What battery to buy?

[earlfor]

Charging rate and electrical system condition have much more to do with battery life than the type of battery. I've had the same sealed gel battery in the 1150 for about 3 1/2 years.

Earl

After listening to opinions and gathering info I went with the $30 Interstate brand from Sam's Club. Gel types run $60-$65 and don't last twice as long as standard types. Since I run PODs it is very easy to check and fill my battery so maintenance isn't much of an issue. My bikes are garage kept and I charge the batteries before storage and again in spring. I just couldn't justify twice the cost.

Joe

[Joe Nardy]

Joe, when you decide let me know. My battery (YB14L-A2) is completely dead, so maybe we'll order together and save some $$.

Regards,

Sorry, Steve. I didn't see this post until today. For what it's worth, Sam's Club had my battery in stock. Wal-Mart did too but it was a few bucks more and some no-name brand (Look closely and you'll see it is made by Exide).

Joe

[kalessin]

By the by, Sears Die-Hard motorcycle batteries are made by Yuasa. $34.99 for the YB14L-A2 for my GS1100GL, but everything seems to be more expensive around Boston.

[Planecrazy]

Bought my last battery from Sam's (mid summer last year), and will probably do it again ... however I just discovered that for some reason three of my six cells are low or dry, so I'll refill and see if the battery takes a charge. I see no reason why it shouldn't, but I definitely have to investigate why they lost fluid in the first place.

I forgot to unplug the fairing at the end of the season, so the phantom power for the radio killed it, but I thought the trickle charger would bring it back. I kind of doubt it would boil off the fluid, but who knows... I'll let you know what happens... By the way, I have no idea if the battery boiled off while I was riding or after I plugged in the trickle charger.

Update 3/28 ... I took another look (with a bright flashlight this time) and discovered that my battery DID have fluid in all three of the chambers that I originally thought had boiled off, so I'm back to having just a dead batter with no mystery to solve...

Regards,

[RobGS850L]

I'm with Earl. I've got 2 yrs. on my jelly filled battery and no probs.

[Boondocks]

After listening to opinions and gathering info I went with the $30 Interstate brand from Sam's Club. Gel types run $60-$65 and don't last twice as long as standard types. Since I run PODs it is very easy to check and fill my battery so maintenance isn't much of an issue. My bikes are garage kept and I charge the batteries before storage and again in spring. I just couldn't justify twice the cost.

Joe

From my post on page 1 of this thread:

I recently bought a Lynn Vick WP14L-2 Sealed AGM Battery at Chaparral Motorsports for $43.99...

That's $14 more than you paid. An AGM battery should last significantly longer than an old style flooded lead-acid motorcycle battery.

[Planecrazy]

Well, I went the BatteryMart route, and ordered a "Big Crank" for $58 including shipping.

The Sams's Club battery I bought last summer should have lasted longer than six months, and I don't feel like dealing with the acid / vent tube issues anymore...

If I had looked a little closer I MIGHT have decided to spring for the $65 Yuasa, only becuase it advertises 10 more CCAmps than the others (200 vs 190), and it advertises one year free replacement warranty.

I think I'll do just fine, though, with the one I ordered...

Regards,

[J_C]

I recently bought a Lynn Vick WP14L-2 Sealed AGM Battery at Chaparral Motorsports for $43.99. I added a Battery Tender Plus for $34.97, five Hiflofiltro Oil Filters @$3.99 each (filters come with 2 O-Rings), and a rear axle clip for 1.69 to bring the total to $100.60. Orders over $100 ship free.

The battery was shipped fully charged, and it works fine. One thing that I did notice is that the packaging listed the battery as 12 AH. The battery configuration chart that I used to order this battery shows a WP14L-2 as being 14AH with 190 CCA. It's a size match for the YB14L-A2. I'm through with flooded batteries, no matter the price. Not ever having to check the electrolyte, greater reliability and longer battery life is worth the extra price to me.

Boondocks, are you happy still with this battery? I need to replace my YB14L-A2, but I wasn't quite sure what you meant in terms of 12AH vs 14AH. Trying to decide if I can save money on this one or if I'll need to buy a more expensive yuasa or similar. Thanks!

[Boondocks]

Boondocks, are you happy still with this battery? I need to replace my YB14L-A2, but I wasn't quite sure what you meant in terms of 12AH vs 14AH. Trying to decide if I can save money on this one or if I'll need to buy a more expensive yuasa or similar. Thanks!

Yes, I'm very pleased with the battery performance. It spins the engine very fast when starting, so fast that it usually starts instantly. Don't worry about the 12AH on the battery packaging. The older method of using AH (ampere hours) for battery capacity has been generally superceded by CCA (cold cranking amps). According to a specification chart that I located for the WP14L-2 battery type, it has a 14AH and 190 CCA rating. The "14" in WP14L-2 is the rated ampere hour capacity at a 10 hour rate. It's a direct replacement for the YB14L-A2 at a very good price for an AGM battery. I'm very happy with it, and it's a good value.

[J_C]

Excellent, thanks! My brand new (to me) GS won't start without a jump from a car, and then it won't idle except on full choke. I figured it's definetely time for a new one. Cheers for the help!

[Joe Nardy]

Excellent, thanks! My brand new (to me) GS won't start without a jump from a car, and then it won't idle except on full choke. I figured it's definetely time for a new one. Cheers for the help!

J_C,

The starting problem is probably battery related. The full choke problem is most likely dirty carbs. I've been there myself...........

Thanks,
Joe

[J_C]

Thanks Joe. I've read a lot in here that it won't idle without a good battery. Since battery is my first task, and carb cleaning/rebuild is up next, I figure I'll nail it either way

[mixongw]

I just got a Dekka sealed battery for mine at the local Yamaha dealer for $54.00.

[Planecrazy]

My new battery arrived today!! Haven't installed it yet, but may do so tonight...

Regards,

[Planecrazy]

Installed it ... turns the bike over quite nicely (although it doesn't want to start -- doh!) One thing you'll want to check is what the terminals look like. On my new battery the terminals are set up to be used in several different configurations (top or side post installation), but because of this they don't allow the original rubber boot to fit over the positive connection.

This isn't a big deal for me, as I can easily fabricate a protective boot, but if you're picky you'll want to make sure the terminals match those of the original...

Regards,