2003 F650GS Dakar - sYT12CL Scorpion battery life

I have a Battery Bug on my Dakar with a just over 2 year old Yuasa YB12AL-A battery, which is the OEM battery for the bike. On the return leg of a trip last weekend, I started getting some unusual readings from the Battery Bug that suggest to me that the battery may be nearing the end. The bike runs and starts fine, but one reason I got the Battery Bug in the first place was to give me an early warning on battery failures.

So, I would like to replace the flooded battery with an AGM. Did some research here and on F650.com and the only AGM battery I have found with the same dimensions as the OEM battery is the sY12CL Scorpion. I have read mixed reviews on the battery. Some have reported failures after just over a year. But the previous Yuasa YB12AL-A I had in the bike failed after only 9 months, so I guess any of them can fail early.

I am interested in hearing about what kind of battery life others have experienced with this specific Scorpion battery in this model bike. I really like the fact that the dimensions of the battery match the Yuasa YB12AL-A exactly, because the OEM battery is a very snug fit and other AGM batteries are usually wider than stock. I want to avoid modifying the tray.

I went to Advance AutoParts and bought an AGM battery from them. It is a snug fit, but I didn't have to modify anything.

Acejones said:

I went to Advance AutoParts and bought an AGM battery from them. It is a snug fit, but I didn't have to modify anything.

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And the brand and number for the battery are ??

when my '07 F650GS needed a battery i put an odyssey in it. although it is physically smaller then the stock battery i used some of the foam packing in the battery tray to raise the battery up high enough to attach all electrical leads. the battery preformed flawlessly for the next few years until i got rid of the bike. although expensive, i think odyssey batteries are one of the best batteries on the market and when my new bike needs to have the battery replaced it will be an odyssey that goes into my 2011 F650GS.

nytrashman said:

when my '07 F650GS needed a battery i put an odyssey in it.

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I found your post on an Odyssey PC535 in a search. Which model number Odyssey did you use?

gblawler said:

I
So, I would like to replace the flooded battery with an AGM. Did some research here and on F650.com and the only AGM battery I have found with the same dimensions as the OEM battery is the sY12CL Scorpion. ...

I am interested in hearing about what kind of battery life others have experienced with this specific Scorpion battery in this model bike.

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Not sure I can provide a complete answer but I put this battery in my F650 Dakar last fall. I have put 21K miles on the bike with some days in triple digits and a few cold startups near freezing. I have not had any battery issues yet.

I do have to add that despite reading about folks whose battery of this type or that type lasted long periods - 5,7,9, or even 13 years - whenever I get three years or close to 3 years life from a battery I am very happy. Too many bikes, too much time on smart-chargers, too many multi-month storage periods, all account for my particular problems.

That said, I've never had an AGM battery last as long as the wet-cell batteries I used to use in K75s, or even the wet cell batteries I had in our F650 Funduro bikes as long as I kept water in the overcharged little beasts. Most AGM or Gel VRLA battery failures I've seen are sudden and mechanical - internal connections just break without notice.

gblawler said:

I found your post on an Odyssey PC535 in a search. Which model number Odyssey did you use?

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The Odyssey battery NYTrashman speaking of is PC310.


I had the Scorpion battery and it lasted me couple years... It was still in the bike when I traded it in and still a good strong battery.

PGlaves said:

Not sure I can provide a complete answer but I put this battery in my F650 Dakar last fall.

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Did you get the battery online or did you find it locally? I have found it from a vendor in Oregon (see link in my first post). I would prefer to buy it locally from a vendor who stocks the battery, but I am not finding one. Interstate battery sells the OEM battery, which is where I bought the last 2 batteries. The current one has lasted just over 2 years, the one before that lasted 9 months, and the original battery in the bike lasted 6 years.

I should mention that I ride just about every day to work in the spring, summer, and fall, and a lot of days in the winter when there is no snow or ice on the roads. And I ride a very short distance, just a little over a mile. Bought the BMW Maintenance Charger to keep the battery topped up because of the short distance. My riding pattern is likely hard on a battery.

