cbennett5199
Member
My battery is getting tired. Was looking at some online and am surprised by how much some cost. I'm pretty new to my 2016 SE so haven't bought one for this bike before. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Best battery?
- Thread starter cbennett5199
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WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Surprised you needed a new battery this soon. I just replaced my 2015's ES battery with this one:
https://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/lithium-iron-batteries/sstz14s-fp.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgYOA0oq34QIVyLXACh2rvwFXEAQYAyABEgKlPvD_BwE
Admittedly an experiment in progress, but so far I've been really impressed with its vigorous cranking ability. I've had previously good luck with conventional AGM batteries for other bikes that Batterystuff sells.
https://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/lithium-iron-batteries/sstz14s-fp.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgYOA0oq34QIVyLXACh2rvwFXEAQYAyABEgKlPvD_BwE
Admittedly an experiment in progress, but so far I've been really impressed with its vigorous cranking ability. I've had previously good luck with conventional AGM batteries for other bikes that Batterystuff sells.
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cbennett5199
Member
Phew! $165. Seems pretty pricey, but like I said, I haven't had this bike for only about a year. I think battery got drained one too many times, which has degraded it. Jump starting the bike is a bear unless I'm luck enough to be on a hill.
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Yeah, I know but I was trying to improve the chronically slow cranking of the OEM battery. Upgrading to the YTZ14S adds 20 CCA but this one puts out 387 CCA!
oldguy
Member
I went with the Batteries Plus Z14S on my new '18 and very disappointed. No noticeable difference in cranking the bike over, still wimpy.
Much as I hate to replace a new battery, I'm probably gonna go with this Scorpion Stinger. Guess I should have done more homework before getting the 14S.
Be careful with this site. My Norton blocked it. These formjacking are used to steal credit card details.
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I've thought about switching, but, being a cheap skate, I'm likely to stay with what I know, and is cheaper. Because if you go to a lithium battery, you may have to change your charger; depending on what you already have. The standard "Battery Tender" will not correctly charge the lithium battery. I've killed my OE battery twice; put it on the "Tender", and brought it back. It doesn't sound any weaker than it did new. That being said, I agree, it does not crank with authority; it never has. But, it still starts.
EricV
Riding, farkling, riding...
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Not all batteries are the same, regardless of having the same designation and ratings. I've been sticking with Yuasa YZ14S for the S10. I actually moved the battery from my '12 over to the '15 and gave the '12 buyer my 3k miles YZ12S battery. I do notice the difference going from a Yuasa 12s to the Yuasa 14S.
Because I routinely use a maintenance charger when ever I'm not riding the bike, I am not excited about moving to a LiFE battery. As I understand you need a specific charging algorithm for LiFE compared to an AGM.
oldguy
Member
Anyone know one above 387 cca's? I'm likely to go with the Scorpion otherwise.
I had this same issue with an '04 Vmax and went with an Odyssey that had over 400 cca. It's nice when you hit the button and that thing spins over quickly and starts right now.
B
ballisticexchris
Guest
Might want to also look at the Earth-X batteries as well. The price is not all that bad considering how long they last. And you can use a regular maintenance charger on all the Earth-X batteries.
They just came out with the new ETZ series that will work well in cold weather:
https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etz14c
This is the standard ETX model that fits our bikes:
https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etx36c
They just came out with the new ETZ series that will work well in cold weather:
https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etz14c
This is the standard ETX model that fits our bikes:
https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etx36c
EricV
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A couple of things to keep in mind with Batteries. The standard AGMs are rated 210 to 230 CCAs for the YTZ14S battery. A lot of 'dry cell' advertised batteries are still just an AGM, it's about the marketing, (and shipping requirements).
Lithium Ion is not the same as Lithium Fe (Iron). Li ion batteries will not have as high a CCA rating as LiFe batteries. I don't know if they have different charging requirements. And again, not all batteries are the same. You get what you pay for in most cases. The genuine Yuasa YTZ14S is about $127-$154 depending on seller. The same size batteries costing $36 is not going to have as much lead, as good a quality of manufacture and won't last as long or likely have the cranking power of the heavier Yuasa battery.
LiFe batteries typically don't like cold. That doesn't mean it won't start the bike, but you need to understand the tricks involved. To heat the battery a bit so it will crank better, it needs some discharge. Hit the start button and it doesn't crank well due to cold, leave it sitting there for 60 second with the headlights on, (they are off initially, but will come on when you get an unsuccessful start attempt unless you turn the key off). the draw from the headlights will help warm the battery. Now, key off, key back on, start again and it normally will crank a lot faster.
The link Chris posted to EarthX has a proprietary battery design intended for cold weather for snowmobiles. I don't know what they did, but it's interesting and likely a better choice for people with cold temps during their riding. The CCAs are 330, a bit less than the 387 CCAs of the Scorpion LiFe battery WJBertrand linked to, but considering the 190 CCAs the stock battery has, either will be a huge improvement.
