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Battery Life

No Odyssey batteries fit the Wethead RT, too bad I used the PC630 in my oilhead too with outstanding service.

Jay

For what it is worth the 14-BS battery is a very common size. I have seen them at Autozone and once bought one on a Sunday at Walmart in Great Falls, Montana.
 
For what it is worth the 14-BS battery is a very common size. I have seen them at Autozone and once bought one on a Sunday at Walmart in Great Falls, Montana.

Paul: Many thanks for including the battery spec in this comment! It will be useful when replacement time comes.
 
FWIW- my OEM battery in my '10 RT lasted 6 years, keeping it on a maintainer on and off during the non riding months. When it died, it died with one simple click....end of story. Went to Amazon and purchased a Yuasa, seemed to be one of the only options besides a dealer battery. Using the same maint. methods, this one only lasted 2 years ( just long enough to get past the warranty!)
 
Odyssey PC680 rocks!

It'll be 6 years old next month and still going strong. Most worthwhile $95 I ever spent on this bike, a 2012 RT. I never use a battery charger/maintainer, but do ride on average at least once a week year round. No other maintenance.

In contrast the BMW OEM batteries I have had fail right on schedule every 3 years. So at half the cost and twice the life that makes the Odyssey about 4x better than the OEM battery.
 
+1 on Motocross by Yuasa. I bought the same battery on March of 2019 to replace the failing factory Exide battery. The factory battery lasted 38 months. I always used a battery tender when not riding. This is the first time I have had a battery fail so early... I usually get 6-8 years.

The factory battery on my 2016 RT crapped out yesterday at 38 months. I ordered a Yuasa YTX20CH-BS from a local retailer who isn't allowing in store pickup right now because of Covid-19. I paid $10 to ship it across town, but I'll get it tomorrow and with tax and shipping it was only $87!
 
I replaced what appears to be the original battery in my 2014 R1200RT this weekend. The bike sounded like it was cranking slow if I left it off the charger for a few days. It first owner of the bike had all the service receipts and there was no battery replacement listed. I replaced it with a Yuasa GYZ16H.
 
While we're on the subject- on a 2016 R1200RT is a change a simple swap or are there electronics involved that might require some sort of reboot. Some vehicles these days you can't even bleed brakes without a computer thingy.
 
While we're on the subject- on a 2016 R1200RT is a change a simple swap or are there electronics involved that might require some sort of reboot. Some vehicles these days you can't even bleed brakes without a computer thingy.

No computer required, tho' you'll need to reset the calendar and clock (menu settings)
 
The factory battery on my 2016 RT crapped out yesterday at 38 months. I ordered a Yuasa YTX20CH-BS from a local retailer who isn't allowing in store pickup right now because of Covid-19. I paid $10 to ship it across town, but I'll get it tomorrow and with tax and shipping it was only $87!

Whew, my '16 RT's battery was replaced right at 36month just because. I know they can last longer, but I'm good w/ routine replacements at 3y regardless of condition. They're so cheap relatively speaking.
 
Whew, my '16 RT's battery was replaced right at 36month just because. I know they can last longer, but I'm good w/ routine replacements at 3y regardless of condition. They're so cheap relatively speaking.

I was thinking about getting a tester and hadn't pulled the trigger on that yet. Yesterday the battery made the decision for me because I got gas (after about a 50 mile ride at highway speeds) and the bike didn't want to start. I waited a couple of minutes and tried again and it cranked enough to start. When I got home, I parked the bike until my new battery arrives tomorrow. Not taking any chances of being stranded.

I guess I'll get that battery tester in another two and a half years...
 
My K75RTP battery shot craps at 38 months. A new one is here in a box. I'm waiting for the virus to die on the cardboard and the plastic before I mess with it.
 
No computer required, tho' you'll need to reset the calendar and clock (menu settings)
If you have a BMW Nav V or VI the bike will pull in the date and time the next time you ride. It's a wonderful feature, it even works when you cross time zones.
 