If I get 2 years or more from an AGM battery, that I can get for around $75 or less, I will be happy. Changing a battery every two years beats pulling the battery out every 3 months to top off the water.

I have found it cheaper to buy a battery online versus going to Autozone and/or Napa for a new battery. Ymmv!


I have not had any problems with any of my batteries that I have purchased online (AGM) to have gone bad on me. I have had them last long time... much longer than months or a couple of years... I just replace them just for preventative maintenance.

I know my Scorpion battery lasted more than two years and was currently in my bike and was still a very good battery when I traded it for my current bike.

I also rode my bike on an everyday basis too.

bmwgsrider said:

I know my Scorpion battery lasted more than two years and was currently in my bike and was still a very good battery when I traded it for my current bike.

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That sounds good to me. I don't have a problem at all adding water to a battery. It's getting to the battery that is the problem, which is why I want to move to an AGM. The price on the Scorpion is in the same ball park as the Yuasa OEM battery. As I said before, there are a number of AGM batteries out there that are a close fit, but the Scorpion looks like an exact match on the dimensions and the way the terminals connect to the harness.

I have heard a lot of good things about the Odyssey batteries. Expensive but long lasting and they gradually fade instead of fail all at once. But it does not looks like they have a battery that will fit (exactly).

I did find another AGM that is an exact fit: UPG model UT12CL Adventure Power at http://www.atbatt.com/product/23542.asp for $71.99 (I think the Scorpion is $63.00).

Anyone actually used the UPG battery in an F650GS?

Your comment along with Paul's makes me think the Scorpion may be the way to go.

gblawler said:

That sounds good to me. I don't have a problem at all adding water to a battery. It's getting to the battery that is the problem, which is why I want to move to an AGM. The price on the Scorpion is in the same ball park as the Yuasa OEM battery. As I said before, there are a number of AGM batteries out there that are a close fit, but the Scorpion looks like an exact match on the dimensions and the way the terminals connect to the harness.

I have heard a lot of good things about the Odyssey batteries. Expensive but long lasting and they gradually fade instead of fail all at once. But it does not looks like they have a battery that will fit (exactly).

I did find another AGM that is an exact fit: UPG model UT12CL Adventure Power at http://www.atbatt.com/product/23542.asp for $71.99 (I think the Scorpion is $63.00).

Anyone actually used the UPG battery in an F650GS?

Your comment along with Paul's makes me think the Scorpion may be the way to go.

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Odyssey battery definitely will fit and is much smaller than the Scorpion... yes it is expensive but is a good battery and have no modifications to it! The correct battery as I mentioned earlier in this thread is the PC310 model. The battery will need to sit on foam to raise it up higher IIRC.

The Scorpion battery is a straight fit with no modification too.

PGlaves said:

And the brand and number for the battery are ??

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I knew that would be asked. I'm going to have to dig through my records, I intended to buy an Odyssey. I have used them succesfully in other bikes and still have a five year old Odessey in my R1150R. The Odyssey dealer quoted an obscene price, didn't have one, and didn't know when he would have one. So much for Odyssey.

I ordered the Scorpion YT12CL AGM battery from http://www.batterystuff.com/powersports-batteries/sYT12CL.html for $63.00, no sales tax, free shipping by USPS Priority Mail.

Thanks to bmwgsrider and PGlaves for your reports on experience with this battery.

The price on this battery is less than $6 more than what I would pay for the Yuasa OEM battery at Interstate Batteries. If it lasts long enough to save me from having to do even 1 top off of the battery water, the small premium in price was worth it.

I have had a Battery Bug http://www.argusanalyzers.com/battery-monitors/products/bb-sbm12ps-battery-bug-battery-monitor-argus-analyzers.html on my bike for close to 2 years. I put it on after my previous battery (9 months old) failed while I was riding the bike. The current battery is the Yuasa OEM battery, just over 2 years old. The Battery Bug is giving me definite indications that the battery has a problem. The percentage is still around 38%, but if you have had it on the bike for a long time, it is easy to spot a pattern in the readings that is not normal. The point is, the bike is starting and running fine right now. If I did not have the Battery Bug installed, I would not have a clue there is anything wrong with this battery.

