Originally Posted by Rocker B

I had the same problem when I first got the Rocker Sarah. I now keep both bikes on tenders all the time when not being ridden, even if it's only going to be for one day. I've heard that also really helps to lengthen battery life. The battery I'm replacing is 7 yrs. old and still working fine....I'm really not expecting a big improvement in discharge rate with the lithium vs. lead-acid. With the parasitic draws our bikes have, like the security system or even the clock on the speedo, both will need a tender if sitting for a while. But, unlike lead-acid, a lithium battery will hold a charge for a year or more with no draw on it, so disconnecting the negative battery cable would also work if the bike wasn't going to be ridden for a while.

Originally Posted by Rocker B

Your very welcome duluth!!
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It was too late to edit it, but there was another point that I should have touched on in the post below, and that's cost difference between lithium and lead-acid batteries.

While the initial cost of a lithium battery is 2-3 times that of a traditional lead-acid, many of the manufactures state that their lithium's will last up to 2X longer than a lead-acid battery, and from what testing results I could find, that seems to be true. So for me, the longer life, combined with all the other advantages, justified the cost of a lithium over the traditional lead-acid battery.

Originally Posted by Rocker B

My rear LED's are 3 function run/brake/turn, and also have 3 wires. I just tied both hot wires together, and connected each side to the green wires (that went to each original bullet), and connected the ground wires. Thunderbike says the lights I have won't function as run/brake/ turn, but with the Badlands module, and wired this way, I do get all 3 functions.

If you get 3 function run/brake/turn out of your current Breakout light, I would think connecting the bullets to the same power source would give you the same result, if not, then I would try combining the hot wires and connecting each bullet individually to the original left and right green wire.

Originally Posted by Rocker B

So it's time to change out the battery... I decided to check out lithium batteries and ended up going with a Shorai model LFX36L3-BS12!! Figured I'd share my findings, and the reasons why I choose it.

The lithium's are more powerful, smaller and WAY lighter than lead-acid, and will give me more space for my FP3 and Badlands turn signal module, which are crammed in pretty tight right now.

I started out just comparing cca, price, and dimensions, but after doing some research, I found out that the amp hour rating (AHr) can be as important as the cca, if not more so!! I learned that the lower the batteries resistance, the more efficiently it can flow a large current (amperage) for a short time, which is needed to start the bike. All things being equal, the more AHr capacity the battery has, the lower it's resistance will be, making it better/more able to crank under higher loads. Also, the higher the Ahr, the longer the battery will hold a charge sitting, with no tender/charger, when a there's a parasitic draw, which all newer bikes have.

Also, CCA's should be factored with the amount of volts the battery actually delivers when cranking (5 sec crank rating). When shopping on-line, I found lithium manufacturers like to highlight the cca rating and price, but, it's harder to find the volt crank rating. Most all lithium batteries put out more volts when cranking then lead-acid, but some do better then others, Shorai LFX is excellent and had the highest rating I could find, all their batteries are rated to deliver 9V for a 5 sec. crank at the cca rated current, and they actually average higher over a 30 sec. crank!! At actual cranking current the Shorai puts out about 2 more volts then a lead-acid, and according to their site, in reality you can multiply their LFX batteries CCA rating by 1.5, so even their 270cca rated battery would provide the same cranking voltage as a 405cca rated lead-acid.... That would mean the 540cca model I ordered, will be equivalent to a 810cca lead-acid!!

Below I've listed (6) similar models, of the more popular brands I compared, and ranked them from worst to 1st, (in my opinion). I included the lowest price I could find, specs, and pros/cons showing the reason I ranked them where I did.... The Shorai is ordered, I'll post some before and after pics, that should show the extra space I gain after install!!

Rank/Brand

#6 EarthX:
Model: ETX36C
Best price:$349
cca: 320
AHr: 12.4
Wt/lbs: 3.9
Warranty: 1 yr.
Pros: Made in USA
Cons: Highest priced (+$100 higher then comps), ONLY 320cca, low AHr, 1yr. WNTY.

#5 Ballistic:
Model: 103-014
Best price: $244
cca: 480
AHr: 9.2
Wt/lbs: 3.5
Warranty: 3yr.
Pros: Mid-priced, 8yr. track record (2010), 3yr. WNTY. Made in USA
Cons: Lowest AHr (only 9.2)

#4 BikeMaster:
Model: DLFP20HL-BS
Best price $150
cca: 500
AHr: 10
Wt/lbs: 4.9
Warranty: 2yr
Pros: Lowest priced (-$100 lower than comps), 500cca
Cons: AHr very low (10), Made in CHINA, only 3yr. track record

#3 Anti Gravity:
Model: AG1601
Best price $255
cca: 480
AHr: 16
WT/lbs: 3.25
Warranty: 3yr.
Pros: Mid-priced, Smallest, lightest, Made in USA
Cons: 16AHr (better them most, but still not good)

#2 Deltran/BatteryTender:
Model: BLT35A480C
Best price $210
cca: 480
AHr: 26
Wt/lbs: 3.75
Warranty 3yr.
Pros: Good value, lower price, AHr better than most, 3yr WNTY. Made in USA
Cons: Only 3+ yr. track record

#1 Shorai:
Model: LFX36L3-BS12
Best price: $255
cca: 540
AHr: 36
WT/lbs: 4.8
Warranty: 3yr.
Pros: Mid-priced, highest CCA rating, highest AHr, highest 5 sec crank rating, 3 yr. WNTY, 8 yr. track record since 2010, Made in USA
Cons: 4.8 lbs, a little heavier then some.... Really only a con if your looking to shave every ounce off the bike, I think the higher AHr is well worth the extra pound!!

Originally Posted by Rocker B

I also ordered a lithium specific maintainer/charger, I wasn't sure if a regular lead-acid charger or my "Battery Tender" was alright to use or not, so I looked into it and here's what I learned.

Regular lead-acid chargers/tenders can be used for charging, as long as they DON"T have a desulfation mode, but they should be disconnected after the battery is fully charged, because, most won't maintain the proper voltage for lithium battery storage. They keep the battery charged to 100% capacity (or close to it), and the ideal range for lithium-iron battery storage is 60%-80% capacity, as it will lengthen it's life span. Most lithium maintainer/chargers with a maintain or store mode will do this, and I found them for as little $30, but the better ones will also have cell balancing capabilities. The cell balancing is also important because if a lithium battery is ever deeply discharged, ONLY a lithium charger WITH cell balancing will bring it back. So, while a lithium specific charger isn't a must, I think it's worth the investment to keep a lithium battery properly maintained and get the most out of it.

With that said, I went ahead and ordered (and already received) the Shorai Charge and Store Battery Management System. I found it for $66.00 on Ebay, it has the features I listed, plus cell diagnostics, and is about the same price or less then other brands with similar features. It's brand specific, and has a tender cable that plugs directly into a port on Shorai batteries, so no wires run to the terminals. Also, when a charged battery is placed in store mode, it will actually discharge the battery down to 80% capacity, then shut off until it drops to 60% before charging back to 80%, where as most other lithium tenders just wait for the battery to hit 60%, then charge it back to 80%.