I was thinking about getting a tester and hadn't pulled the trigger on that yet. Yesterday the battery made the decision for me because I got gas (after about a 50 mile ride at highway speeds) and the bike didn't want to start. I waited a couple of minutes and tried again and it cranked enough to start. When I got home, I parked the bike until my new battery arrives tomorrow. Not taking any chances of being stranded.

I guess I'll get that battery tester in another two and a half years...

Recently, Lee and Anton had quite the discussion on battery testers, in another thread. I'm still trying to digest the outcome......
 
Can anyone tell me what the best battery at batteries + I would buy for my 2012 r1200gs? The bike is on a tender when not being ridden with the exception of more than a few days on a trip.

Thanks
 
Whew, my '16 RT's battery was replaced right at 36month just because. I know they can last longer, but I'm good w/ routine replacements at 3y regardless of condition. They're so cheap relatively speaking.

About eight years ago I stopped using Westco AGM batteries in my bikes after a series of catastrophic failures - i.e. without warning. I would park a bike overnight and the next morning the battery would be totally dead. With one bike I stopped at a convenience store for less then five minutes only to find the battery so low I could only push start the bike.

So, I switched to Odyssey batteries and have experienced excellent life and performance from four bikes. I have replaced two so far: one was right at eight years old, and the other seven. Both gave me plenty of warning by not keeping a charge over time. Based on my experience, I test and monitor my batteries, but only replace for cause.
 
...So, I switched to Odyssey batteries and have experienced excellent life and performance from four bikes. I have replaced two so far: one was right at eight years old, and the other seven. Both gave me plenty of warning by not keeping a charge over time. Based on my experience, I test and monitor my batteries, but only replace for cause.

I would have gotten an Odyssey if they had one for the wethead RT, but they don't.
 
About eight years ago I stopped using Westco AGM batteries in my bikes after a series of catastrophic failures - i.e. without warning. I would park a bike overnight and the next morning the battery would be totally dead. With one bike I stopped at a convenience store for less then five minutes only to find the battery so low I could only push start the bike.

There are folks on this list that have worked for battery makers, or battery vendors that know more about batteries than I do. But I consider myself, for unfortunate reasons, to be an expert on battery failures. Battery failures come in two basic types: chemical failure and mechanical or physical failure.

What Greg has discovered on his way to becoming an expert is that many of today's little motorcycle batteries are mechanically fragile. They can be a fully workable battery, ie proper voltage, plenty of amperes one minute, and become a paper weight in an instant. This is because plate connectors or inter-cell connectors fracture inside the battery. At that point usually turning the key discloses that the battery is dead.

On these "broken" batteries sometimes a volt meter will fool a person into thinking the battery is OK. On a couple of occasions in my very own shop a volt meter said the battery was at 12.7 or 12.9 volts. But when I attached just a test light (tail light bulb) the voltage dropped to a less that half a volt. The fracture would pass a minuscule amount of current to allow the voltmeter to determine voltage but as soon as a "load" was attached the fracture could not carry the current.

There are really at least two types of chemical battery failure. For a lack of technical knowledge I call them "normal" slow deterioration, and fast "stupid" deterioration. Usually somewhere between 3 and 10 years batteries just get tired. I am told the typical cause is sulfation of the plates but I almost flunked chemistry.

What I have become, over my 61 years of two-wheel travel, is a somewhat accomplished expert in "stupid" fast battery destruction. This is because sometimes, but not always, once a battery is discharged too far it won't, using normal means, recover and take a usable full charge. For example, if you park in a detached shop building at noon, leave the key on, close the door, and don't come back for several days you might have killed the battery dead forever. Or a week of leaving a GPS turned on can do the same thing. Or park an Airhead with the key in the "parking light" position for a few days. These are just a few of the examples that have lead to my expertise.

