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Battery Life

rick601 said:
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!
Click to expand...

I bought, activated, charged, and installed the YTX20CH-BS in my 2016 RT this week. It is the same size as the factory battery, but has better specs 270 CCA / 18 Ah vs 200 CCA / 16 Ah. When I hit the start button the engine really spins over now!

I bought from AtBatt.com and got it super cheap (~$87 shipped)
 
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FWIW, it’s good to check on the manufacturer date when bringing in date sensitive products. Toner is something I have frequently found shipped “expired”. Even tires :eek
OM
 
Omega Man said:
FWIW, it’s good to check on the manufacturer date when bringing in date sensitive products. Toner is something I have frequently found shipped “expired”. Even tires :eek
OM
Click to expand...


I got this battery for my 2015 R1200GS: https://www.yuasabatteries.com/batt...r=2015&vehicle_model=r1200gs&vehicle_id=31898

I got it from Amazon for less than $70. I know what date it was activated since it came with an acid pack that I added to the battery to activate it. It is slightly taller than the OEM battery which was also a Yuasa. I removed the foam spacer block that was under the OEM battery to fit the new, taller battery.

Happy so far.

Harry
 
AKsuited said:
I got this battery for my 2015 R1200GS: https://www.yuasabatteries.com/batt...r=2015&vehicle_model=r1200gs&vehicle_id=31898

I got it from Amazon for less than $70. I know what date it was activated since it came with an acid pack that I added to the battery to activate it. It is slightly taller than the OEM battery which was also a Yuasa. I removed the foam spacer block that was under the OEM battery to fit the new, taller battery.

Happy so far.

Harry
Click to expand...

Was your OEM battery lead-acid or a gel or AGM?
 
AKsuited said:
I got this battery for my 2015 R1200GS: https://www.yuasabatteries.com/batt...r=2015&vehicle_model=r1200gs&vehicle_id=31898

I got it from Amazon for less than $70. I know what date it was activated since it came with an acid pack that I added to the battery to activate it. It is slightly taller than the OEM battery which was also a Yuasa. I removed the foam spacer block that was under the OEM battery to fit the new, taller battery.

Happy so far.

Harry
Click to expand...

The wethead GS, RS And R take a slightly smaller battery than the RT (according to Yuasa)

YUASA Batteries for R1200Rt.pdf.png
 
alegerlotz said:
I bought, activated, charged, and installed the YTX20CH-BS in my 2016 RT this week. It is the same size as the factory battery, but has better specs 270 CCA / 18 Ah vs 200 CCA / 16 Ah. When I hit the start button the engine really spins over now!

I bought from AtBatt.com and got it super cheap (~$87 shipped)
Click to expand...
It's good to know that they now have a higher power battery. The one I got last year was a GYZ16H and it works fine.
 
patm said:
It's good to know that they now have a higher power battery. The one I got last year was a GYZ16H and it works fine.
Click to expand...

I am suspicious of "high power" batteries when the case size is the same. Why, you ask. Because I don't think they change the fundamental chemistry. They do increase the plate surface area. How you ask? By using more but thinner plates. And it is those thin plates that make them fragile, which leads to or contributes to the fractured plate connectors which cause the symptom of sudden death. I have no data to prove this opinion. But logic tells me it is true.
 
PGlaves said:
I am suspicious of "high power" batteries when the case size is the same. Why, you ask. Because I don't think they change the fundamental chemistry. They do increase the plate surface area. How you ask? By using more but thinner plates. And it is those thin plates that make them fragile, which leads to or contributes to the fractured plate connectors which cause the symptom of sudden death. I have no data to prove this opinion. But logic tells me it is true.
Click to expand...

the YTX14H-BS and GYZ16H are both physically smaller than the YTX20CH-BS
 
alegerlotz said:
the YTX14H-BS and GYZ16H are both physically smaller than the YTX20CH-BS
Click to expand...

So it isn't actually a higher power battery being just a bigger battery. In most cases they don't leave room for bigger batteries in motorcycles. The K75 and K100 excepted.
 
PGlaves said:
So it isn't actually a higher power battery being just a bigger battery. In most cases they don't leave room for bigger batteries in motorcycles. The K75 and K100 excepted.
Click to expand...

The stock wethead RT battery something like 200 CCA and 14 Ah.

The YTX14H-BS is 240 CCA 12 Ah and smaller than the stock wethead RT battery.

The GYZ16H is 240 CCA 16 Ah and smaller than the stock wethead RT battery.

The YTX20CH-BS is 270 CCA 18 Ah and the same physical size as the stock wethead RT battery.

