the battery. I had the option of cutting or enlarging the hole in the cable but instead opted to cut away of bit of the battery case. This is only an issue on the positive lead. Maybe Yamaha does this as a way to enforce polarity.
View attachment 96048

At this time I've only gotten in a few rides with the new battery. I had some concerns as the battery runs at slightly higher voltage but have not experiences any issues. Living in Denver I'll have to see how it does during the colder mornings but hope to not be testing it in sub-freezing temps. The starter motor definitely turns with more authority and fewer rotations than with the lead-acid battery.
It appears Antigravity sells a remote switch for the "restart" which I'm not using. It's easy enough to pop the side panel and hit the button. And everyone knows there's a 4mm allen wrench under the seat to remove the screws, right?

AdvToorer …. What is the verdict on the Antigravity after a couple of months use?

 

[SkunkWorks]

I'm curious about this as well..................Considering one of these in the future possibly.

 

[lund]

I have been using Antigravity batteries for about 7 years now, first in my snowmobiles and still as of today use Antigravity. IMO they are a premium battery, seen plenty out there that do not compare and fail. They are heavier than most other lithium batteries but I believe this is because the cells are better stabilized inside the case. They are expensive, my first Antigravity 16cell was $375, today that same battery I priced out for the sled is $898.
Antigravity offers cheaper versions for about half the cost, but they are not as robust and are more like the other batteries out there, lighter.

FYI, other than the fact they are lighter and smaller than the conventional battery in your bike, there is little to no advantage in using one in the S10.
I have one in my bike because letting any battery sit dormant over a few months during off season is not good. So I transfer the battery from sled to bike, then back to sled. In a mountain sled the weight saving is huge, thus lithium makes sense.

 

[ra2ras]

So only advantage of the Anti-Gravity over other lithium batteries is the "Reserve power" right? A cheaper costco 3-in-1 lithium jumpstarter (jump + USB power bank + flashlight) would also act the same as a reserve button IMO.
TYPE S Portable Jump Starter & Power Bank with Emergency Multimode Floodlight.

I am looking at Noco NLP14 for S10.

 

[MattR]

I’ve just ordered the antigravity XP1 booster pack. I originally ordered the XP 3 but for some reason it’s been withdrawn from Amazon and is not available from Antigravity UK. The XP1 is more expensive but I’m not sure why.


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[AdvToorer]

AdvToorer …. What is the verdict on the Antigravity after a couple of months use?

Unfortunately cold weather along with more working from home have not been conducive to getting the bike out. Will post up once I get a chance to ride.

 

[scott123007]

I have always been a Shorai fan. In four different bikes, and the oldest one is seven plus years old. Some bikes sit for a couple months and start right up. Never a problem with any so far...

 

[AdvToorer]

AdvToorer …. What is the verdict on the Antigravity after a couple of months use?

Finally! Decent weather and opportunity to get bike out. It's been sitting 4+ months, no charger, nuttin. Other than a couple ignition power tests during this time it's been in hibernation.
Started right up. I'm impressed.
I'm liking the extra voltage the for the starter, engine seems to fire a bit quicker, within a revolution. Whether this could be problematic over the long term, I'll see. I will say the Pb battery, especially at the end of it's life was marginal at starting the battery. This led to noticably longer starter engagement and occasionally multiple attempts. No doubt this was putting extra wear & tear on the starter.

 

[Cycledude]

Did you also buy the Anti Gravity Charger ?

 

[AdvToorer]

Did you also buy the Anti Gravity Charger ?

Did not. Considered it initially but decided to wait and see if there's a need.
My current impression is a charger isn't needed as battery seems to hold charge well and bike doesn't seem to have significant parasitic drain.

I understand I'm making a lot of comparisons against a battery on life support and a new lithium battery but here's one more... Towards the end of it's life it took quite a bit of time to charge and recover after startup. During yesterday's ride I was running errands to multiple auto parts stores (looking for 7 qts of front & rear gear lube). The lithium battery charges quickly and even between short jaunts it always started with vigor. So that's a long way of saying if I somehow manage to drain the battery and decide against using the backup circuit, I try a short charge using a traditional charger.

