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Need a battery

Living here in Phoenix, enduring the heat is a HUGE issue and I still don't know how the charging system on my bike, which came with a standard lead acid battery is gonna know the difference. If the charging system is a little bit on the aggressive side, what's to keep it from cooking the gel cell. I just ordered an Oddysey. The feedback on them seems to be consistently good and all of the data seems to add up.
 
Thanks ozonkiller and thank your bro please. This was good information to learn, and dispell the conjecture a little. It really does not look very good for GEL.

Thanks again,
Andy
 
I too just ordered an Odyssey. My original wet cell battery is dead after only ten months of service. However, the bike was built in 10/02 and sat around waiting for someone to buy it till I did in 02/05. Presumably it discharged itself many times while sitting around. Not a good thing. If that weren't enough I also found it to be way low on water even though the service geniouses had done the 600 and 6000 mile service in the meantime. If my not-very-local dealer was any good I'd make a warranty claim but I just don't feel like starting a fight right now.

John
 
Batt for '95 R1100GS- Electrical problem

The original battery failed after two years, for the next 5 years I had two Panasonic batteries but the ABS did not set half of the time- then we installed the Odyssey - ABS set every time but after 3 years it is now losing its charge. Removed the battery from the bike & it charges right up & holds 12v, but put it in the bike & it is dead in 5 days. No blown fuses? Can't find any shorts? Any ideas?
MFF
 
mff said:
The original battery failed after two years, for the next 5 years I had two Panasonic batteries but the ABS did not set half of the time- then we installed the Odyssey - ABS set every time but after 3 years it is now losing its charge. Removed the battery from the bike & it charges right up & holds 12v, but put it in the bike & it is dead in 5 days. No blown fuses? Can't find any shorts? Any ideas?
MFF

Put the battery in the bike and hook up a multimeter on it's current range of about 1 amp or less and start pulling fuses. When the current drawn when the ign key is off goes away, that is the circuit with the leakage or current draw. Then try to isolate which of the loads on that circuit is drawing the current by unplugging or disconnecting each load in turn.
 
SCJack you may be right. My Gel has just gelled. I kept it connected to Deltran Gel battery charger whenever I wasn't riding and after a little more than 3 years it is toast. I've ordered a Panasonic AGM (LX-1220P) which is the 20 amp model. Now we'll see if under similar conditions it outlasts the OEM gel.
 
Agm (it won't allow all upper case!)

IIRC, since the electrolyte has real viscosity, you lose electron mobility. That would explain both the charge sensitivity of a gel and that it has lower max load amperage. Also why it is better suited to deep, low to medium load cycling. Every UPS I've worked with runs gel type, except one 3kW that used VRLAs (std maint. free lead acid).

I got the Gates AGM (Odyssey?) back in 6/00 after seeing the ad in a trade rag. My Gates distributor hadn't heard of them yet. I built a regulated charger for off season (13.5V @ 50mA) and each spring I just hit the key & go.

I've been building electronics over 30 years, and think AGM is the 1st real advance in liquid cell tech. I don't understand why flooded types are still made. VRLA is a good alternative to flooded, but I like AGM even better. <<<)))
 
scjack said:
I haven't tried the Panasonic but I have read that it is also reliable, but I've only read of people using it on this site (and no others) which has a limited number of users compared to a couple of others.

I replaced a BMW battery in my K100RS with a Panasonic. That was two years ago and it is holding up well. One warning though, don't use synthetic oil with it. :D
 
I just bought the Panasonic on line for $43.00 shipped. Installed it in my K1100LT and my ABS fault disappeared!

These can sit on the shelf for a long time with very low discharge.
 
Panasonic AGM

I've been going two years on a Panasoninc AGM from www.digikey.com. They had the best prices I could find when I went looking. Great service and they still send me their monster catalog.
 
PETDOC said:
SCJack you may be right. My Gel has just gelled. I kept it connected to Deltran Gel battery charger whenever I wasn't riding and after a little more than 3 years it is toast. I've ordered a Panasonic AGM (LX-1220P) which is the 20 amp model. Now we'll see if under similar conditions it outlasts the OEM gel.
SCJack I may retract my former statement. With new Panasonic the exact same electrical problem just struck and I now suspect I have a perfectly good 3 year old Gel battery sitting on a shelf and a an intermittently bad starter in my bike. Prime suspect is loose magnet, but won't know until I get a chance to tear it apart . see link for detail http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157575
 
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