The truth is, I really bought the Battery Bug for the alarm feature that goes off whenever the voltage drops below 12 volts for more than 30 seconds. I ride all year long with a full set of Gerbing gear in all but the hottest months, and I wanted to make sure my Gerbing gear doesn't discharge my battery. It works great for that purpose, but the early warning on battery failure is a great bonus.

Another interesting thing is that this is the same time of year that my battery failed 2 years ago. I have always heard that the hardest thing on a battery is heat, and less than a month ago, we had temperatures around 100 for about a week. Could be a coincidence, but I am starting to wonder if the high heat killed the battery last time and this time.

I also use a Battery Bug and would suggest not over reacting to a 38% reading. The makers as you know suggest 10% as the point for battery replacement. I'd be more inclined to use a 38% reading as a notice to focus on my apparent cranking power and if the bike cranks slower than normal, then evaluate whether its time to change or charge/test the battery. Encountering the first cold days this fall will tell you for sure if you battery is close to death - if cranking power is obviously declining.

The Battery Bug STORES the lowest per cent reading and displays it at every start until a lower reading is seen. You might have gotten a low reading because the bike sat for a while and lost a little battery voltage- and now its up again. The per cent reading also drops dramatically in cold conditions as battery power is lost to low temps. SO for both of those reasons I put a "reset button" in the positive lead to mine. I reset it when the weather warms in the spring, for example, so I can follow any trends that develop in the summer. The reset button is simply a cheap pushbutton momentary off switch from Radio Shack and I described the install in a thread you can locate by a search.

I'm still using the OEM battery in my 08 RT- be interesting to see if it gets me through another winter. The R motor seems to crank a lot easier as it gets some miles- not sure what has worn in to make that possible but it is very noticeable. This same battery barely cranked the bike in its first winter and last winter turned it over very easily with no obviously discernible explanation for that behavior.

Edit- after posting the above I tripped on an old thread that says you've got a spade connector reset feature added to yours so you know about the above stuff. What pattern did you see that tells you the battery was on the way out? (Its been a number of years since I've used Yuasa flooded batteries and I never got much time out of them- but the Hondas I had them in had high current draws in storage and maintenance/tricklechargers weren't very good then either compared to the multi stage electronic chargers we have today. It seemed to me that Yuasas sulfated too easily and the old chargers couldn't deal with that at all. Recently, 3 days on my current bike maintenance charger (an Xtreme) saved a car battery that was so dead it turned on nothing in vehicle and it had been sitting for months..could never do that with the old stuff.

gblawler said:

I have a Battery Bug on my Dakar with a just over 2 year old Yuasa YB12AL-A battery, which is the OEM battery for the bike. On the return leg of a trip last weekend, I started getting some unusual readings from the Battery Bug that suggest to me that the battery may be nearing the end. The bike runs and starts fine, but one reason I got the Battery Bug in the first place was to give me an early warning on battery failures.

So, I would like to replace the flooded battery with an AGM. Did some research here and on F650.com and the only AGM battery I have found with the same dimensions as the OEM battery is the sY12CL Scorpion. I have read mixed reviews on the battery. Some have reported failures after just over a year. But the previous Yuasa YB12AL-A I had in the bike failed after only 9 months, so I guess any of them can fail early.

I am interested in hearing about what kind of battery life others have experienced with this specific Scorpion battery in this model bike. I really like the fact that the dimensions of the battery match the Yuasa YB12AL-A exactly, because the OEM battery is a very snug fit and other AGM batteries are usually wider than stock. I want to avoid modifying the tray.

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I too have a battery bug and a Yuasa battery--the battery is 5 years old and reads 15% and cranks real good--

I seem to get about 5-6 years out of my Yuasa batteries- and my son on the other hand has a hard time getting 2 years out of his.

