Batteries ..ugghh

the Ferret

the Ferret

Road warrior
Thread starter
Well, the $114 Firebrand battery that my local dealer sold me as a good replacement for my Yuasa lasted 19 months. Of course it has a 12-month replacement warranty.

Started right up at home off the battery tender jr. Rode about 40 miles and stopped to take a pic for the Photo Challenge and it wouldn't restart. Tried bump starting the bike myself but my 74-year old legs couldn't build up enough steam. After the 4th try 2 good Samaritans pulled over and asked if I could use some help. Godsend. With them pushing it started on the first bump and I thanked them a bunch, put my helmet jacket and gloves back on, and headed straight home. Made it without further issue.

Pulled the battery and now I need to replace it. Also been thinking about one of those battery jump starter things since our other 2 bikes are automatics and can't be bump started.

Another Yuasa? Batteries Plus? Walmart? Definitely not another Firebrand!

Any recommendations on a jump started pack?
 
Can't recommend a specific battery brand, but I highly recommend that whatever brand you purchase that you also purchase, and use, a battery tender. It will double the life of your battery.
 
I buy batteries at an average price of C$130 from a reputable motorcycle seller, however any battery can fail at any time and prematurely, i.e. dead cell can occur even with a new battery soon after installation, but this is very rare.
A rider who rides frequently, like Ferret, does not need to recharge the battery if his CB charging system is working properly.
My standard CB averages 15,000 miles a year, unlike my DLX only 1500, and there is no problem with either battery. The Dlx battery is charged a maximum of 2-3 times a year.
I can't remember the last time I charged the battery of my standard CB in the last few years.
The batteries in both bikes are 3-4 years old.
One is AGM, the other came dry with a container of acid to fill the battery.
The batteries in my cars last about 10 years and have never been charged after installation.
If my car battery becomes suspicious, I do the AVR test and make a decision.
In bikes, if the battery does not have a healthy third crank in the row = replacement.
This is how I deal with my batteries.
 
Thread starter
Dave_imp said:
Can't recommend a specific battery brand, but I highly recommend that whatever brand you purchase that you also purchase, and use, a battery tender. It will double the life of your battery.
Click to expand...
Yea my 3 bikes are on battery tender jr's whenever they are not being ridden, and have been for at least the last 10 years or so
 
I’m on my third battery. The current one (3 years old) is a Dynavolt as was its predecessor which lasted 4 years.
 
Thread starter
I normally get 4 years out of Yuasa's but they are pricey compared to this Firebrand. Should have known better. But I've had to bump my Yuasa equipped CBs also, but usually after 4 years (which would have been Jan 2027 normally) not 19 months. I'm getting too old to bump start. My plan was just to replace the batteries after 4 years thereby avoiding the bump start, but that didn't work out too well for me this time.
 
By the way, I can recommend the portable jump starters.
 
Thread starter
Cormanus have you used one to jump a bike? Which one?
 
The Yuasa gave up after 7 years. Half a year ago I unloaded the battery on an Irland trip by charging my smartphone for too long without a running motor. It recovered somehow for a while, but its life suddenly ended without a warning after a ride in my hometown.

I replaced the Yuasa with a fitting JMT for round about 70€ and the battery shows no sign of weakness after 3 years and works fine. Hopefully many more years to come. Since my expierence of unloading the battery I pay attention to not let it happen again. This will drastically shorten a battery's life as I more than one time found out. I do not charge batteries extern. While riding my bikes or car regulary, they will do the work in the year. In warmer periods more often than in colder ones, but they get a change to charge the battery every now and than on longer rides more than 30km.

As a start back up I bought a power booster/jump starter. Didn't have the chance to use it til now. But who knows, maybe someday its time will come.
 
This is a very popular jump starter for bikes in these parts. The Noco Gb20 (Genius Boost Sport - 500a Ultrasafe Jump Starter)

Not sure how widely available it is but they have a lot of models.
 
Noco Boost Jump packs are really nice. I haven't had to use one to jump my CB but I always carried a smaller one in my old Magna along with my toolbag. I have a large one that I have been able to start old trucks that have sat for years without use, but the smaller one is plenty for a motorcycle!
 
Look into the optimate 4 charger they test the battery each cycle and have a desufating feature , a little more expensive than a battery tender jr brand imho worth the extra cost .
 
Bike and original Yuasa are from 2017, I wouldn't be surprised if my battery was manufactured in 2015 or 2016. And the bike is starting in winter as well as in the beginning. This can hardly be explained by luck or brand. Used no tender, or other charging in winter. A battery meter does always show "full", and it is. All I do is take the bike out of the garage (w/ a const. temp of about 50F) every 4-5 weeks, when wx is benign, and ride for 15 minutes - for the engine, not for the battery.

One newspaper article claimed this is all about the true date of manufacturing. Since there is no obligation to print that date on the casing (exception are batteries for surgery equipment etc.) you may buy a battery in 2024 which's been manufactured in 2018, and you just don't know. Honda on the other hand will require Yuasa to give them "new" batteries, and I can't imagine Yuasa to say "no" - the deal is toooooo good. Who wants to argue with such a big customer ;)
Anyway, when my Yuasa is gone one day, I'd like to put my hands on a Li... battery, with built-in battery-management-system (BMS). They are just about to hit the market, and prices are about 100-150$ ...
 
Others have installed Li batteries and been happy. Flynrider was among the first, as I recall.
 
I know from other reading that lithium batteries are not the answer to every question, and I know from my last battery purchase that I couldn't quite see the cost-benefit, bu why aren't you a fan m in sc?
 
m in sc_imp said:
i have a li-on battery in mine out of desperation as being the only one available that day locally,, but im not a fan of it and it will be replaced soon enough.

If a battery hasn't been filled at the factory, and is stored correctly, age wont have an effect on it for the most part, at least not for a VERY LONG time. (on a lead acid type)
Click to expand...
About li-on: could you share why ?
Cormanus_imp said:
I know from other reading that lithium batteries are not the answer to every question, and I know from my last battery purchase that I couldn't quite see the cost-benefit, bu why aren't you a fan m in sc?
Click to expand...
I thought the cost- benefit lies in longer lifetime ... IF it has BMS built-in. Bd experiences mostly come from cheaper Li-on batteries without BMS.
On the technical side less weight (always nice), and higher Amps seems worth it, no ?
 
Thread starter
I haven't ordered a battery for the CB yet. Seeing as we are headed into winter and the bike is not my primary winter bike, and it would only get ridden a few times between now and March, I wonder if it would be wiser to wait until spring to install a new battery and not lose 4-5 months of battery warranty
 
Your winter bike?? In Ohio??? What am I missing here...

My winter bike in Wisconsin is a snowmobile lol
 
Thread starter
LOL we don't get enough snow for snowmobiles
 
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