Is there a noticable difference in Battery Types?

[Tomcat0403]

As anyone knows who was at bike night last night, my battery is completely dead (thanks for the bump start gents and my second solo bump start thanks to Carie;)) and does anyone think there is a great difference between a Yuasa and a bikemaster battery. Honestly in our bikes at the shop I have found that the Yuasas have a longer life without being charged (as we ride the bikes from the back of the shop to the front and vice versa everyday), but can i justify the price difference?

Yuasa ytz10s vs. Bikemaster btz10s = difference of around 80 dollars

ready...go!

[magley64]

I get my batteries from walmart...for the price difference and hassle...i can replace my battery 3 times compared to yuasa, and I've not had any trouble starting by bike.

[Tomcat0403]

Also, how is the life on them? My battery i believe is the original, so 4-5 years and over 20,000 miles later it dies, anyone had one long enough?

[Likwid]

Honestly, I've never replaced a battery in my life (car or motorcycle).

If I had to get a new battery tomorrow, I'd go to Wal-Mart and get the cheapest available.

[Zach]

There's something to be said about the peace of mind a good battery gives you.

I sold my '03 SV with the stock yuasa battery in it a month ago.

Never charged, never on a tender, never needed a bump.

[rick37]

I got a battery from advance auto and 3 months later I had to buy another. At first I thought I had a problem with the bike so I had it looked at and they tested the battery and said one of the side was holding. So I did buy another battery and have been problem free ever since. So I would there is difference..............

[Tomcat0403]

[magley64]

Also, how is the life on them? My battery i believe is the original, so 4-5 years and over 20,000 miles later it dies, anyone had one long enough?

the batteries i've had over the years would last a good 4 seasons if i didn't let them freeze.

but therein lies the convenience...if you forget to take it out in winter, or accidentally leave something on, or over-charge it for whatever reason, you're out $30-$40, and it takes a quick trip to walmart to solve...

as opposed to a yuasa, you're out $150...not worth the assumed minimal "quality" difference IMO

[Tomcat0403]

good point...i think i'll give the bikemaster a try

[ReconRat]

The two major differences in batteries is the CCA - cold cranking amps rating and whether it's a gel cell type.

Cheap batteries mostly don't last as long as expensive batteries, but it's not always true.

Your motorcycle will want and need a minimum CCA rated battery.

It's ok to get more, it will last longer before recharging, etc.

Yuasa has become the defacto standard, and IMHO one of the best around.

A gell cell battery like a Diehard is a decent option. People who buy them, like them.

I have nothing against buying a low cost battery, if it's got the needed CCA rating or better.

I tend to go up a bit over the minimum rating required.

The question is will a low cost battery hold up long enough to make it price effective.

And long enough means how long will you keep the bike.

I'll try a gell cell for my next battery, I've never tried one before.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-battery/

edit: let's change amp hour to CCA (cold cranking amps)

Edited August 21, 2009 by ReconRat
change amp hour to CCA

[magley64]

My only experience is Yuasa.. and it's been a good experience so far. I've actually never bought a battery for any of my bikes. They all came with Yuasas.

The only experience I have with Wal-Mart batteries is their "nEverStart" brand for automobiles. I hate those batteries.

Everstart has always worked fine for me. the only time they failed was if i over-charged, drained or froze them.. other than that, they work fine.

[ReconRat]

A quick look shows that the choices are:

1. gel cell like the DieHard

2. Japanese battery like the Yuasa

3. Chinese battery with many names but a copy of the Yuasa

It looks like the CCA rating for all is the same.

edit: I looked, and I think gel cell batteries are a bum deal. The Diehard in particular is generic sized, and would probably fit poorly in a motorcycle.

All the others,are AGM-SLA:An Absorbent Glass Mat - sealed maintenance free battery that is "non-spillable" and shipped fully charged, ready to install & ride.

Anything less, like an ordinary lead acid liquid battery, sealed or not, is not what you want. Old technology

AGM batteries are close to equivalent to the gel cell batteries. Yuasa, Motocross, Westco, and Power-Sonic are all AGM-SLA. And others, dunno which ones.

Edited August 21, 2009 by ReconRat
moar

[blake1221]

Get the Gell cell from wal-mart, prolly about 60 bucks for your bike and will last 2-3 years

[magley64]

Anything less, like an ordinary lead acid liquid battery, sealed or not, is not what you want. Old technology

old technology still holds a charge, and has enough cranking amps to start your motorcycle effectively...it does the job, and it's worlds less expensive.

[jporter12]

Get the Gell cell from wal-mart, prolly about 60 bucks for your bike and will last 2-3 years

Sorry, but for 60 bux it had better last more than 2-3 years!

The Ninja has the original (as far as I can tell) sealed (guess AGM) battery in it. That makes it around 5 or 6 years old. I can't verify that, as I've only have the bike since April.

When I got the Interceptor, the battery was trashed, I bought a regular lead acid for it, $45 through Carquest (that's who we get most of the car parts through for work, convenience for the bike battery.) I'm thinking that next time I will be getting an AGM battery, as they do seem to be better.

For the cars, I will get nothing other than Interstate. We HAVE had a (very) few fail, but they stand behind them. I think they're worth the price premium. Actually, I'll probably check with them for AGM batteries when I need another bike battery.