battery woes

Alas, the weather was nice, but the battery is dead. I've got an 04 1150GS with original battery. I've had it sitting with a battery tender charger since about eight days ago (last time ran). It's been acting pretty strange, clock resetting etc. so I guess it's a gonner. Question, is sticking with a BMW battery the way to go or is there better alternate?

BMW doesn't make the battery. They just buy it and stick their marque on it. Just get the proper size and style of battery you want and drive on.

replacement battery

It has to be a BMW specific battery. Panasonic is the best value for the money.

JON

Here is all you need to know and more, this thread was just a few days ago.
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=14323

Best of luck on the battery and I hope it lasts longer than your current one.

I think Exide is the current battery supplier for BMW.

Gel battery

I think the main question here is weather to get an old fashion battery or a gel battery. I went to a gel battery 3 years ago and love it. I bought an Odyessy (sp?) on ebay, much cheaper than anywhere else I looked. If you want a gel battery, you can choose between Odyessy, West-co, or Pannasonic.
It really does not matter weather it is an old fashion battery or a newer kind like the gel battery. As long as you stick the right size in it and go for a ride... Oh, another advantage of a gel battery, it comes fully charged, all you have to do is put it in your bike and hook it up... with the other type, you have to fill it up with water/acid, and charge it for a day first... My food for thought anyway....

battery

Thanks all,

Sounds like it's pretty straightforward, think I'll give the gel battery a shot.
Sure was bummed that I couldn't take a ride here today; sooner or later the Minnesota winter is going to show up with a vengence.

Thanks again.

I thought the Wesco battery was a gel battery and it has done an excellent job for me but it is an AGM battery. It is maintainence free but not truly a gel. I have found them priced at under $60.00 delivered. ( I don't google, I dogpile.com)

AGM (Absorption Glass Mat) sealed battery technology was originally developed in 1985 for military aircraft where power, weight, safety, and reliability were paramount considerations.

Here's a link to a white paper put out by East Penn Manufacturing, makers of the Deka batteries we use in the VUN and I sell:

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0139.pdf

FWIW, WalMart sells a perfectly good maintenance free battery and I'm sure they have an app for your bike. To maintain that your bike needs a "BMW only" battery is poppycock. Deka makes one as well, if you're interested. Shipping batts is a PITA, though.

Boxerkuh said:

Oh, another advantage of a gel battery, it comes fully charged, all you have to do is put it in your bike and hook it up... with the other type, you have to fill it up with water/acid, and charge it for a day first... My food for thought anyway....

Click to expand...

Some food for thought: When you buy your "fully charged" battery, how long has it been sitting, fully charged, on a shelf in some warehouse? When you buy a modern AGM battery, you get a NEW battery, that you simply add acid to, then charge. Perhaps a little inconvenient if it's an emergency or you're in a hurry, but you get a better battery in the long run, IMHO. I think Gel Batts are the "BetaMax" of the battery world. Yes, they have some nice innovations, but maintenance-free AGM is the way to go.

Years ago I replaced the battery in my airhead with the large Panasonic AGM battery LC-X1228P. Early last spring even though it was still working fine, I decided to replace it because it was within one month of being five years old. I have never had a motorcycle battery last that long dating back thirty five years. I know of others that claim they have gotten seven to eight years of use, but IÔÇÖm just letting you know my personal experience. When I replaced the Panasonic I had a hard time deciding between another Panasonic and an Odyssey. I finally decided on the Odyssey because of all of the good reviews I had read. I quickly found out that it was within a few dollars of costing twice of what I could get the Panasonic for, but I ordered one anyway.

When I went to install the Odyssey I quickly realized what people were talking about when they mentioned the strange position of the battery posts. I had no problem getting it into the tray, but this battery sits on the side which gives the posts an odd angle in relation to the cables. It is a minor inconvenience, but did add a few minutes to the install time. The Odyssey turns the old airhead engine over better than the Panasonic ever did, but I do need to mention that the Panasonic never did fail me in nearly five years. Time will only tell if the Odyssey will be as reliable as long. Is the Odyssey worth it at being almost twice the price, probably not but I sure do like the Odyssey.

I know of people that would not even think about installing another one of these new AGM or Gel batteries in their motorcycles due to early failures some have had with them. I personally probably wonÔÇÖt use anything else, even if I were to get a bad one once in a while. The ones IÔÇÖve used are physically just a little smaller than the original batteries which makes the fit just a little easier. I currently am using a WestCo/Panasonic in my K1. So far it is fine, but is only a few months old. It is so nice not having to worry about checking the water level in these batteries. One other thing that I love about them is they have very little static discharge. I have read that the Odyssey is a little better than the Panasonic in this regard, but IÔÇÖm not sure if this is true. I just did a voltage check on my old Panasonic thatÔÇÖs been sitting on my work bench. This battery is almost six years old and has been sitting for almost nine months on my bench without being charged. It shows 11.17 volts, which is probably enough to start the old airhead.

BMW only specific batteries

dlearl476 said:

Here's a link to a white paper put out by East Penn Manufacturing, makers of the Deka batteries we use in the VUN and I sell:

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0139.pdf

FWIW, WalMart sells a perfectly good maintenance free battery and I'm sure they have an app for your bike. To maintain that your bike needs a "BMW only" battery is poppycock. Deka makes one as well, if you're interested. Shipping batts is a PITA, though.

Click to expand...

The battery in my RT died at the Redmond nationals. Wal-Mart was across the road, bought the battery they spec'd for the RT. Their battery box said, "some modification maybe necessary". Unfortunately the Wal-mart battery box dodn't have the international symbols for a cutting torch and welder. The battery was too large to fit in the RT's battery compartment.