There are on the Internet several bits of wisdom, or not, which describe ways to restore worn out batteries to good health. My all time favorite old husband's tale applies to wet cell lead acid batteries. The prescription is to add one or two aspirin tablets to each cell. Exactly what acetylsalicylic acid is supposed to do to sulfated lead plates escapes me but I am not a chemist. In any event this is useless for modern valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) sealed AGM and Gel type batteries.

Other Internet prescriptions include various regimens of charge-discharge-recharge procedures at various voltages and charge rates. I tried a couple of these once and all I accomplished was to delay me getting out the credit card and buying a new battery for a week or so. For others these may work. I took wood working in high school shop and almost flunked Chemistry 201.
 
There are folks on this list that have worked for battery makers, or battery vendors that know more about batteries than I do. But I consider myself, for unfortunate reasons, to be an expert on battery failures. Battery failures come in two basic types: chemical failure and mechanical or physical failure.

What Greg has discovered on his way to becoming an expert is that many of today's little motorcycle batteries are mechanically fragile. They can be a fully workable battery, ie proper voltage, plenty of amperes one minute, and become a paper weight in an instant. This is because plate connectors or inter-cell connectors fracture inside the battery. At that point usually turning the key discloses that the battery is dead.

On these "broken" batteries sometimes a volt meter will fool a person into thinking the battery is OK. On a couple of occasions in my very own shop a volt meter said the battery was at 12.7 or 12.9 volts. But when I attached just a test light (tail light bulb) the voltage dropped to a less that half a volt. The fracture would pass a minuscule amount of current to allow the voltmeter to determine voltage but as soon as a "load" was attached the fracture could not carry the current.

There are really at least two types of chemical battery failure. For a lack of technical knowledge I call them "normal" slow deterioration, and fast "stupid" deterioration. Usually somewhere between 3 and 10 years batteries just get tired. I am told the typical cause is sulfation of the plates but I almost flunked chemistry.

What I have become, over my 61 years of two-wheel travel, is a somewhat accomplished expert in "stupid" fast battery destruction. This is because sometimes, but not always, once a battery is discharged too far it won't, using normal means, recover and take a usable full charge. For example, if you park in a detached shop building at noon, leave the key on, close the door, and don't come back for several days you might have killed the battery dead forever. Or a week of leaving a GPS turned on can do the same thing. Or park an Airhead with the key in the "parking light" position for a few days. These are just a few of the examples that have lead to my expertise.

There are on the Internet several bits of wisdom, or not, which describe ways to restore worn out batteries to good health. My all time favorite old husband's tale applies to wet cell lead acid batteries. The prescription is to add one or two aspirin tablets to each cell. Exactly what acetylsalicylic acid is supposed to do to sulfated lead plates escapes me but I am not a chemist. In any event this is useless for modern valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) sealed AGM and Gel type batteries.

Other Internet prescriptions include various regimens of charge-discharge-recharge procedures at various voltages and charge rates. I tried a couple of these once and all I accomplished was to delay me getting out the credit card and buying a new battery for a week or so. For others these may work. I took wood working in high school shop and almost flunked Chemistry 201.

+1

I was told by several other "experts" that internal mechanical failure as you described was the cause for the sudden Westco failures. Odyssey claims to be designed for high vibration environments, and so far so good.

The Odysseys are a deep discharge battery, which they claim can be brought back to full service life if you use one of their chargers. I manged to flatten at least three Odysseys doing stupid stuff you described: accessories left on, etc., and using their charger got full performance and life back. Just another data point.
 
My old battery had the BMW logo and part number, and Exide as the manufacturer, 16 Ah.
I replaced it with a Yuasa GYZ16H.

Checking the Yuasa website looking at their application PDF i found the following...
R1200RT ’14-’18 – YTX20CH-BS YTX16-BS –

The first is a "high performance AGM battery and the second plain old "AGM". Can anyone confirm these are indeed correct replacements for my 2016 R1200RT?
Revzilla recommends the yuasa YTX16-BS AGM for the bike- which comports with the Yuasa site- just checking with those who have done it!
 
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