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Lithium-ion battery

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New member
I would like feedback on the lithium ion battery. Advantages/disadvantages. Thoughts if bike is stored for long time or over winter. I have a 2002 R1150RT.
 
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Go over to Adventure Rider Forum, under "Gear> the Garage> motorcycle batteries. there is a thread by "Cy" which will answer every question you could possibly have.
The short answer it that they hold a charge very well unless there is much draw while in storage. They don't do well in the cold, don't have much in the way of reserve cranking ability, and take more to recharge.
If you are going to start your bike in the cold, ride ten miles to Starbucks, start again and ride over to the post office, start again and ride the three miles home, you will have problems.
If you are going to start it up and ride 80 miles to Starbucks, you should be okay.
 
I have them in two bikes and have not had a problem. I have personally heard of cold weather starting problems. The cure was to turn on the ignition and let it sit for a few minutes and the current draw will warm up the battery and then it will crank. That doesn't sound right but who knows.
 
I'm trying out one of the Shorai 21 amp batteries in my GSA. My OEM failed just a couple of weeks outside of warranty and my dealer gave me a good will option of another OEM or the Shorai. So I decided to try it out. Weight savings on the GSA isn't a deciding factor. Space though was nice. A little more room for my fuse block above it. Starting has been fine. First time it got cold I tried a normal starting sequence and it cranked slowly. Second crank was normal speed. Later I was camping on a cold night, 28 degrees, and I turn on the ignition while I geared up. That was long enough to wake the battery and it fired right up. So I'd say as far as the cold I get in Texas, it wasn't a factor. The other comment about lots of starts draining the battery. I was on a DS ride recently on a dirt road with lots of gates. I was leading so I'd get to a gate, kill the bike, open the gate and let the next guy take over. Then I'd start my bike and ride to the next gate. The gates would vary between 1 and 5 miles apart. By the 4th or 5th gate I noticed it was slower to crank. So I just started leaving it in neutral instead of killing it. Unless it was a hill and I needed it in gear to keep it from rolling. So yes, lots of short distance errands and you will start to notice, but I noticed that with the OEM too. So I'd say it works fine as a battery. Is it magic? No, but works just fine. I think for a big bike the best thing about it is the long shelf life with a charge. Which is why I may try one in the DR650 because it will sit for a month or two between uses sometimes.
 
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