Battery issues - Ducati.ms

Bruce_Allison · Oct 18th, 2011, 12:42 pm

Hi All,

This is perhaps a more general question than Bimota specific, but since many Bimota owners have multiple bikes I thought I'd inquire here first>

Even with battery tenders attached, I've just experienced dead batteries after 4-6 months of bikes laying fallow.

Now, before I get jumped for not riding for such a long time, let me explain that this was due to a health issue, and is not my normal riding situation.

2 of my "fleet" had dead batteries after that length of time. One was a Yuasa, one was a new brand for me to try (a glass mat style) "BikeMaster TruGel". Both were 14L size.

I've got Odyssey batteries in a couple bikes, and they are fantastic. However Odyssey doesn't offer a battery that fits in these Bimotas, and they're too tightly packaged to modify for a larger battery.

Any suggestions appreciated,
Bruce

moto · Oct 18th, 2011, 5:21 pm

Are they all dying w/ Tenders attached?
The only time that has happened to me was when I had a faulty battery tender or the battery was very old.

If the battery is easy to get to, you might consider putting quick releases on a small Shorai battery and share the battery with other bikes. You can just remove it from the bike when not riding. I shared one battery with 6 bikes at one time because the batteries were easy to get to- and I could only ride one bike at at time anyway.

-M

Bruce_Allison · Oct 18th, 2011, 8:08 pm

Neither battery was old, both under 2 yrs.

As for the tenders themselves....the LEDs still work. I'll check 'em with a meter for sure.

Interesting idea about battery sharing....I'll strongly consider that.

Soooo....looks like I'm buying at least 1 battery. Anyone have any special suggestions?

EDIT> Moto...I just noticed that you're a Shorai dealer (duh!). Do they offer something to replace a YB14L-A2?

Bruce

moto · Oct 18th, 2011, 8:25 pm

Checkout the Shorai batteries.
Batteries and Chargers

They weigh about 2lbs and don't need to be kept on tenders as they lose less than 1% / month whereas a conventional battery loses over 10% per month. They are small and very easy to mount.

Contact Ed at wholesale@motowheels.com or give us a call at 916.369.2509. We should have a few quick release harnesses in stock.

-M

Bruce_Allison · Oct 20th, 2011, 1:56 pm

The Shorai battery that Moto recommended looks like it's EXACTLY what I was searching for!

Thank you very much for your time to answer me. My order's been placed, and I'm looking forward to saving about 8 lbs with hugely increased cranking power, along with long battery life.

A win/win/win situation....love it!

Sad Glad · Oct 21st, 2011, 11:27 am

I got a small Shorai battery on my DB2 and it's like night and day. It starts much easier now, even with the headlights on and even when it stood still in the repair shop for a month it started easy.

And it is several kg lighter than the original battery

moto · Oct 21st, 2011, 12:38 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce_Allison

The Shorai battery that Moto recommended looks like it's EXACTLY what I was searching for!

Thank you very much for your time to answer me. My order's been placed, and I'm looking forward to saving about 8 lbs with hugely increased cranking power, along with long battery life.

A win/win/win situation....love it!

Thanks for the BIZ. Let us know how it works out with some pictures.
-M

goodoldguy · Oct 21st, 2011, 7:22 pm

the company really got caught with their pants down for a long time with no batteries available to a hungry biker market. Then after many months without supplying us a battery they werent sure when they might see them. I heard because of what happened in Japan it slowed delivery time even more.

So imagine how many guys went elsewhere and like myself dont need that battery after using something else no matter how good they are. Actually if a guy were to trim a few belly pounds off himself you could lighten up the whole riding package. You dont see a bicycle rider with a huge gut do you ?

Was dissapointing such a hype for these batteries and the company wasnt ready for such demand
YES I KNOW THEIR IN STOCK NOW

moto · Oct 21st, 2011, 7:54 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by goodoldguy

YES I KNOW THEIR IN STOCK NOW

Yes they are:

and we have a few sets of OZ in stock too....

Bruce_Allison · Oct 31st, 2011, 1:36 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by moto

Thanks for the BIZ. Let us know how it works out with some pictures.
-M

Bottom line> I could not be MORE impressed with this battery!

For less than $150 delivered (free shipping from MotoWheels!...how's that for a plug?) I saved about 10 lbs off the bike (worth it right there!) and it spins over faster than I've ever heard it before.

Now, this is a Bimota remember, so nothing's really perfect. The Yuasa 14 series was very tightly fit into the Furano (YB8) chassis. The best Shorai size for this application needed to be set on it's side to fit, as it was about 3/8" too wide in the normal position.

Of course it's no problem for the battery to be oriented in this way, but I did have to get creative with a couple of cable routings. Not a big deal, plus the Shorai's come with plenty of handy foam inserts to shim battery boxes for their smaller and more powerful batteries.

I accomplished all this and reassembled the bike before I saw the request for photos, sorry.

I'll reiterate> This is a win/win/win deal. Mission accomplished on all fronts, + the amazing weight loss. I'll be buying one for my Tesi, and my racecar!...from MotoWheels.

BA