| Author | Message | ||
     Johnshore |
My bike didn't start last evening, the battery was dead. I called Advance Auto because they were still open and I bought a Lithium battery for $52. Interested to see how long it lasts and if it will start the bike when its 20 degrees F. Rated at 260 CCA it fired the bike nice today.   | ||
| Ourdee |
I think you are going to be disappointed at 20 degrees. | ||
| Portero72 |
Not to hijack, but what are the pitfalls for these batteries in cold weather, and what are the thresholds (we rarely see 20 degrees in my corner of the world)? Inquiring minds in hot-ass TX wanna know. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I read that they have a weird counter-intuitive cold start ritual: You have to turn on the lights for an amount of time to warm the battery before a cold start. I guess if you just turn it on and crank it, it just doesn't put out enough current. | ||
| Arry |
Nice price, for a lithium. I'm sure it's a lot lighter, and that is a big plus. | ||
| Johnshore |
Its tiny. In the picture you can see the little plastic legs you snap on so it fills out the space and the strap works. I'm amazed it cranks the bike in this warm weather. And it turns it over fast right now. | ||
| Giarcg |
For what it's worth: https://youtu.be/3ywopGAXP-I | ||
| Teeps |
Thanks for posting that video Giarcg, for as you say: "what it's worth." Guess I'll be sticking with an AGM when it's battery time. | ||
| Ourdee |
Unless you have room for three Lipos. Due to the size of them, you can usually put in a higher rated one. The use I found for them that works well is in a standby bike that has a kick starter, carb., and no computer that drains the battery over time. I had an over-sized one in my TW200. It would start first kick in -20F on the first kick after sitting for months. I wouldn't use one for daily winter riding without a kick starter unless I carried a Genius jump box. My GB-40 would work. Hard wiring one in with the proper disconnects and USB charging for it could be an option. I would just carry it inside my jacket. I spent a lot of time trying to find enough room for a larger AGM in my Lightning. That is what I would still like to do. | ||
| Ourdee |
The spacer used with the Lipo takes up near enough room for a jump box. | ||
| Shoggin |
I like the Li-PO batteries I have, But seeing them blow up on YouTube makes me not want to put my taint on top of a 'cheap one'.  | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Ever see the aftermath of a lead/acid battery explosion? | ||
| Ourdee |
They do nasty things to humans. | ||
| Shoggin |
Had a friend riding his YZF450 Quad stop and get off in a hurry. His tool kit had come loose and the little wrench was sitting on the gel battery (that you sit on) and crossing the terminals!  Smoke and heat but no explosion because... To explode a Lead/acid battery, you need to first overcharge it in a closed area (Only OVER charging will produce Hydrogen (H) gas). Then you need to create a spark to ignite that /{gas} and it gets spectacular pretty quickly.  Needing that combination of events is why it's so rare for a Lead/acid battery to go all boom-boom. Lithium batteries explode because they are capable of massive discharge rates far surpassing Lead/acid. A big short (internal or external) will overheat it and domino/Chernobyl the whole unit faster than you can say "OH!..." I like all the new electrical storage tech, and how fast it is progressing, but us consumers need to be aware AND ready for the different safety hazards they each have. Hence my warning of buying brand new tech that is "cheap"  LOL (Message edited by shoggin on July 25, 2019) | ||
| Mark_weiss |
"They do nasty things to humans." And to motorcycle frames (& engines). A friend had an FZR1000 that kept popping headlights. It finally popped it's battery when he restarted at a gas station. He was mostly frightened. The bike did not fare well. | ||
| Shoggin |
Popping headlights is a classic sign of chronic over-charging. Glad he's ok! | ||
| Tootal |
My friend the engine builder rode his 120" Harley down to Bikes and Blues in Arkansas. One morning he was firing up his beast and his new Lithium battery exploded right under the seat! He was not impressed! He replaced it with an AGM. Before he left on the trip he was showing me how light it was and how much power it had. Too bad it didn't work our for him, great idea but I think he's a bit gun shy now! | ||
| Johnshore |
December was cold early this year so I winterized my bike like I usually do. Push it further into the shed so I can get to the tools easier. I always get the itch during the winter and there is always something near decent riding weather. After a good month and a half we had some warm weather. Not a real tough battery test at 50 plus degrees. I tried to start the bike and it didn't want to go. People here have said not to keep pushing the starter button like I would with a regular battery so when it barely cranked I stopped, waited 10 seconds and nothing but a slow turn. I was convinced the battery would need charging and I took off the seat. Just for the heck of it I tried it again and it turned over fast and started and worked great for a nice ride with a few pit stops. So it looks like I may have to just get used to how these batteries work. | ||
| Ourdee |
Turning the headlight on for 5 or 10 minutes just feels so wrong. As I understand it, they need to be warm to charge too. Thanks for reporting back. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Mid 30s in the morning now. After the CEL is off I press the starter button and the bike cranks slowly. Let up on the button for a couple of seconds and the second effort yeilds a quick start. I think that this was year three with the Shorai. | ||
| Ourdee |
Has anyone here tried turning the headlight on for over 5 minutes to bring battery temperature up before cranking? | ||
| Mark_weiss |
I'll try to remember to give it a shot tomorrow. | ||
| Shoggin |
It never gets that cold here. Neener, Neener  | ||
| Shoggin |
But it's VERY important to note that Lithium batteries will work when cold with that trick. But they will NOT take a charge when frozen, and can explode if you try.  | ||
| Tpehak |
I use Antigravity lithium battery, it has no battery management board, it is also can be up to 0 degree Celsius cold here. Will it explode if I try to charge it at such temperature? Will it explode if ride my motorcycle at such temperature? | ||
| Griffmeister |
One way to find out. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Lead-acid batteries can freeze and explode too. While a well charged battery would need to chill to below -60F, a weak-but-working battery could freeze as warm as about -10F. Anything with electrolyte is subject to the same rules. I popped a car battery once. I was in high-school and every morning would run an extension cord out to the car and charge the battery for an hour or so before I had to leave for school. One day my sister told me that something had made a loud 'pop' outside... It probably wasn't much of an actual explosion, but it did remove the top of the battery and split the case. Smelled really bad too. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
It was a bit warmer this morning than during the past week, 37F. I turned the ignition on and let the lights run for about five minutes, grips were on too. I did not notice a significant difference from usual when I started the engine. Maybe it would make a difference if it were extremely cold and the engine would have barely cranked on a cold attempt? | ||
| Ourdee |
 | ||
| Mark_weiss |
I don't think that it is going to get extremely cold here and no, I'm not going to ride to Flagstaff. If the temperature is in the 30s or better, Shorai lithium batteries seem to work fine. |
