Battery

[Guest]

I just traded for my new baby, a 1977 Suzuki GS400! My little one needs some juice and I'm not sure which way to go. I have looked around on Ebay and I see you can get a regular or agm for my bike. What do you guys think?

[koolaid_kid]

Absolutely get an AGM. Comes fully charged, no leakage, lasts many years. Well worth the premium price. Do not get a GEL battery, it is old technology. And lead acid, forget it. Too messy, does not last
very long.
And congrats on the new bike.

[Steve]

And lead acid, forget it. Too messy, does not last very long.

Technically speaking, the AGM is still "lead acid".

The AGM is, however, a much better technology and construction. Because it is sealed, it will not boil over, messing up your paint on the frame. Because of its construction, the plates can be thinner, allowing more of them for better capacity.

Yes, definitely worth the extra money.

I get mine at Batteries Plus. They have two models there, I get the X2 version, which has a two-year warranty.

.

[tkent02]

What they said, plus we need pictures of the 400?

[Crankthat]

+ one on the AGM! Great long lasting battery Extra money spent but well worth the price.

[Mysuzyq]

Technically speaking, the AGM is still "lead acid".

The AGM is, however, a much better technology and construction. Because it is sealed, it will not boil over, messing up your paint on the frame. Because of its construction, the plates can be thinner, allowing more of them for better capacity.

Yes, definitely worth the extra money.

I get mine at Batteries Plus. They have two models there, I get the X2 version, which has a two-year warranty..

How long do these (X2) last, on average? My 2 year old MotoBat is giving up the ghost, and I'll need a new battery next season......disappointing, as the previous Yuasa AGM lasted 7 years, and was still working (albeit sluggishly) when removed.

[Steve]

If the charging system is not operating properly they only last a little bit longer than a flooded battery, but if the charging system is good, it will be several years.

I know that using my Wing as an example is not quite the same, but it is a motorcycle (sort of). Yeah, it has a monster alternator, not a stator and R/R setup, but I just changed my battery at the first of this riding season. The battery that I took out was one that I had installed just a few months after I got the bike (October, 2005), so the battery was there for 7 years.

We have done some shuffling with our GS batteries, so I have lost track of how long any particular battery has been around, let alone which bike it was in. Can't remember if we got a battery this year or not, there was one last year and one the year before. For five bikes (down to four, now), that's not too bad.

.

[koolaid_kid]

The Yuasa AGM that came in my GS lasted 7 years before I needed to replace it.

[Notz]

+1 on AGM
I bought one from this ebay seller about 6 months ago for $40.00 delivered.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Motorcycle-Parts-/10063/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_ssn=1st_web_sales

[pete]

I'm about to try my first Motobatt... my cheapy lead acid has finally carked (having to trickle charge it every night at the moment) so I just ordered on online. $79 including postage which is cheap over here...