The following summer my GS's battery died, both the BMW lead acid batteries were 5 years old with 50,000 miles on them. Living 80 miles from the nearest BMW dealer, I went to Auto-Zone and got their battery that was guranteed to fit. Once again, it was too wide to fit in the bike's battery box.

I've considered replacing a battery on the road with a non BMW specific battery. Whether I would try cut down the base of the battery to get it to fit, or once I saw an airhead with a car battery bungied to the top case with cables running from it to the bike's battery cables.

JON

DarkCloud said:

Unfortunately the Wal-mart battery box dodn't have the international symbols for a cutting torch and welder. The battery was too large to fit in the RT's battery compartment.

The following summer my GS's battery died, both the BMW lead acid batteries were 5 years old with 50,000 miles on them. Living 80 miles from the nearest BMW dealer, I went to Auto-Zone and got their battery that was guranteed to fit. Once again, it was too wide to fit in the bike's battery box.


JON

Click to expand...

I've found I have better luck buying batteries by HxWxD, terminal location, and amp hours than by "applications books."
Even the Deka book lists the wrong battery for the Triumph Sprint ST. Same exact dimensions but the terminals are reversed. I pointed it out to them, hopefully they've corrected it.

I have experience with both Odyssey or the Panasonic/Westco - no performance complaints about either, Panasonic/Westco probably the easier of the 2 to fit since it has terminal similar to the OEM battery and it is a quite a bit less money than the Odyssey but the Odyssey seems to be the most popular choice - it is what I have in my R1150RS now.

dlearl476 said:

Here's a link to a white paper put out by East Penn Manufacturing, makers of the Deka batteries we use in the VUN and I sell:

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0139.pdf

FWIW, WalMart sells a perfectly good maintenance free battery and I'm sure they have an app for your bike. To maintain that your bike needs a "BMW only" battery is poppycock. Deka makes one as well, if you're interested. Shipping batts is a PITA, though.
Some food for thought: When you buy your "fully charged" battery, how long has it been sitting, fully charged, on a shelf in some warehouse? When you buy a modern AGM battery, you get a NEW battery, that you simply add acid to, then charge. Perhaps a little inconvenient if it's an emergency or you're in a hurry, but you get a better battery in the long run, IMHO. I think Gel Batts are the "BetaMax" of the battery world. Yes, they have some nice innovations, but maintenance-free AGM is the way to go.

Click to expand...

Not all true. Some AGM batteries come sealed and are mostly charged as are the GEL. Some of the AGM batteries do come with the acid and you seal them yourself.
The discharge rate of GEL or AGM is somewhere like 3 to 10 times slower than a flooded battery. I have a 28 amp Panasonic battery which has not been charged in 3 years and it still lights a set of Motolights to full brilliance. I have not noticed any difference in the performance and longivity of the GEL or AGM. I do think the GEL self discharges a bit faster than the AGM, but have no data.

battery

Several mentions have been made about the Panasonic batteries; can anyone suggest a good vendor for these? Found the Odessey, West-Co, and some others but don't seem to locate a dealer for the Panasonic.

Or possibly just tired of web surfing.
Thanks

digikey.com

Panasonic LC X1228P

When I buy a replacement battery I take the actual dimensions of the battery that I got from using a tape measure. That way I know if it will fit before I leave the store. I have had good luck with Interstate lead acid batteries n my K75. As long as it is the right size has the appropriate amps / volts I use it.

RavenGS said:

Several mentions have been made about the Panasonic batteries; can anyone suggest a good vendor for these? Found the Odessey, West-Co, and some others but don't seem to locate a dealer for the Panasonic.

Or possibly just tired of web surfing.
Thanks

Click to expand...

You didn't mention what bike you have. You will NOT be able to use the LC-X1228P in your R1150GS (if your profile is current).

You would need the LC-X1220P. I've been using these in my R1100RT since about 1997 (after the third BMW MAREG battery failed under warranty). Go to DigiKey.com and print out the mail order form. Send a check for the full amount of the battery and they ship it free.
http://pdfcatalog.digikey.com/T071/order.pdf

I use the LC-X1228P in both my R100RS and my '93 K1100. I replace them every 4 years and have never had one fail. One under my bency (20AH small battery) is over 6 years old and I recently loaned it to a friend to put in his R1150 till his new battery arrives. Cranks a little slow but starts every time.

in my 84 R100RS I have the Panasonic LC X1228P from digikey.com. Same as Wesco but w/o their label and $$ less. Works great. but the charging system on the bike sux so I charge it 1-2x a month with a SCHUMACHER 12V 25/12/2AMP SPEED CHARGER / SMART CHARGER at 2AH. Best charger Ive had in 20yrs Better than BMW or tenders and will work on the car too where the BMW or tenders are too small

For Cold weather starting a regular old wet cell is better - gives p the juice easier

Next battery will be an Odyssey Drycell Battery

If you pay more than $50 - $60 for it your getting gouged. I use a gel from American Battery and it works as well as any other I have had. Cost $50.00. I learned with my sailboat where I have a bank of golf cart batteries for a house battery system and have to rely on it for everything with only motor charging when doing long distance ocean work for weeks at a time, that its silly to pay attention to battery hype and pay extra for the "best". There really are only a few basic battery types, gel, mat, wet, and quality is not a big variable. Amp hours are, whether it is a deep cycle, recovery rate, etc., but on an ap like a bike where you are charging right after drawing each time you use it, you really don't need anything special. Big thing is HxWxD like someone else said. If it fits and has sufficient capacity, its fine. By the way, though I like gels because of the stupid placement of the battery in my RT, if I had a bike with less plastic to pull, I would always go with wet cell. Typically last longer.

I know I sound opinionated, but I am over 60, so what the hell.