There is a large fan type marker on the battery bugs dial-- if that fan blade is to the right of the 12 o clock position supposedly the battery is still good.

Don't just rely on the percent indication. Check your fluid levels regularly. I also have a gel pack battery and it appears these batteries have much lower indications when using the Bug. After installing the battery the bug read 100% and then after the first cranking of the starter the battery bug read 45%. I took the battery to have it load tested and it passed-----so I guess that is, Normal? For a gel pack….

These Battery Bugs' are useful tools but don't totally rely on their indications.

Also, personally I would stay with the, old tried and true, lead-acid battery unless you do lots of aggressive riding, i.e. single track---here the gel packs do have the advantage.

BACKROAD.ADV said:

Don't just rely on the percent indication

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I am not relying on the percentage. It is the other readings I am getting. For one thing, the voltage changes about every second from 13.8 up to 14.2. It has never done that before. When I start the bike, it normally shows either 14.1 or 14.2 right after starting and stays on the same voltage at idle.

The second thing is that the bug shows a flashing line on the part of the display that illustrates the percentage. The flashing line is the percentage calculated from the most recent start. For several weeks that flashing line will jump up to 100% while I am riding the bike. My guess is that this is caused by a brief drop in voltage, probably to 10 volts due to a cell shorting out. When the voltage drops, the bug infers that the bike is being started, and since it jumps right back up to 12 volts I get a 100% reading because that would be great performance on a start. I understand a brand new battery will drop below 8 volts during a start. I called a guy at Argus, described this pattern and he agreed it indicates a cell is briefly shorting. In addition, I took the battery out a few days ago to see if low water could be causing the problem. It was not low on water, but one of the cells was a distinctly lighter color than all the other cells. I am guessing the color change indicates some kind of deposits on the plates in that cell, maybe sulfates.

So, it is not the percentage, it is the constant voltage variation along with the last start indication jumping to 100%. By the way, without this last start percentage indication, I would never be able to detect these brief cell shorts, they don't last long enough to show on the volt meter.

BACKROAD.ADV said:

I seem to get about 5-6 years out of my Yuasa batteries- and my son on the other hand has a hard time getting 2 years out of his.

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This battery is just over 2 years old, the previous one failed at 9 months. I know from the experience of others that a 9 month failure is not uncommon and anything over 2 years is not bad at all. I know some who change the battery after 3 years whether they need it or not because they take trips and don't want to deal with a battery on a trip.

BACKROAD.ADV said:

These Battery Bugs' are useful tools but don't totally rely on their indications.

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The Battery Bug manual tells you that you can get bad one-time readings. In the FAQ on their website just about every diagnostic tip tells you to disconnect the Battery Bug and reconnect it, charge the battery, if needed, and see if you continue to get the same bad reading. That is why I installed mine with a weather proof spade connector on the ground side of the Battery Bug in a place where I can reach it while I am on the bike. I would recommend this to anyone who has a bug.

BACKROAD.ADV said:

Also, personally I would stay with the, old tried and true, lead-acid battery unless you do lots of aggressive riding, i.e. single track---here the gel packs do have the advantage.

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The problem I have with the wet cell batteries is the time it takes to get to the battery to top off the water. The manual says you should do this every 3 months. I decided to go with an AGM battery because they have the same charge characteristics as a wet cell. I understand that gel cell batteries can be easily overcharged and fail quickly as a result. The normal voltage on the Dakar is between 14.0 and 14.2 volts, which I believe is higher than a gel cell likes. I have talked with people with RT and LT bikes with volt meters who say their voltage never goes above 13.8. This is probably because the OEM battery for these bikes is a gel cell.

As I've said before, the bike is starting and running normally, so the only initial indication I have of a battery problem is coming from the Battery Bug. The lighter colored cell is another confirmation that something is not right.

gblawler said:

Thanks to bmwgsrider and PGlaves for your reports on experience with this battery.

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I hope you have good luck with it as much as I did.