Lithium Ion is not the same as Lithium Fe (Iron). Li ion batteries will not have as high a CCA rating as LiFe batteries. I don't know if they have different charging requirements. And again, not all batteries are the same. You get what you pay for in most cases. The genuine Yuasa YTZ14S is about $127-$154 depending on seller. The same size batteries costing $36 is not going to have as much lead, as good a quality of manufacture and won't last as long or likely have the cranking power of the heavier Yuasa battery.
LiFe batteries typically don't like cold. That doesn't mean it won't start the bike, but you need to understand the tricks involved. To heat the battery a bit so it will crank better, it needs some discharge. Hit the start button and it doesn't crank well due to cold, leave it sitting there for 60 second with the headlights on, (they are off initially, but will come on when you get an unsuccessful start attempt unless you turn the key off). the draw from the headlights will help warm the battery. Now, key off, key back on, start again and it normally will crank a lot faster.
The link Chris posted to EarthX has a proprietary battery design intended for cold weather for snowmobiles. I don't know what they did, but it's interesting and likely a better choice for people with cold temps during their riding. The CCAs are 330, a bit less than the 387 CCAs of the Scorpion LiFe battery WJBertrand linked to, but considering the 190 CCAs the stock battery has, either will be a huge improvement.
~TABASCO~
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Ive been running the Shorai for years. I really like it and recommend it to others.
https://shoraipower.com/en/
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WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
I have a Battery Tender Jr. that has both a Lithium and Lead Acid setting, these can be had for less than $40 on Amazon. You will need some kind of Li charger initially since by law (IATA regulations) Li batteries can only be shipped partially (~30%) charged.
I'm aware of the aversion of Li based batteries to the cold, but where I live it rarely gets below 40F and if I travel away from here it's only during summer. For me the ability to start at really cold temps is not a major concern. The coldest start so far was at about 46F and I didn't notice any reduced cranking at that temperature. Unless they can somehow address the really cold starting issues with Li batteries they are not going to be a good choice for cars, which are used year 'round in places with cold winters.
I'm not yet ready to make a wholehearted recommendation on this battery as my experience so far is limited to a few months. I will say that the cranking performance and quick starting is significantly better than the OEM battery. One trick to watch out for, and this goes to the comment in post #13 above, is that many Li batteries are only rated for CA not CCA. CA is measured at freezing (32F) whereas CCA is measured at -18F. If you see a Li battery rated by CA, divide by 1.25 to get CCA. Don't confuse the two. A Li battery rated at 200 CA will only provide ~160 CCA for example.
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Been using this vendor for years, they are reputable. Sounds like someone is hacking them?
Right, there's a problem somewhere in their system.
Edit: They may have caught it. I just clicked on the link again and Norton didn't post any warning.
Edit: They may have caught it. I just clicked on the link again and Norton didn't post any warning.
jjc1957
Member
I went the Lithium way and have had no start problems in the cold. Left for work and it was 24 degrees out and the bike started right up. I do keep my bike in the garage which was in the 40s. I purchased it on Amazon for $99 MMg the red one 320 cca and did purchase the correct charger which I haven't taken out of the package yet. Time will tell
shredmeister
Active Member
In case anyone else comes across this thread later, here's what I went with after some research. I would normally just get an OEM Yuasa(?) but, did some searching.
Went with a Moto Classic from Impact Battery.com for $88.95. It's the higher CCA at 260 AND has a 2.5 year warranty. Many batteries are made in China these days, this one is made in Vietnam. From a FAQ on their website:
country of origin for battery ? What is failure rate? Availability?
These are made in Vietnam. The failure rate is one of the lowest in the industry despite having one of the longest if not the longest warranty in the power sport world. Current failure rates are less than 1% while the industry average is somewhere between 3-5% depending on when the numbers are compiled.
Went with a Moto Classic from Impact Battery.com for $88.95. It's the higher CCA at 260 AND has a 2.5 year warranty. Many batteries are made in China these days, this one is made in Vietnam. From a FAQ on their website:
country of origin for battery ? What is failure rate? Availability?
These are made in Vietnam. The failure rate is one of the lowest in the industry despite having one of the longest if not the longest warranty in the power sport world. Current failure rates are less than 1% while the industry average is somewhere between 3-5% depending on when the numbers are compiled.
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
That looks like a hell of a good deal. I think that's the highest CCA rating I've seen for an AGM battery that fits our bikes.
SilverBullet
Well-Known Member
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/323332201081
I planned to buy one of these.
eemsreno has been running one in his 2012 for 3-4 years now.
But a local guy replaced his stock Yuasa as PM prior to an AK trip. I load tested it and was still fine so swapped out my 6 year old OEM Yuasa battery that was ready to crap out. Free is even better than $35.
Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk
I planned to buy one of these.
eemsreno has been running one in his 2012 for 3-4 years now.
But a local guy replaced his stock Yuasa as PM prior to an AK trip. I load tested it and was still fine so swapped out my 6 year old OEM Yuasa battery that was ready to crap out. Free is even better than $35.
Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk