Motorcycle Batteries .. AGM, GEL, Wet, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)

[Global Rider]

Originally Posted by _cy_

it would not be fair to subject batteries to test to destruction conditions. object of course is see how these batteries perform under real world conditions.

Well collisions are real world happenings. It wouldn't be fair to not test them under those conditions. When consumers see how these batteries react to damage, the heat and fire, they will think otherwise.

We just had a company come in and do a presentation of their technology. They are trying to break into the military vehicle 6T battery market . Yup, one of those batteries are the last thing I'd want in an enclosed armoured personnel carrier. It goes off for whatever reason within the compartment, and you get picked off by the enemy while trying to get out.

[_cy_]

just got back from a short 21f degree ride and back home. was looking for an excuse to do a short ride with full heated suit blasting.. to test out new Earth-X ETX24, which did an outstanding job. as it took about 75 seconds cranking to start R80G/S. note this was starting from an unheated garage bike exposed to 21f degree for about 15minutes before starting.

kept the engine rev's up for all of 10 minutes it took to get there. then another 10min back. these LiFePO4 batteries don't have much in reserve amp hour capacities. ETX24 is a bit smaller than what I'm used to running. but it did an excellent job!!

[Global Rider]

Originally Posted by _cy_

just got back from a short 21f degree ride and back home. was looking for an excuse to do a short ride with full heated suit blasting.. to test out new Earth-X ETX24, which did an outstanding job. as it took about 75 seconds cranking to start R80G/S. note this was starting from an unheated garage bike exposed to 21f degree for about 15minutes before starting.

That battery is connected to the charging system, correct?

If it is, it isn't that battery that is doing the job of keeping your full heated suit warm. Its the alternator; either it can keep up to supply the X amps at 14V or it can't.

Note, run your starter in 10 second bursts and not 75 seconds of straight cranking. I know its cold out keeping the starter temperature down, but still.

[_cy_]

Originally Posted by Global Rider

That battery is connected to the charging system, correct?

If it is, it isn't that battery that is doing the job of keeping your full heated suit warm. Its the alternator; either it can keep up to supply the X amps at 14V or it can't.

Note, run your starter in 10 second bursts and not 75 seconds of straight cranking. I know its cold out keeping the starter temperature down, but still.

come on... battery is connected to charging system of bike or it couldn't start. sorry was not more clear, 75 seconds total. actual crank times varied from 3 seconds to about 15 seconds with wait times in between to allow battery to recover and make sure starter armature doesn't melt. G/S charging system is putting out about 400watts and supports heated gear but rev's has to stay up.

purpose of ride last night was to duplicate worst case of long start time, full heated suit and short ride in 20f degree conditions. didn't recharge ETX24 last night.

rolled R80G/S outside at 7:31am... 21f degree outside. getting ready to go again. this time with meters documenting. we'll see how ETX24 cranks....

[_cy_]

Earth-X ETX24 battery measured 13.04v @ 21f this morning after last night's brutal use without allowing enough runtime for R80G/S to charge battery back up. note actual capacity measured by Powerlab8 was about 6.3 amp hours. after battery gets a few cycles, capacity will probably go up some.

ETX24 at 13v is at aprox. 30% charged condition after last night's ride without charging battery. starter draws 181amp then falls... tests are stopped. note this test was designed to highlite a worst case senario of a short ride, hard start, cold conditions without recharging battery. what happens next morning....

we will be doing further tests with ETX24 fully charged under same cold conditions.

[Global Rider]

Originally Posted by _cy_

rolled R80G/S outside at 7:31am... 21f degree outside.

Oh come on, you wuss. Thats not cold!

I used to ride daily to and from work with as much as 12 inches of snow on the ground and down to -23C (-10F). And the battery was a plain old FLA.

[_cy_]

Originally Posted by Global Rider

Oh come on, you wuss. Thats not cold!

I used to ride daily to and from work with as much as 12 inches of snow on the ground and down to -23C (-10F). And the battery was a plain old FLA.

it is for us Okies

Earth-X ETX36C installed in R80G/S ... much more comfortable with a properly sized battery in an Adventure bike!!!

[frogy]

Don't forget about walking to school in 6 foot snow drifts with nothing but shorts and a tank top

[_cy_]

did another Oklahoma wuss night ride ... bad conditions for a battery... cold start at 30f ... full heated gear for about a 20 minute ride to a buddy's house.

parked outside while they welded up a motorcycle carrier.... 3 hours later it was 20f ... Earth-X ETX36C cranked over R80G/S at 20f degree with authority.... 20 minutes to home with full heated gear.

this is where one needs a battery with ample spare amp hours. 20 minutes with full heated suit is not long enough to charge battery back up to full. as alternator is doing good just keeping up with added overhead from heated suit, etc.

next morning ETX 36C had power to spare!!!

[legasea]

After all this reading, my LFX 18 went to live in the K12 where it does it's job nicely.
For the 1150 ADV, I'll wait a bit more as this thread goes and the Exide keeps his power.
Thank you all, battery minded fellows for filling our ignorance.

[_cy_]

Originally Posted by legasea

After all this reading, my LFX 18 went to live in the K12 where it does it's job nicely.
For the 1150 ADV, I'll wait a bit more as this thread goes and the Exide keeps his power.
Thank you all, battery minded fellows for filling our ignorance.

LFX18 is likely too small for BMW 1150 adventure. when battery are sized for when conditions are ideal for battery. ie warm temps and no issues with engine. ie .. engine cranks for about 1 second, fires and starts. then charging system takes over any electrical needs like headlights, heated grips, etc.... battery gets topped off

LiFePO4 battery's tiny amp hour reserve doesn't come into play.... yet. all that changes the first time engine will not start without extended cranking. Let's say your small LiFePO4 battery has an actual capacity of 6 amp hour. compare to BMW gel cell battery of 19 amp hour vs Odyssey AGM 28 amp hour.

ability of LiFePO4 battery to deliver cranking amps is different from that same battery's ability to deliver extended crank times.

this is why for most folks my recommendations is to go with a quality AGM battery for adventure bikes. unless the weight savings is worth the $$$ and trouble to learn LiFePO4 cold start procedures.

Go with Earth-X ETX36 or Shorai LFX36 ... these are two of the largest LiFePO4 motorcycle specific batteries available. actual amp hour measurements are posted a few pages earlier. both ETX36 and LFX36 will deliver monster cranking amps for extended crank times.

Shorai LFX36 has been tested in R80G/S for almost one year. LFX36 has not missed a beat. includes extensive cold crank times. and surviving deadly combo of extended cold starts/heated gear/ short rides times. then have enough reserve amp hour to start R80G/S next morning at 20 degrees.

Earth-X ETX36C is currently in R80G/S. it's performance has been outstanding. lots more winter left to see how ETX36C holds up....

weight comparison: Odyssey AGM 22lbs vs Earth-X ETX36C (3lbs 11oz) or Shorai LFX36 (4lb 14oz)
so we are talking about saving a whopping 18lbs with ETX36C and saving 17lb with LFX36

[_cy_]

li-on battery described below are not Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). which are inherently stable and very hard to cause a fire. unfortunately one cannot say the same for lithium cobalt Li-on batteries.

note lithium polymer batteries can be molded into almost any shape to take advantage of existing space.

----------
Boeing is confirming that a fire on one of its new 787s appears to have started in a battery, as scrutiny of the problem increases.



Also Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said it will send two more investigators to Boston to examine the Japan Airlines plane. The NTSB says the battery had "severe fire damage."

The fire happened on the ground Monday, with no passengers on board. But in-flight fires can be catastrophic, so the matter is getting close scrutiny by aviation authorities.

[GHO100]

Hi all,

i tried to read through this battery thread, but there's so much I get a bit lost.

I've got a Vstrom, DL1000, 2006, and I have no idea what battery to get. I run a decent compliment of stuff, including lights, aftermarket horn and heated gear.

Mind just pointing me to what I should buy? I'll also be at the IMS show here in NYC, and figured there might be some vendor deals on the new tech there.

Thanks,
George

[herrhelmet]

Originally Posted by GHO100

Hi all,

i tried to read through this battery thread, but there's so much I get a bit lost.

I've got a Vstrom, DL1000, 2006, and I have no idea what battery to get. I run a decent compliment of stuff, including lights, aftermarket horn and heated gear.

Mind just pointing me to what I should buy? I'll also be at the IMS show here in NYC, and figured there might be some vendor deals on the new tech there.

Thanks,
George

For the EarthX is the ETX18C. PM sent.

[_cy_]

strangest weather... 62f degree at mid-night January 11, Tulsa, OK