Instead of the battery buy, why don't you consider a Datel volt meter?

bmwgsrider said:

I hope you have good luck with it as much as I did.
Instead of the battery buy, why don't you consider a Datel volt meter?

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Thanks for the good wishes. I did consider the volt meter like yours. The only reason I bought the Battery Bug is because of the alarm feature. I had heard stories about F650GS riders with full Gerbing gear riding on the highway for hours, stopping for gas and finding out their battery was dead. The Battery Bug had a high pitched alarm that goes off (and the display flashes) if the voltage drops below 12 volts for more than 30 seconds.

I was great to hear that your Scorpion battery worked well for you. I know any of them can fail early, I had a Yuasa that failed after only 9 months, but I figure if you and Paul Glaves are doing well, that's good enough for me.

Thanks again for letting me know how your battery worked out.

gblawler said:

Thanks for the good wishes. I did consider the volt meter like yours. The only reason I bought the Battery Bug is because of the alarm feature. I had heard stories about F650GS riders with full Gerbing gear riding on the highway for hours, stopping for gas and finding out their battery was dead. The Battery Bug had a high pitched alarm that goes off (and the display flashes) if the voltage drops below 12 volts for more than 30 seconds.

I was great to hear that your Scorpion battery worked well for you. I know any of them can fail early, I had a Yuasa that failed after only 9 months, but I figure if you and Paul Glaves are doing well, that's good enough for me.

Thanks again for letting me know how your battery worked out.

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You're welcome. I do not know anything about the Battery Bug and this was first time I have heard about it.

I did like my Datel Volt Meter as you can watch how your charging system is doing especially when running all your electrics as it should be pretty accurate. Before I got the Datel Volt meter, I did drain a new battery from running all my electrics. If you keep above 4K RPMs, your system will stay charging. Once you drop below that, that is when your charging system may not stay charging to where you may want to start turning some electrics off especially If you are going through town at low speeds and stopping at a lot of traffic lights. I did not have any problems after knowing this after I drained a new battery. I did not have the Datel voltmeter at the time.

bmwgsrider said:

I did drain a new battery from running all my electrics. If you keep above 4K RPMs, your system will stay charging. Once you drop below that, that is when your charging system may not stay charging to where you may want to start turning some electrics off especially If you are going through town at low speeds and stopping at a lot of traffic lights.

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I started out by testing how the Gerbing gear would work on my bike by buying a $10 volt meter that plugs into a cigarette lighter. I have the BMW 24 inch adapter that plugs into my accessory jack and ends with a cigarette lighter. I used a velcro strip to tie the volt meter on my handle bars where I could watch it. What I found was that I could turn the jacket and the gloves up full without dropping the voltage below 13 volts, even with the bike idling. When I added the pants liner, it was a different story. The only way I could run jacket, gloves, and pants at the same time was to cut the dual controller back a bit on both, or run at highway speed.

This was just a test. Once I realized there was a voltage issue, I started shopping for a permanently installed meter. One of the motorcycle magazines had a review of the Battery Bug and I checked the video promo on their web site. The video discussed the alarm feature that goes off if your voltage drops below 12 for more than 30 seconds (they mentioned heated motorcycle gear when discussing this feature). The Battery Bug cost considerably more than a volt meter, but I thought it would be an advantage to have a volt meter you don't need to keep watching.

I am in the habit now of turning the dual controller knobs all the way down as soon as I start to enter a town with stop lights or signs. I have found this is no problem anyway, because when you drop below highway speed, you don't need the extra heat anyway. As soon as I get back up to highway speed, I can turn the knobs back where I want them.

Do you use a charger like the Deltran Battery Plus or the BMW Maintenance Charger? I am interested in how that will work with the new AGM I have on the way. I have the BMW Maintenance Charger, and the manual says it works with wet cell, AGM and Gel Cell lead acid batteries. I am wondering how often I should charge it though. In the winter, I normally keep it on the charger all the time I am not riding the bike; I like to have a full charge on the battery when I start out with the Gerbing gear. In the spring, summer, and fall, I charge about every two weeks or the night before leaving on a trip.