Battery Replacement

I recently purchased and installed this battery from batterymart.com. It is nearly identical to the OEM in my 2014 R1200RT. Battery terminals are the same and in the same place. Dimensions are the same. I think that this is a very good replacement for the original. AGM technology and 2 more AH than the stocker. $89.95 delivered to my door! They list it as YTX20CH-BS AGM http://www.batterymart.com/SEARCH.html?q=ytx20ch-bs

Thanks for the research.

Can't tell from looking at your photo - who's the manufacturer of your new battery?

sailorlite said:

Can't tell from looking at your photo - who's the manufacturer of your new battery?

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Follow the link, it says: USA made MOTOCROSS. I never heard of them, but I suspect that there are only a few actual mfgrs. and companies apply there own name to the battery.

rlitavecz said:

Follow the link, it says: USA made MOTOCROSS. I never heard of them, but I suspect that there are only a few actual mfgrs. and companies apply there own name to the battery.

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Looks like Yuasa makes it.

https://www.batterystuff.com/blog/motocross-vs-yuasa-which-is-the-better-motorcycle-battery-.html

Yuasa......That's a good thing! I know a lot of people have been searching for a replacement for their liquid cool RT's battery now that they are closing in on 3 years old. The OEM is $180 dollars so this is a nice alternative. I feared that my battery was failing when it left me needing a jump in Colorado last May. It limped through the summer with some almost no starts. Last month it failed to start after being on my BMW charger for 3 weeks. I found this battery and replaced the original. When I removed the original from the bike, I found a loose + terminal! That was most likely the problem. I already had the new battery, so I installed it. SO, if you are having problems similar to mine, you may want to check that + terminal! It is a pita to check because you need to remove the neg. cable and then slide the battery almost all of the way out to access the + terminal.

Seen a lot of Yuasa stickers on recent models as OEM supplied...pointed it out to a GSAW owner last week as he said BMW made his
It was Exide years back and they were absorbed/renamed into the Yuasa parent company


Anyways, a good buy

henzilla said:

Seen a lot of Yuasa stickers on recent models as OEM supplied...pointed it out to a GSAW owner last week as he said BMW made his
...

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Never ceases to amaze me how many folks think that because it has a BMW label or part number that it is actually made by BMW. Like virtually all manufacturers BMW makes only a small fraction of the total number of parts for their products. Yes, they make the chassis / frames / etc., but not many of the overall parts. They identify the specs that they want, send out a request for proposals (RFP) and identify who the best match will be. Many manufacturers from many countries supply their parts to BMW and all others to create the finished products.

I ran across someone years ago who was convinced that the had to by nuts and bolts from the BMW Dealership because they would be BMW made and therefore better!

So....Alan, you do not buy BMW tires?

You got it Rob, but not always. ;-)

I try to look at everything that's available and pick what I think is the best for my needs which isn't always an OE or OEM product. Once and a while it is but not most of the time.

However, my RTW still has the OE (BMW) Z8 tires on it so I guess I do with it, and I'm liking all the info I've been able to gather on the new Metzeler RoadTec 01 tires so I'll likely go to those when the Z8s need replacing. I've sold my 04 R1150RT last summer with PR4s on it and liked them about the same as the Z8 so with the 01 being a noticeable improvement over the Z8 my thinking is I'll be quite happy. I've got a set of BT30s on my Ducati and really like them, but it's hard to tell how much of that is the bike (and Olhins) vs tires, however, the testing too date has but the 01s out in front so that's likely where I'll go.

It's a bit like the horrendous oil threads that pop up occasionally. There's lots of speculation about "BMW" oil being so good, etc., etc., etc., but not one single thread that I've seen has ever even suggested that a BMW which has been run on top-tier non-BMW motorcycle oil, changed at factory intervals, has ever shown any premature wear. That being the case than I don't have any problems using a quality oil that will treat my bike in a manner so close to BMW oil that one can't tell the difference after 50,000 or 100,000 miles. I know others feel differently and that's what makes everything interesting.

I feel the same way and I protect my pocketbook! ( I love Shinko tires)

Yuasa/Exide and Deka/East Penn are both located in SE PA and evolved from a common predeccesor. That being said, both companies offer domestic and off-shore products.