 

[Cycledude]

My 2018 Tenere will be 5 years old this fall, the original battery still load tests and operates very well but I suppose battery replacement time isn’t far away.

 

[Longdog Cymru]

I really don’t get it when people talk about weight-saving on our S10s. Yes, she is a big old girl, but using a lighter battery or exhaust can is nothing in the great way of things. Fitting a lighter battery and exhaust can will only reduce overall weight by less than 10 lbs or 4.5 kgs and then we go and fit engine bars, sump guards, extra lights, luggage, etc, etc, etc, so please don’t quote weight saving as a reason for fitting a lighter battery, exhaust can or whatever other new kit onto the S10, but please do tell us the benefits of fitting alternative kit.

 

[MattR]

It’s a good point but a reduction in weight is only one advantage of fitting an Arrow can. When combined with the fact that it is also a much better made can and looks and sounds better, the argument for changing becomes more powerful


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[Longdog Cymru]

It’s a good point but a reduction in weight is only one advantage of fitting an Arrow can. When combined with the fact that it is also a much better made can and looks and sounds better, the argument for changing becomes more powerful


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I have an Akropovic waiting to be bolted on, to be honest, any performance gain or weight reduction will be practically undetectable and my honest reason for fitting it is appearance and sound and I suspect this will be the case if you fit an Arrow, Remus, Yoshi or 2 Brothers end can. To get any noticeable effect of performance you will need to ditch the cat, fit new 4-into-1 headers plus and end can of your choice.

 

[Jlq1969]

I only have one question: Why the factories don’t put lithium batteries in their new motorcycles?….. Or today: Does a motorcycle come with lithium batteries from the factory?…..that is, in the tests made by users, the Lithium batteries are superior to acid/gel batteries, but is it that the factories don't know this?….or what is the problem?…
And another question: I always heard that it was not advisable to start a motorcycle with a car battery (due to the CCA of the car battery, which were much higher than the CCA of the motorcycle)… but it turns out that today lithium batteries have the same same CCA of a small/medium car battery…… then, it would not be so true that it was harmful to start a motorcycle with a car battery

 

[lund]

I think it boils down to cost effectiveness.
Batteries, tires, brakes all limited life expectancy vs the motorcycle itself. It may be enough to drive the cost enough to not make it appealing to potential customers. So they let the owners decide on their upgrades.
The same can be asked about many other things OE uses on their motorcycles, like heavy mufflers, starters when a magneto can be used and so on.

 

[Jlq1969]

starters when a magneto can be used and so on

It is that if you wanted to start the engine, using the alternator….the stator winding should be longitudinal to be able to put a larger rotor, than the power to turn the crankshaft that is with a 1:1 or close ratio (The magneto cover would protrude 10 inches out of the engine)…the engine starting motor is small, but its ratio is very lower, enough for the minimum rotation of the crankshaft for starting, needeing little power to turn de crankshaft (for that is so small)…

 

[lund]

They have gone this rout on snowmobiles now for couple of years to cut weight. Works extremely well.
The tech on these things is amazing. No starter or battery. They use a capacitor and the magneto.
The engine keeps the capacitor charged and it remains charged even after the engine is shut off.
You do need to charge the capacitor if it sits long, which takes seconds with a battery and jumper set up.
I'm sure for motorcycle application it may need some changes to adapt but its already in use.

 

[WJBertrand]

I only have one question: Why the factories don’t put lithium batteries in their new motorcycles?….. Or today: Does a motorcycle come with lithium batteries from the factory?…..that is, in the tests made by users, the Lithium batteries are superior to acid/gel batteries, but is it that the factories don't know this?….or what is the problem?…
And another question: I always heard that it was not advisable to start a motorcycle with a car battery (due to the CCA of the car battery, which were much higher than the CCA of the motorcycle)… but it turns out that today lithium batteries have the same same CCA of a small/medium car battery…… then, it would not be so true that it was harmful to start a motorcycle with a car battery

Cost is probably the main issue, but there are several models out there that come from the factory with lithium batteries already including at least one version of the Africa Twin, It's starting to happen already.