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New Battery time... Many alternatives just don't fit!

Bdiver

Bdiver

Sign Guy
My 99 R1100RT's Odyssey PC680 just died after 8.5 years. A good run to say the least. So time for a new one. I thought I'd look for some alternatives and many state they "fit" but when looking at the measurements really DON'T FIT. I'm not to jazzed that the NEW Odyssey batteries only have 170 CCA as the last 2 I purchased had 220. What's going on with the less CCA???

Anyone, purchased any other replacement battery for an older RT that fits? Any other suggestions? Bueller?

Thanks for your help!
 
I've had no problems with a Bikemaster MS51913 in my R850R...that is, once I figured out the initial problem was my starter and not the battery!

That one's rated for 210CCA and 17Ah.
 
Have never understood purchasing a battery that I have to make fit.

Buy the OE battery from your BMW dealer.
 
Bdiver said:
I'm not to jazzed that the NEW Odyssey batteries only have 170 CCA as the last 2 I purchased had 220. What's going on with the less CCA???
Click to expand...

I emailed Odyssey about that a year or two ago. Surprisingly, they actually DID respond!! Of course, I didn't save it... but here's a run-down of what they told me.

I was told that they did NOT change the battery from original... they just changed the way they calculate (or measure???) the CCA. The "new" method of finding the CCA for the battery is more conservative than the "old" way.

Maybe they were BS'ing me??? I don't know... that's just what they told me. I'm sure it gives you as little comfort as it gave me when I first read it... :dunno
 
I’m still running Westco in my ‘00 R1100RS, ‘83 R80ST and ‘85 K100RS. Good life, no issues and half the price of the Odyssey. No longer offered by my dealer, I found them at EME.
 
Bdiver said:
My 99 R1100RT's Odyssey PC680 just died after 8.5 years. A good run to say the least. So time for a new one. I thought I'd look for some alternatives and many state they "fit" but when looking at the measurements really DON'T FIT. I'm not to jazzed that the NEW Odyssey batteries only have 170 CCA as the last 2 I purchased had 220. What's going on with the less CCA???

Anyone, purchased any other replacement battery for an older RT that fits? Any other suggestions? Bueller?

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

If you got 8.5 years out of your old battery then buy another one and don't be looking at cheap.
 
CajunRider said:
I emailed Odyssey about that a year or two ago. Surprisingly, they actually DID respond!!

I was told that they did NOT change the battery from original... they just changed the way they calculate (or measure???) the CCA. The "new" method of finding the CCA for the battery is more conservative than the "old" way.

Maybe they were BS'ing me??? I don't know... that's just what they told me. I'm sure it gives you as little comfort as it gave me when I first read it... :dunno
Click to expand...

I'm totally surprised they answered as well. I guess it doesn't surprise me that they have a "new" method of calculating but they should have stuck with the old so folks don't say Hmmm.... I'm an industrial engineer and I can make number look good or bad depending on what you want to say to the crowd so I guess we take it with a lump of coal.
Thanks for the response, keep those tires rolling!
 
41107 said:
If you got 8.5 years out of your old battery then buy another one and don't be looking at cheap.
Click to expand...

I stick with stock BMW stuff. Yeah, it's more expensive, but I don't have to worry about fitment or some people changing the way they measure their cranking amperage. All the numbers are the same and still understandable. It's kinda like when they changed the way they measure the brightness of a light bulb. It used to be wattage, now it's Lumens, and there doesn't seem to be a corallation of one to the other. WTH.
 
kgruen2 said:
It's kinda like when they changed the way they measure the brightness of a light bulb. It used to be wattage, now it's Lumens, and there doesn't seem to be a corallation of one to the other. WTH.
Click to expand...

The watts vs lumens issue is straightforward. When bulbs were incandescent there were minor variations but watts was watts. Then we got HID with more light per watt, and now LED where there is more light for fewer watts. I don't have good numbers for moto/auto applications but do for my house. A 7 watt LED bulb produces the same light output (lumens) as a 60 watt incandescent bulb.

So given all the variations is efficiency lumens is the good measure and watts much less meaningful.

My old PIA driving lights draw 55 watts each = 110 watts total. My new LED driving lights draw 3 or four watts each. That matters on a bike with a limited charging system.
 
CajunRider said:
I emailed Odyssey about that a year or two ago. Surprisingly, they actually DID respond!! Of course, I didn't save it... but here's a run-down of what they told me.

I was told that they did NOT change the battery from original... they just changed the way they calculate (or measure???) the CCA. The "new" method of finding the CCA for the battery is more conservative than the "old" way.

Maybe they were BS'ing me??? I don't know... that's just what they told me. I'm sure it gives you as little comfort as it gave me when I first read it... :dunno
Click to expand...

Not BS, I have discussed this subject with their engineers a few years ago.
I have a new style one and it behaves like the old Odyssey PC680 it replaced.
 
PGlaves said:
The watts vs lumens issue is straightforward. When bulbs were incandescent there were minor variations but watts was watts. Then we got HID with more light per watt, and now LED where there is more light for fewer watts. I don't have good numbers for moto/auto applications but do for my house. A 7 watt LED bulb produces the same light output (lumens) as a 60 watt incandescent bulb.

So given all the variations is efficiency lumens is the good measure and watts much less meaningful.

My old PIA driving lights draw 55 watts each = 110 watts total. My new LED driving lights draw 3 or four watts each. That matters on a bike with a limited charging system.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Yeah, if you can get the same brightness for less power usage, that makes sense. But there is also the issue of the quality of light emitted. When my low beam light went out I had it replaced with a supposedly brighter blue light one. Almost useless in all conditions except total darkness. Had it replaced with an old-school style that originally came with the bike (an '03). I can see clearly now.
 
8.5 years?

41107 said:
If you got 8.5 years out of your old battery then buy another one and don't be looking at cheap.
Click to expand...

Second it!. That's fantastic performance for any motorcycle battery. Get another and do whatever you did.
 
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