So of the Yuasa choices, the more power (CCA and Ah) the bigger the battery.

The YTX20CH-BS is the same physical size as the stock wethead RT battery, but with more CCA and Ah. Yes, to your point from early these two are the same size, but one has more power. It might just be because the Yuasa has a more modern/efficient design. Everything else in the world is getting smaller and/or more powerful. Why not vehicle batteries?
 
alegerlotz said:
Everything else in the world is getting smaller and/or more powerful. Why not vehicle batteries?
Click to expand...

I can think of two reasons. Using Lithium chemistry remains somewhat problematic and using conventional chemistry makes them more fragile, which was my earlier point. The breakage problem is well known.
 
PGlaves said:
I can think of two reasons. Using Lithium chemistry remains somewhat problematic and using conventional chemistry makes them more fragile, which was my earlier point. The breakage problem is well known.
Click to expand...

My stock battery crapped out with no notice, so if they're all going to do that these days, then I'll still take the one with more CCA / Ah while its actually working :)

Oh, and since spontaneous combustion is not my idea of a good time, I didn't even entertain the lithium ion batteries.
 
For my 2015 R1200GS, I've just purchased from Batteries & Bulbs + their Extreme AGM Z14S
(this supposedly is one that will fit without removing the foam base isolating pad).

Total with 10% off coupon using on-line purchase, 7% Ohio Tax, $10 core return: $94.99

Will pick-up with social distancing & virus precautions soon, and will report fitment.

The reviews & warranty sold me on this choice, but only time will tell. (so true in everything)


REPORT OF INSTALLMENT: ALL WENT WELL. THIS AGM Z14S WAS WELL CHARGED OUT OF THE BOX. IT FIT EXACTLY LIKE OEM.
 
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Battery Issues

I have a 2014 RTW that I purchased in September 2014 from BMW, after the recalled rear suspension was replaced. I maintain the battery with a trickle charger on a once-a-week, 24 hour cycle.
The original OEM battery took me through November 2018, when I replaced it with a new, dealer-purchased OEM battery. That battery failed and was replaced under warranty in May 2019. Now it's April 2020, and the replacement failed; it too was replaced under warranty.
Max BMW found no issues with the charging system on the bike, and said there are no known RT issues that would compromise battery life. The machine has relatively low mileage and not an excessive, abnormal number of cranks. Low draw accessories - Garmin GPS, PIAA LED running lights, Gerbings and rear Admore lighting - are activated by the ignition key, via factory circuit or through a Fuzeblock.
That being the case, are there known issues with the quality of Exide batteries, or am I just unlucky? Other ideas?
Thanks in advance.
 
lenweiss said:
I have a 2014 RTW that I purchased in September 2014 from BMW, after the recalled rear suspension was replaced. I maintain the battery with a trickle charger on a once-a-week, 24 hour cycle.
The original OEM battery took me through November 2018, when I replaced it with a new, dealer-purchased OEM battery. That battery failed and was replaced under warranty in May 2019. Now it's April 2020, and the replacement failed; it too was replaced under warranty.
Max BMW found no issues with the charging system on the bike, and said there are no known RT issues that would compromise battery life. The machine has relatively low mileage and not an excessive, abnormal number of cranks. Low draw accessories - Garmin GPS, PIAA LED running lights, Gerbings and rear Admore lighting - are activated by the ignition key, via factory circuit or through a Fuzeblock.
That being the case, are there known issues with the quality of Exide batteries, or am I just unlucky? Other ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Were these progressive failures where you had warning (if so, how much), or was the battery good the last time you rode it and then dead, or too weak to start the bike, at the next use? With a decline in performance before failure, I would blame battery general design and materials quality. Sudden failure would indicate inferior internal construction insufficient to resist bike & road vibration resulting in broken plates. It would be some consolation to have some warning, but absolutely unacceptable to experience sudden failure. After two failures of either kind. I would be looking for another brand to try.

Personally, I've had excellent results with Odyssey batteries which I started using over 8 years ago. If they make one to fit your bike I think you will get much better service.
 
Thanks Greg. No obvious progressive issues. There is an on-board voltmeter, which I look at on occasion. Never needed a jump start. The recent failure was over the winter idle, with no issues before the bike's last use. I'm not sure when the battery went bad. It maintained a surface charge of over 14. When I tried to start it recently, the initial load brought it to 12.4, then dwindled to 9.6. Removed from the bike, it reads about 12.4.
If replacement 2.0 has a short life (warranty goes through November 2020), I'll go non-OEM replacement😊
Thanks again.
 
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