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Battery for 1983 R100RS

217don

Member
Any suggestions for a good source for a battery for my 1983 R100RS? In the past, I have found that batteries listed for the bike at my local BMW dealer are a bit too tall.

Jim O.
#7935
 
An OEM battery too tall? Seems unusual to me. What batteries have you been running the past? Why not just continue using those?
 
An OEM battery too tall? Seems unusual to me. What batteries have you been running the past? Why not just continue using those?
The bike's in a storage unit so I'll have to check the battery manufacturer. Battery is held in place with two threaded posts on either end and a metal bar that goes across the top of the battery and is secured to the posts. Some modern batteries fit in the bike but are too tall for the metal plate to be screwed in place.
 
I have more or less the same set up in my /7. I've been running a wet-cell battery in it from BMW for years. Mareg I think is the name. There are aftermarket batteries which are the same dimensions of it. It's a tight fit, but I've just learned to live with it every 5-6 years.

I wonder if the metal bar in your case can be flipped upside to down to work better? Or can you fashion a bar of your own that has an offset built into it to fit. Certainly if you find other batteries that are less than the original size, you will need to add spacers of wood or hard plastic to ensure that the battery stays secure. Snowbum has an article about batteries on his website:


In the middle of the page he has a section called "What to Purchase". Might be a good place to start.
 
I got one from a Canadian company and it fit pretty well. You should be able to find one pretty easily.
 
$75 and free shipping to your door:


150,000+ transactions and 99.5% satisfaction. Chrome battery is my go-to place for bike batteries.

Verify it fits your bike before ordering.
 
I have more or less the same set up in my /7. I've been running a wet-cell battery in it from BMW for years. Mareg I think is the name. There are aftermarket batteries which are the same dimensions of it. It's a tight fit, but I've just learned to live with it every 5-6 years.

I wonder if the metal bar in your case can be flipped upside to down to work better? Or can you fashion a bar of your own that has an offset built into it to fit. Certainly if you find other batteries that are less than the original size, you will need to add spacers of wood or hard plastic to ensure that the battery stays secure. Snowbum has an article about batteries on his website:


In the middle of the page he has a section called "What to Purchase". Might be a good place to start.
Actually I do have to flip the hold down bar over to get it to work.... and was thinking of getting just a flat bar to use. I was hoping someone had run across a battery that fits.
 
$75 and free shipping to your door:


150,000+ transactions and 99.5% satisfaction. Chrome battery is my go-to place for bike batteries.

Verify it fits your bike before ordering.
Thanks, good suggestion. Many BMW's are listed on the application list but for some reason the 83 R100RS is not listed....
 
I've been using these in my bikes since 2012. They're a tiny bit taller than the stock battery but it works if you flip the top clip over so it's concave from the top. And this pic demonstrates the really really really cool feature of them:

Edgar109-XL.jpg


Yes, just a bit narrower than stock so it fits from above. No need to disassemble the airbox for install/removal. At least after the first time. In the pic I've backed out the right subframe bolt for clearance. Some bikes need that, some don't. AGM from Interstate.
 
These batteries shown above have different terminals than my stock /7 battery cables. What does one do there? Have to buy new/different cables as well? :dunno
 
I've used what I presume are stock cables. The bike in the pic probably had the OG battery from 1978 when I got it. 6 mm screws that thread in from above. On my /6 I had to reorient the cable ends from vertical to horizontal. Old battery on that one was a Yuasa.
 
My OEM battery has the holes coming in from the sides. The lugs stick straight up and the holes point to each other. My battery cable has a flange soldered to the end that would definitely not work with these batteries. I think I found my original cable and it just has lugs on either end, so I guess that would have worked. But for some reason the new one I bought (ground cable) has this extra flange. See the picture...this is the negative terminal, the front of the bike is to the right. Not sure why the extra flange is there...maybe to provide more mating area with the battery post?
 

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