smallest dimention 12ah bettery that isn't lithium???

[pawn]

AGM? I'm looking for a 12ah battery in a small as possible, non-lithium package. Any suggestions? I'd like it to be shallow because my flat seatpan requires it in the stock battery box (cb450 for anyone who remembers me on here.)

 

[Ringo]

Have you considered lithium-IRON? It's worlds better/safer than lithium-ion. Shorai makes a good example. They're not exactly cheap, but they weigh nothing and can be tiny.

 

[Big R]

I agree.

I have a 12ah Shorai battery on my 650 - it's about the size of two soda cans, and weighs around 1.5 pounds. Heck, the box it came in (with all the foam padding) was still smaller than my stock battery.

 

[Tim]

I'm pretty sure Pawn means Shorai, Ballistic etc. when he's asking for a non-Lithium suggestion

That being said, not sure there are going to be many good options in a battery of that capacity that aren't the new-fangled lithium type. Even Shorai and Ballistic batteries would be kind of thick, but there are other configurations done by other companies.

Not sure I understand where you want to put it. You say it has to go in the stock battery box but I'm thinking that I'm misreading that.

 

[pawn]

Thanks.

Yeah Tim, in the stock battery location under the seat. The stock seat pan on a cb450 is a pressed pan with about an inch or so of rise from the frame rails whereas my bench seat that I made is flat against the rails. The stock 12ah battery sat right at the rail and the posts went above, so I got a 6ah battery and used that for the past two years. I just want a 12ah battery now...and I haven't kept my mind on motorcycles because I've been crazy busy with raising my son and starting a business that I have only cobwebs where my motorcycle knowledge once resided!

I recall a thread somewhere talking about the lithium battery not being too great for an older cb. Is this just me and my imagination, or is there truth to that?

 

[Big R]

There was a thread by T71ford about his Shorai causing a fire, but their entire line of batteries has been re-engineered. The president of the company even signed up to explain the changes.

There are pros and cons to any battery, but that thread was the only "extreme" I can think of.

 

[pawn]

i remember that one. They bought the bike right, or sent him a check covering the losses as well as giving a new battery to test?

I meant, or at least I vaguely recall a thread (maybe it was on hondatwins) that said the cb's charging system would not keep the Lithium-ion batteries recharging. That was why I was looking for a non-lithium alternative. If I am totally wrong about that, then I would definitely like to know where the best prices can be had for a shorai.

 

[Ringo]

Yeah, re Tim's response...most people don't seem to understand the difference between lithium iron and ion, and tend to frown on both because of the latter's shortcomings. I try to differentiate between the two and present lithium iron as a great replacement. I'm a big fan of the tech, after Tyler's success, and running it in the Gulf.

I would never run lithium ION in any of my bikes...!

You should ask t71ford what size Shorai he's running in his vtr1000. It's tiny! Much smaller than the one we put in the gulf bike for some reason.

 

[pawn]

Thanks Ringo. I'm guilty of not being aware there was a l-iron option. Now that I think of it, I swear I recall it being spoken of on here in the past, but maybe it was before they were on the market. I swear I need to start paying more attention.

 

[Ringo]

It's really easy to overlook that little r. ;D

I think Tyler had to correct me a half dozen times before I actually got it.

 

[Tim]

Near as I can find, the dimensions of the stock battery are 6 wide x 3.5 deep x 3.75 tall.


Is that about right? So a battery with a footprint of 6 x 3.5 but about 2.5 inches high?


I think Lithium batteries don't react well to higher voltages - i.e. over 14v. So you want a good regulator/rectifier setup. I've been running a small Shorai on my XS with an integrated reg/rec unit all year with no problems.


Shorai batteries come in 6 different sizes, with different A/Hr available in each size.

 

[pawn]

off the top of my head I can't recall. I will wheel the bike out in the morning and check. It sounds about right though.

 

[pawn]

well I don't have a stock battery, I'm running a 6ah right now, and it is 4" deep, 4.25 long and shy of 3" wide. I guess the shorai l-iron in the case 2 will work. Where do you all order your batteries from...or do you just rely on a local shop? Any good online source for batteries?

 

[Tim]

I bought mine locally. If you can run a 4 inch tall battery now, you should be able to run a stock size inexpensive AGM battery. The Shorai will set you back $150 or so I think vs. $40 for a basic AGM.

 

[pawn]

thanks Tim!

 

[Rich Ard]

I run a 4-cell lithium iron battery in my CB450 - if you're concerned about your charging system, you can replace the rect/reg with a modern unit for about $20.

 

[Rich Ard]

Link: http://www.hondatwins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14530

 

[teddpage]

I cant remember the exact battery i used on my cb450, but i went to batterystuff.com and searched for a battery with similar characteristics to the stock one, but smaller size. I ended up with a scorpion AGM battery and its been working fine for me now for 2 seasons. I keep the bike on a trickle charger if i know i wont be riding for a few weeks and its been fine.
If i remember tomorrow i'll grab the numbers off of it fer ya.

 

[rabies]

you can always make your own battery.
or use a regulated 14v laptop battery...... 8)

 

[Big-D]

Thanks for the info guys. Im looking into which battery to use on my KZ as well. I really want to go with a 4-cell but want to make sure it will be able to start my KZ since its an electric start. Any ideas?