I've noticed a few 2012 S10 owners are having to replace their original battery. I was going to replace mine at next service just to be on the safe side, but then I bought a little voltage indicator that warns of a battery going bad. However, I was at TSC today and saw a lithium jump starter battery on sale for 54 bucks. Several BMW's at the last rally did not start the next morning and a jumper would have been handy. With all the demand now placed on our motorcycle batteries, I started carrying an extra Battery Tender on trips since it takes so little room. Thinking of switching it out to a lithium jumper pack. Anyone else have any experience with this ?
Anyone carrying a lithium battery jumper starter?
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While I don't personally own one of the packs, I've been testing and working with various lithium batteries for the last several years. Short answer is that the boosters work like champs. They'll run a cell phone or tablet forever.
Do really respect all the power in that little housing and that the foils inside it are super delicate. You REALLY don't want to physically damage or vibrate it to death and if the case gets dented, discharge it in a bucket of water then buy a new one. They go off like several fast gunshots when they fail and spit out hot electrolyte.
Do really respect all the power in that little housing and that the foils inside it are super delicate. You REALLY don't want to physically damage or vibrate it to death and if the case gets dented, discharge it in a bucket of water then buy a new one. They go off like several fast gunshots when they fail and spit out hot electrolyte.
What are your thoughts about carrying one in a pannier? Do you think they maybe too fragile, susceptible to damage, and pose a danger?Checkswrecks said:
Paul
Spider
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I have an Antigravity XP-1 that I stuck in a pannier for a trip from Houston through Portland to Canada and back. It's rock solid. And can be used to recharge my phone.
Chuck B
New Member
I've had one for a couple years now....antigravity brand. I switch all my bike to LiFePo batteries over the past 4yrs as well. I've never used the jumper to jump start a bike but I've used it on at least 4 cars including a 8.3L V10. Worked great!
Big Blu said:
It really comes down to how well you keep it from being knocked around or continuously vibrated. Even a thick layer of cloth separating the battery from the pannier wall should be enough to protect it physically. A lithium battery is essentially a stack of thin foils, very much like what you have in the kitchen, separated by layers of microporous saran wrap. If the layers of foil make contact an internal short is created and a thermal runaway starts. We've seen this happen is cells which are stainless steel. The other thing to remember is that commercial lithium cells are generally shot and potentially hazardous when kept above 175F. Black car paint in the sun can get to about 190, so leaving the battery in a black pannier in the desert ought to be avoided.
JBB
Member
Can I add a second question to the first? How many have actually used it to jump something? Amazon is full of reviews where they fail to perform. I bought one anyway. Charged it up according to the instructions and unhooked my car battery to see if it would start. There was a grunt, but didn't even turn over once. I still want one, though. Just want one that works.
Just ordered my 1st Christmas present from Revzilla, an XP-1.
Thanks for all your good input. ::008::
Paul
Thanks for all your good input. ::008::
Paul
JBB said:
It's a booster, not a replacement for a car battery! The idea is to give a bit of extra current when your primary battery doesn't have enough to turn the starter over.
And while lithium batteries have a lot better power density than almost anything available, bigger still is better. For example, a car with a single cell (called an 18650) about half again the size of a AA flashlight battery would just sit there. But Tesla car batteries have about 6,800 of them hooked together and kicks ass. Boosters generally also are just a number of smaller cells hooked together. Note the floor jack and legs for scale:
Spider
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My brother in western New York (near Buffalo) used his XP-1 numerous times to jump start his car and others last winter. He gets multiple starts out of a charge.JBB said:
jmcgilroy
Member
I've had one in the pannier for more than a year now. So far I've used it to start 2 cars and two motorcycles and for the built-in flash light. Never had a problem with it. I don't remember why I picked the particular make/model but it's an Antigravity XP-3 and I'm completely happy with it.
Same here. ::008:: I love mind and would not leave home without it. I even transfer it to the car or truck if we are taking a trip without the bike. It has saved my butt several times and has started 2 cars, a truck, and several motorcycles. Once when I had the worst hard start ever, I ran the battery completely dead trying to clear the flood. Out came the Antigravity and after some more cranking it started up. I was almost 400 miles from home so I would have been screwed without it.
I have used it several times to help stranded motorist and motorcycles. Just last week my daughter called and said her friends car would not start and could I come jump it. I could have taken the truck and jumper cables but I just took the bike and used the Antigravity. Started right up. ::012::
jbrown
Active Member
All the talk about hard starts and weak batteries spurred me to get an XP3. It's been under my seat with my tire patch kit for a couple of years. I haven't needed it for my Tenere, but I have used it to help others a half dozen times.
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
That shot looks like the AA battery display at Costco! With respect to the Li jump starter batteries, how good is their shelf life, in other words how long will it hold a full charge? My concern is buying one, tossing it into the trunk or pannier and forgetting about it only to find it too weak or dead when I need it. Can they be charged off of a 12V system to keep them ready?Checkswrecks said:It's a booster, not a replacement for a car battery! The idea is to give a bit of extra current when your primary battery doesn't have enough to turn the starter over.
And while lithium batteries have a lot better power density than almost anything available, bigger still is better. For example, a car with a single cell (called an 18650) about half again the size of a AA flashlight battery would just sit there. But Tesla car batteries have about 6,800 of them hooked together and kicks ass. Boosters generally also are just a number of smaller cells hooked together. Note the floor jack and legs for scale:
jmcgilroy
Member
I've had mine for over a year and charged it 3 times. Even then it was only down to about 75% power. So 4-5 months, maybe more of stand-by time. As for 12v charging, the Antigravity models come with a cigarette lighter charger as well as a 120v charger...don't know about other brands.
Jim
Jim
As jmcgilroy found, one of the strengths of lithium batteries is their incredibly long shelf life. Perfect for spacecraft, single-use emergency equipment, and . . .
oh yeah . . .
booster batteries.
::008::
oh yeah . . .
booster batteries.
::008::
itlives
New Member
I've had the smaller Anti-gravity battery for over a year now. The only vehicle I used it on was a 5.0 Mustang that her husbands Tacoma and jumper cables couldn't start. I use it mostly to charge my Nexus 7 and phone with when camping . Then, I charge the battery as I'm riding during the day.
It's a great tool! As good as 10mm wrench.
It's a great tool! As good as 10mm wrench.
I got a pm asking if it was OK to test these things to see if they will do a full start and felt there'd probably be a wider interest in the answer.
There's enough resistance across the starter motor that you could try a start with the battery pack IF you stay aware of two things to NOT do.
1. Don't do it repeatedly. As dense as batteries are, they store heat quite well and high discharges create heat from the core of each cell. So it takes a surprisingly long time for them to internally cool after a high rate of discharge. If that heat is compounded by more than one heavy draw before it cools completely the pores of the thin film of plastic separator between layers can close so you lose capacity, or the edges of the separator can shrink to expose the anode to cathode. That means a thermal run away can result.
2. Overly discharge the pack. When lithium cells discharge past a certain point the internal copper foil plates the surfaces of the active material and the cell isn't useful for more than a paperweight, or will have a very short life.
btw - These are a couple of reasons that I personally will not use a lithium main battery in one of these bikes. The stock AGM batteries are SO much better than the old days of lead-acid, and the few pounds saved in a 560 lb bike make no sense to me.
There's enough resistance across the starter motor that you could try a start with the battery pack IF you stay aware of two things to NOT do.
1. Don't do it repeatedly. As dense as batteries are, they store heat quite well and high discharges create heat from the core of each cell. So it takes a surprisingly long time for them to internally cool after a high rate of discharge. If that heat is compounded by more than one heavy draw before it cools completely the pores of the thin film of plastic separator between layers can close so you lose capacity, or the edges of the separator can shrink to expose the anode to cathode. That means a thermal run away can result.
2. Overly discharge the pack. When lithium cells discharge past a certain point the internal copper foil plates the surfaces of the active material and the cell isn't useful for more than a paperweight, or will have a very short life.
btw - These are a couple of reasons that I personally will not use a lithium main battery in one of these bikes. The stock AGM batteries are SO much better than the old days of lead-acid, and the few pounds saved in a 560 lb bike make no sense to me.