May be good to use weight as part of the comparison. While it seems no-one want any extra weight on their bike, weight of the "same construction/style" battery can give some good info. I have been a fan of Dekka batteries for some time. They make CAT Batteries to CAT specs (heavier) and are among the best.
OM

Both Yuasa and Deka appear to offer a range of CCA-rated batteries within a given size. The battery shown in the OP appears to be the highest CCA-rating for a Yuasa product based on the model number.

Omega Man said:

May be good to use weight as part of the comparison. While it seems no-one want any extra weight on their bike, weight of the "same construction/style" battery can give some good info. I have been a fan of Dekka batteries for some time. They make CAT Batteries to CAT specs (heavier) and are among the best.
OM

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Good point. I'm not very knowledgeable about batteries, but presuming that your understanding is the heavier they are the better, due to acid/plate content.

rlitavecz said:

I recently purchased and installed this battery from batterymart.com. It is nearly identical to the OEM in my 2014 R1200RT. Battery terminals are the same and in the same place. Dimensions are the same. I think that this is a very good replacement for the original. AGM technology and 2 more AH than the stocker. $89.95 delivered to my door! They list it as YTX20CH-BS AGM http://www.batterymart.com/SEARCH.html?q=ytx20ch-bs

View attachment 59721

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Thanks for the info, searched the battery number and found it at Battery Sharks for $44.95 + 10 to ship.

AlanColes said:

Never ceases to amaze me how many folks think that because it has a BMW label or part number that it is actually made by BMW. Like virtually all manufacturers BMW makes only a small fraction of the total number of parts for their products. Yes, they make the chassis / frames / etc., but not many of the overall parts. They identify the specs that they want, send out a request for proposals (RFP) and identify who the best match will be. Many manufacturers from many countries supply their parts to BMW and all others to create the finished products.

I ran across someone years ago who was convinced that the had to by nuts and bolts from the BMW Dealership because they would be BMW made and therefore better!

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In the case of BMW, until VARTA sold the transportation battery business, it was logical to assume you would get a Quandt battery in a Quandt car or truck.

I replaced my OEM with this from Batteries Plus Bulbs. https://www.batteriesplus.com/produ...ource=yotpo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=map

I had the occasional slow crank when hot, as well as a few other little quirks that led me to believe the OEM Exide wasnt up to the job. Looked for the highest CCA and MAH I could find and this cured my issues. Yes, I could have bought it to the dealer but I did not want another OEM Exide.

36654 said:

In the case of BMW, until VARTA sold the transportation battery business, it was logical to assume you would get a Quandt battery in a Quandt car or truck.

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To my knowledge (very limited in this area), Quandt never manufactured batteries. Quandt did own ~40%-47% of BMW and they owned all or most of Varta, but they were never BMW, merely the major shareholder. Try suggesting to a Ferrari owner that they are actually driving a Fiat, or even an Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini or Porsche owner that that are driving a VW. They are not. They are however driving a vehicle whose manufacturer is owned by Fiat and VW respectively, but a Bugatti is not a VW.
While that may be a subtle distinction for many, it is actually a significant distinction.
I don't believe BMW ever owned Varta or the reverse.
Yes, my R90S and likely my R90/6, R80RT, and possibly my R100GS, probably came from the factory with Varta batteries, but BMW did not make them, nor did they own Varta. Quandt had controlling interest in both, but I'm quite certain they did not have any input into the making or specifications of the R90S battery, or even the R90S itself.
It is natural to assume that Quandt did dictate that BMW was to source their batteries from Varta but that in no way shape or form makes any Varta battery a BMW product.
Like you, I suspect that Quandt exerted that type of influence on all or most of its 200+ owned or significant interest investment holdings.
My primary client is infinitely smaller than Quandt, but, it is a privately held company that owns approximately 40 companies. Most of these companies operate completely independently of the others and virtually none have an ownership position in any of the others. They do however, utilize the services of their co-related companies where it makes good business sense for them to. That means that in some situations they actually use services/products from a company that is a competitor to one of their parent companies holdings.
They have just won a contract where they have partnered with one of their local competitors and one of their international competitors. Successful businesses (working outside a monopoly environment) typically operate in that fashion.
As you say, my R90S likely was born with a Varta battery.

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No, I don't recall citations to the several articles and books on the topic but I certainly do recall the degree to which the Quandt family not only controlled BMW but saved BMW on more than one occasion. That is my assertion. I don't intend to prove it. I don't have time or inclination to even try to deal with stuff I read on the internet.