MMG Lithium Ion Battery

[rbike_imp]

The battery in a laptop and smartphone is an entirely different chemistry from these motorsports batteries.

I agree that if we were talking about much higher amperages it might be a different calculation on risk.

Everyone should do whatever makes them comfortable. :-)

It was "only" a start battery (apx 50 Ah) that brought down a Cessna jet years ago. It doesn't take much once a runaway gets going and starts a fire. As you & I have said, each user has to make the decision. I am just trying to provide additional information for that decision process.

[the Ferret]

I have tried toget some clear understanding of this. Googling " Are Lithium motorcycle batteries safe? is like asking which oil should I choose? Guys argue about how many amps you actually need, how are you really supposed to charge them, are they worth the money, is the weight savings worth it..holy cow. And everyone has an anecdotal " buddy" that this happened to or this never happened to etc

Im 30 pounds over weight, and my bike weighs nearly 600 and has less than 90 horsepower. For me the weight savings is moot or I would have eaten a salad for lunch instead of a hot dog and chips..and I would be munching on carrots now instead of fiddle faddle lol

Im glad someone on the board is getting some actual experience with one in this bike. Will see how it goes for. My agm batt is only 1 1/2 and I usually get 4-5 years out of them, so that allows some time to see how they work out in the CB 1100.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Page 60 of Cycle World (Jan-Feb 2016) has a piece, "Lithium or Lead-Acid", written by Ray Nierlich, in response to a readers question regarding motorcycle batteries, particularly for older bikes. It is however informative in the general sense. Rather than throw accelerant on the battery war bonfire I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Cheers
As an after thought, my OEM battery is now five years old. Through carelessness I have managed to flatten it twice ("Tony, don't use the kill switch"). It is still in great shape but it doesn't face extreme wether conditions on a regular basis. When I overnight in sub-zero, or even very cold weather, I try to ensure I leave the bike in the optimum position for a bump start.

Cheers again
And in the world of strange coincidence this article just popped up on the early morning news:

[url=http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/manufacturing/new-ford-everest-suv-catches-fire-during-a-test-drive-destroyed-by-the-blaze/news-story/86b4c77b9a90026c85be3b7b875a04cd]Ford Everest bursts into flames during test drive.

Motoring gurus are speculating that a fault, probably minor in isolation, in the electrical system is overheating the solid state battery.

Ferret, you're right. Battery battles may be just as good a spectator sport as the *** wars.

Cheers

[flynrider]

I'm usually not one to embrace new technology. The mainframe computers that I work on for a living use the same basic architecture that they did in the 1960s

Vehicle batteries have notoriously short lives here in the desert. Three years is about the average for my car, motorcycle and airplane flooded cell batteries. When the CB11's OEM Yuasa AGM battery died after only 2 years (and stranded me at the post office), I initially looked for a flooded cell replacement. At the time I couldn't find one in the right size. I took a chance on the lithium battery primarily because they're not as sensitive to operation in hot weather as lead/acid batteries.

I realize that I'm something of a guinea pig when it comes to running a Lithium battery in the CB11. As such, I check resting and charging voltages on a fairly regular basis to make sure everything is working normally. Time will tell the tale.

[rjk555_imp]

I have a lithium battery similar to the OP's. The main benefit, for me, is that it only takes 10 minutes to charge the battery after it dies. I know this from personal experience.

Since I don't have an electric plug nearby for a battery tender, having this quick charge ability is a real treat if the battery dies. Hope this proves useful.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

I have a lithium battery similar to the OP's. The main benefit, for me, is that it only takes 10 minutes to charge the battery after it dies. I know this from personal experience.

Since I don't have an electric plug nearby for a battery tender, having this quick charge ability is a real treat if the battery dies. Hope this proves useful.

The charging characteristics are detailed in the Cycle World article I referred to in a previous post. Interesting.

Cheers

[noroomtomove]

No ion battery, High Voltage feed from Latrobe Valley required!

Just wondering if High Voltage will be on the play list ? On the highway to he** after lunch on Sunday will require ear plugs in the evening, if you have picked up on the clues it's time for Aacca Dacca. Leaving the CB in the shed as Minister of Finance and IT consultant are on the journey also.

Regards and I know I'm living in the 70's

[MrTim_imp]

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.

I have a question:
Having read through this thread I've noticed that lithium batteries warm up during operation, does anyone here know how warm they actually get?
The reason I ask is that the free area underneath the spacers would be perfect for storing small purchases I occasionally make which I prefer to keep safe from prying eyes. I'm sure you'll understand that I wouldn't want any of those purchases to cook underneath a hot battery.

[the Ferret]

you're kidding right? ..you're asking that on the world wide web?

[kennyw]

you're kidding right? ..you're asking that on the world wide web?

A few states made it so you don't need to hide any longer.