MMG Lithium Ion Battery

[flynrider]

Well, the FEDEX man dropped by with a package this afternoon. When someone hands you a package with a motorcycle battery, you expect it to be heavy. Not so! This thing is light as a (really big) feather. Just over 2 lbs.

Out of the box I compared it with the YTZ14S AGM battery that came stock on the CB11. It's about 1/2" shorter, but the rest of the dimensions are the same. The battery comes with a couple of spacers that attach to the bottom that make it match the original size exactly.

It appears to be fully charged according to the capacity meter built into the top of the battery. Push the button and you get 3 lights for a full charge, 2 lights for medum charge and a single light for low (below 40%) charge. A voltage check with the meter showed 13.25V. Mfg. recommends charging the battery if the voltage falls below 12.8V

Instructions say the charging system (or battery charger) must supply at least 14V, but no more than 15V for the battery to charge. A check of the bikes electrical system last week showed a steady 14.0V to 14.1V above 2K rpm, so I should be OK in that respect. According to the label, the battery can accept a max 20 amp charge and lists a typical charge rate of 2.5 amps. The U.S. distributor has a video on YouTube showing the battery going from discharged to full charge in 6 min. Not sure I'd want to cram that many electrons in at once. I'll likely stick with my slow 2 amp charger if I have to charge it up.

I'm planning on installing it tonight and I'll update this thread with the results and some pics.

[the Ferret]

wow pretty amazing stuff really, and space age for a guy like me. Looking forward to pics and updates.

[flynrider]

You're not kidding! I've always been a lead/acid guy when it comes to batteries. The AGM sealed battery in the CB11 was the first I'd had and it didn't impress. I'm in totally uncharted territory with this new lithium battery tech. We'll see what happens *fingers crossed*.

[flynrider]

Install complete. It took about 15 min. Since the lithium with the spacers is the identical size, the fit was perfect. The battery compartment is a bit of a tight squeeze. The main issue was getting the cables out of the way to get the battery all the way to the bottom of the compartment.

Lithium battery without spacers


Lithium battery with spacers installed


Built in test lights (3 lights=full charge)


Installed and ready to go (don't forget the strap!)


The bike started up strong. I took it out for about a 10 mile test ride and gas stop. When I got back I checked the charging system voltage it was a steady 14.1V at idle speed and pretty much stayed there regardless of rpm. That's a very stable system. That should do fine to keep the battery charged even at idle speeds. After shutting down it showed a healthy 13.7V.

Well, that's about all for now. I'll let you all know how it works out.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Flyn, that is a very interesting bit of kit. Let us know how it goes. Thanks for the technical details re charge rate etc.

Cheers

[rboe]

The only issues I've heard about them, they have a problem with current draw in cold temps. Cold temps for AZ, not Minnesota. So come this winter I think the real test will happen.

So why did you pick MMG over the other offerings?

[7thGearDesigns_imp]

In addition to sprockets, I'm also a Shorai battery dealer, the cold temp thing is really not an issue like some would make it out to be, most lithium battery manufactures recommend you simply turn the ignition on to bring on the lights for 30 seconds or so.
This simple action warms the battery up to increase performance.

Lithium units function the opposite of lead acid, when the lithium units heat up, the resistance across the cells in the battery drops, which increases performance, in the lead-acid units, as they heat up the resistance goes up causing the battery performance to drop.

I sold a Shorai to a guy in PA, he had no trouble starting his Triumph Daytona on a 20 deg. day.

jim

[rboe]

My one and only Lithium Ion battery is a Shorai unit that toasted on a cold day in Phoenix. This was about three years ago so my memory is fuzzy. I want to say it was only 27 degrees. It was replaced under warranty (some forum chatter seemed to indicate some starting problems for Lithium Ions when it got cooler) but that battery has not seen a bike since. I'm just a wee bit leary.

I'd probably go with a Lithium next time, but now that I'm retired, the price point is the major hurdle.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

The only issues I've heard about them, they have a problem with current draw in cold temps. Cold temps for AZ, not Minnesota. So come this winter I think the real test will happen.

So why did you pick MMG over the other offerings?

That is a issue that has been discussed on other forums. One solution offered was to turn the ignition on for a minute or so and let the current drain of the fuel pump, lights, ECM etc warm the battery up prior to putting the high start load on it.

Cheers

[flynrider]

The only issues I've heard about them, they have a problem with current draw in cold temps. Cold temps for AZ, not Minnesota. So come this winter I think the real test will happen.

So why did you pick MMG over the other offerings?

As the others pointed out, they do have a cold start quirk. Doing research around the 'net I saw recommendations of leaving the bike/headlight on for up to 10 min. prior to starting if the temps are in the 20s. My typical coldest winter starts are in the 30s, so we'll see.

I was shopping on Amazon and the MMG had generally good reviews, came in the exact replacement size I needed and at $99 it seemed like a reasonable price.