Battery Replacement

[gregu]

Greetings. For the 2020 R1250RT the OEM battery is #61218531121 at $179. Specs I found: 16 amp/hr at 200 amps (CCA?), 150x87x161 mm (LxWxH).
I have not found much more info on the OEM.
My battery is 3 years old with 6,400 miles and I use a Battery Tender brand float charger. Connected GS-911 yesterday for tuning and had to connect my good ol 40 yr old Sears battery charger set on 2 amps to keep the battery at proper voltage for the HEX scans and resets. My former 07 RT ran for 7-9 years on aftermarket batteries - an Odyssey and a Battery Tender brand (slightly larger but fit in nicely with higher CCA). I'm not impressed with OEM for 3 years.
Questions:
1. Is a local O'Reilly a good source to load test the RT battery?
2. Is there a better way to load test in the home garage? I'd rather not load test it dead on the road
3. A little research is showing wethead and shifthead take the same size battery. True?
4. Yuasa battery # YTX20CH-BS should fit. Anyone confirm?
5. What other batteries do ya'll like?
Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Omega Man]

Keeping it simple, time for a new battery.
OM

 

[pauls1150]

re: Question #1 - I've taken a few batteries (bike and car) over to my local O'Reilly's for a load test, and they always want to give it a bit of a boost first. Huh?? I tell them NO, I want to see the battery's response in its "Present" condition.

re: Question #4 - I can't speak for the part number (never had a wet- or shifthead), but I've NEVER had an "issue" with any Yuasa battery I've bought in the past 40 years or so ("wet" and AGM); they lasted long enough and gave plenty of warning before they died.

Many people love Odyssey batteries, but they're more expensive, need a "special" charger (and some bikes won't keep them full up), and I don't want to dicker with adapting the cable lugs to the battery.
(Side note - When I was employed in aerospace electronics, we had HUGE back-up generators/uninterruptible power supplies with Odyssey batteries in them - no issues.)

 

[craydds]

Keeping it simple, time for a new battery.
OM

OM speaks the truth. See info from Dr. Boxflyer : https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...ry-Info-for-R1200RT-WetHead-R1250RT-ShiftHead .

 

[20774]

Actually, isn't trying to start your bike a "load test"? I'd put a voltmeter across the battery terminals and monitor the voltage when hitting the start button. If the voltage drops well below 10v, that's a bad battery...or a large draw somewhere else. If the voltage doesn't change much, then there's some kind of disconnect between the battery and the starter.

 

[gregu]

Volt meter and start...THAT's the load test I couldn't remember, thanks. OM is correct...but I retired and trying to delay the inevitable. Thanks again.

 

[Omega Man]

A lot is expected of these batteries. I only personally know of a power-sports battery that lasted 4 times as long as it really should have.

From the F-Twins Index- https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?78486-The-F-Twin-Index

Here is a thread on an unexpected, short life of one of these batteries-

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?52968-My-battery-died-yesterday

If you are testing, usually any kind of real draw-down past 9.2 volts- or so, the bike wonders what you are trying to do to it.

I'm pretty good at self rescue but you will be able to see that an operable battery went from "good" to a "black hole" not even allowing a routine jump/boost.

OM

 

[gregu]

Agree with ALL of the dead battery stories...been there myself. Now, a final word on replacement for the R1250RT battery.

My 3 year OEM battery had 12.8 volts at rest and 9.8 volts to start. Shut down and re-start drops to 9.0 volts. Time for a new battery.

Yuasa has claim to biggest, longest running battery manufacturer. For the R1250RT...GYZ16H is the replacement at $161-179. (16 amp/hr; 240 CCA)
Yuasa has a utility division called Moose. Exact same battery but markets toward other powersports. The GYZ16H is $165 at Parts Unlimited.

Moose YTX20CH-BS is 18 amp/hr; 270 CCA for $105 at Parts Unlimited. My local BMW dealer honored the PU price. The YTX is 6mm shorter, so it fits in the battery box under the Negative wire easier AND the battery box cover clips on easier because you can lift the battery slightly.
- Follow the acid fill and charging instructions and you have a day one fresh battery = 13.02 volts at rest; 12.6 volts w/lights; 10.6 volts w/start.

I called Yuasa Technical Dept. in Pennsylvania. He had some interesting insights:
- Buy Yuasa or Moose from a dealer and it carries a 1 year warranty. Yuasa requires the dealer to cycle Yuasa charged batteries so they are fairly fresh. Moose is fresh when the customer chooses to fill and charge it. Yuasa honors warranty claims made through the dealers.
- Yuasa does not sell to Amazon. Therefore, Yuasa does not warrant the battery...if you buy it from Amazon, it will be between you and Amazon.
(Personally, another of my plugs to buy local and made in USA.)
- Concerning Chrome Pro (etc.) vs. Yuasa/Moose. When Yuasa designs a battery, it has to hit the specified CCA on the first 3 starts. Other batteries only need to hit the CCA once to get the rating.
- Concerning float chargers. Yuasa tested 5 brands and none of them passed their tests. However, he said to use a reputable float charger daily when parked, test battery volts at the tender clip monthly (>13.0 v), and the battery should last >3 yr. If monthly test shows less volts, replace the tender.

Personally, I use a tender on all of my bikes and get 5-9 years on the batteries. Hope this helps.

 

[Omega Man]

Nice to have the followup info.

OM