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Lithium battery experiences? (e.g. Shorai, Ballistic) - 1987 K75C

JamesInCA

Member
It's new battery time -- telltale rough starting, sticky starter relay, confirmed by mediocre hydrometer test.

Anyone have experience to report with lithium-ion batteries in the bricks? I notice now that a number of dealers are offering them with specific notations that they're suitable for the K75 & K100 bikes.

Let's stay away from theories of why lithium is/isn't/should be/shouldn't be better/worse than other battery types, or whether they worked well/poorly in your/your friend's/a guy on the Internet's other kind of bike. I've been through plenty of those threads and they're completely inconclusive.

I'd like to see if there are any positive or negative experiences of actual lithium batteries in actual early K-bikes.
 
Error on my part - meant to post this in the Flying Brick board. If a friendly mod would like to move it, that'd be appreciated.
 
I have a Shorai LiPE in my 2007 R1200S. It's been great. It stays charged 3 months and longer but in the winter, I used a BT Plus with it. It likes heat better.
 
I bought a 12ah Shorai for my Tiger 1050 and had cold weather issues. Talked to Shorai rep at a bike show and he said to contact customer support because they had some bad circuit boards about the time I got my battery. They sent me an 18ah battery and paid shipping both ways. Kept the battery when I got my GS. They sent me a new 21ah battery for free and free shipping both ways. When the battery is cold it has a very high internal resistance. If you leave the lights on for a couple minutes it fires right up. It does NOT need to be put on a charger and once you get used to the cold weather drill it fires up without a problem. It is also supposed to last a lot longer than the gel or AGM batteries too. Would I get another? Probably not. They are expensive and after all, all you need them for is to start the bike. Shorai is a great company to deal with. Take a look at the links below. Good info.
http://www.shoraipower.com/FAQ.html
http://www.shoraipower.com/specs.html
 
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