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The Downside to Odyssey Batteries

The 6A charger output for a 680 can be required if deeply discharged. Low output chargers will usually do nothing. I used to use an old 10A meant for maintenance free batteries made in the 70s on the 680 that cranked my track car.

Beware cheap Chinese AGMs. I've had nothing but short life/bad experiences with this stuff. They're not pure lead and often have crappy catalysts so go dry.

Still running one wet battery- in my 89 Transalp. Rather primitive electrics compared to BMW stuff- nothing but a VOM needed to troubleshoot.
 
My new CTEK charger "might have" reconditioned my PC680, but there's a new 680 sitting on the bench waiting. Sure be glad when all my landscaping work will be finished...lol. Test ride tomorrow.

One disadvantage of the S, is the obstructed battery location. Very hard to jump start...to understate. :)
 
rockyhayes said:
Has anyone tried the Battery Tender battery: http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende...=1994:bmw:r1100rs&keywords=motorcycle+battery
Click to expand...

Never tried one and likely never will. I prefer to stay close to what the bike was designed to use. For an oilhead a good sealed AGM is the way to go. Your charging system will keep it happy at the right voltage when riding and a standard battery tender to top it off if it sits for more than a few weeks. I can see lithium batteries on race bikes where weight is important but that's about it.

Many use the Odyssey PC680 but you need a compatible charger. Ten years service is not unusual for the Odyssey if it is maintained properly. You oilhead charging voltage is not optimum for the Odyssey but the proper maintenance charger will take care of that issue nicely.
 
happy wanderer said:
Never tried one and likely never will. I prefer to stay close to what the bike was designed to use. For an oilhead a good sealed AGM is the way to go. Your charging system will keep it happy at the right voltage when riding and a standard battery tender to top it off if it sits for more than a few weeks. I can see lithium batteries on race bikes where weight is important but that's about it.

Many use the Odyssey PC680 but you need a compatible charger. Ten years service is not unusual for the Odyssey if it is maintained properly. You oilhead charging voltage is not optimum for the Odyssey but the proper maintenance charger will take care of that issue nicely.
Click to expand...

Fwiw - never a problem
Charging/maintaining my pc680's with a standard battery tender brand charger - same as I use with my AGM's
 
dmftoy1 said:
Fwiw - never a problem
Charging/maintaining my pc680's with a standard battery tender brand charger - same as I use with my AGM's
Click to expand...

Depends on your definition of "problem".
The issue lies in the voltage output of "standard" chargers like the Batter Tender which is dialed in for lead acid and normal AGM batteries. Most of them put out around 14.2 Volts. Your alternator puts out 13.9 to 14.0 Volts so does not fully charge the Odyssey battery.

Odyssey requires somewhere around 14.7 charging voltage to get up to full capacity and minimize sulfation. Decreased battery capacity and less longevity are the result of not fully charging consistently. There has been tons of information posted on this before here in this forum and on ADVRider. If you read the Odyssey technical literature it's all there too.

I decided to use Odyssey batteries in all 3 bikes and invested in a Odyssey approved charger years ago. Rather than modifying my bike charging systems I just top off the batteries monthly with the proper charger. So far so good.
 
happy wanderer said:
Depends on your definition of "problem".
The issue lies in the voltage output of "standard" chargers like the Batter Tender which is dialed in for lead acid and normal AGM batteries. Most of them put out around 14.2 Volts. Your alternator puts out 13.9 to 14.0 Volts so does not fully charge the Odyssey battery.

Odyssey requires somewhere around 14.7 charging voltage to get up to full capacity and minimize sulfation. Decreased battery capacity and less longevity are the result of not fully charging consistently. There has been tons of information posted on this before here in this forum and on ADVRider. If you read the Odyssey technical literature it's all there too.

I decided to use Odyssey batteries in all 3 bikes and invested in a Odyssey approved charger years ago. Rather than modifying my bike charging systems I just top off the batteries monthly with the proper charger. So far so good.
Click to expand...

Yup, have read the threads and the somewhat "confusing odyssey" literature. Only giving you one data point from a guy with multiple years on multiple batteries. Before I went to Odyssey's I typically swapped batteries every three years on bikes just avoid the hassles but these seem much more robust - although from what I hear the failure mode is abrupt and w/o much warning

Good luck!
 
bobbymacd said:
..with free shipping. See marketplace for listing and details
Click to expand...
Hi Bobby, we really don't allow for sale or bumping of posts in the main forum area. This is cuz the post hangs and in a month someone is looking for something long gone......Which clutters the forum with dead ends and things start to look like the bulletin board at the supermarket :)
No worries, either Steve or myself will delete both these posts later- after you have seen it.
Good luck.
Gary
 
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