Has anyone tried a lithium battery in their bike yet? Bikemaster lists one that has 625 cca. Kinda overkill but aleast it should have good reserve power. Wondering if they really last longer than lead/acid batteries.

 

I am running a 480 CCA Hard drive WMD in mine. No issues so far. I have about 1000 miles on it.

 

They are as light as love and smaller than stock. I have one that will probably fit a Sporty in my Glide, with 400CCA or thereabout. It hasn't had much use yet, so early days, however only requires a few minutes on it's dedicated tender to bring it up to full charge, after a long layoff.

 

don't think the cost benefit makes sense.

wscott has done alot of the footwork on batteries and cost

my recent replacement was a yuasa for $132

Mike

 

Been looking at them also, need to replace a battery in my SG. Something I wonder about. The lithium batteries all say they require a different charger. Your normal battery tender will damage them. Then how does the charging system of your bike not damage them. Your stator and voltage regulator don't know if its lead acid, AGM, or Lithium that is charging. It just puts out what ever the regulator is set at.

 

I am going to wait a while longer.
Funky things going on with some lithium batteries.
Not ready to seat the jewels right over one just yet.

 

Maybe you can post the model number of the battery you are talking about?
I do not see any Bikemaster Lithium 625 CCA amp batteries and my own feeling is I doubt they exist. Lithium batteries can be weak in the cold and they dont pull good numbers, I suspect why only Cranking AMPs are published.

They do have a 625 CA (cranking amps) and I am sure that is what you may mean. Problem is, many companies looking to make their batteries LOOK more powerful will use the cranking amp figure which is ALWAYS higher then true COLD CRANKING AMPS. Cold cranking amps are the standard by how batteries are measured. Some batteries will post both but if it doesn't contain Cold Cranking Amps I would steer clear of the battery as you have no way to compare.

My own feelings are bikes and most all cars changing systems are designed for plain old lead acid batteries and most efficient using the same, they are not designed for lithium, if you are going to have an issue, it will be with lithium.

Lithium does have its draw backs, such as it will go dead with little to no warning, not as good in cold weather (not as much a concern with bikes but why you will see more of them with just "CC" = Cranking AMPs listed and not the tougher CCA = Cold Cranking Amps.
There is one place where lithium can have a solid place, and that is any one looking to shed every last pound of weight for racing etc.

You can get a killer 500 Cold Cranking Amp Yuasa High end battery delivered to your door from Amazon for $136 (I ordered one yesterday) which is way higher AMP then a stock HD battery. Yuasa also makes a lesser powerful one for less money (about $20 less) and I think delivers the same 400 CCA as an OEM. Of course Yuasa is not the only brand out there, just what I bought, their batteries are the gold standard for security system back up power and I use them on a daily basis, why I am partial.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.yuasabatteries.com/vehicl...on=showListing

I could be wrong on the Bikemaster Lithium in regard to the 625 CCA or Just plain old 625 CA. Problem is with their own website.
The photo of the battery says plain old 'Cranking AMPs" the "Specs" say Cold Cranking AMPS.
Go figure but at over $200 the consumer should not have to guess.
http://bikemaster.com/batteries/lith...#product-tabs1

Either way, I dont think over 600 CCA is overkill, that is just a nice robust battery, so I agree with your thinking, but for my personal reasons I stated above and knowing the bike is designed with lead acid battery as the criteria I think the Yuasa 600 CCA at $136 is the best choice (or any other high amp lead acid battery) unless its a track bike.

 

After talking to Bikemaster about their lithium battery it doesn't sound like a good idea. They stated that a lithium doesn't have good reserve power like a deep cycle so it can discharge faster if your listening to the radio or leave the ignition on etc. they are also heat and cold sensitive.

After doing more research I found that Yuasa makes a heavy duty battery that is rated at 32amh and 500 cca. The model #GYZ32HL. It's a little more money but sounds like the most powerful battery that will fit. It's like a deep cycle version of a motorcycle battery for heavier electrical loads.

 

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Lith battery tech in real world HD motorcycle use has yet to prove it can not only last as long as quality AGM batteries like from yuasa and deka can but they also have an issue with reduced cold temp perf vs AGM battery tech too with Lith bike battery costing 2x -3x more too!

Since your looking for good proven CCA cranking power why not consider Yuasa's GYZ32HL AGM battery that rated @ 500cc's that avail from Phatperf battery online for $132 to your door.

I bought this battery for my Hd which actually tested out as having just over 600cca's when i tested it new @ approx 60-70deg f.

But CCA's are supposed to be tested @ " 0 " deg f to get proper/most accurate CCA test so i would think if this battery was @ " 0 " deg f it would have tested a bit lower on CCA's.

When more then a few lith bike batteries have actually proven to last 5.5-6yrs+ or more like Yuasa & Deka AGM bike batteries have proven to do for many yr's now along with a cost reduction of 50% or more,thats when i would think about trying one in my HD.

And yes, i am aware lith bike batteries are approx 1/3 the wt of an AGM battery (sometimes smaller too), but i feel saving 20lbs on whats already an 880-900lb HD in the 1st place isnt a big deal at all for the avg hd touring bike owner.

Now custom bike building is a diff story/app where a lith bike battery could be useful with minimal space for the battery.

Another good quality long lasting AGM battery is Deka's etx30l with 400cca's that avail from High-Tech battery online for $98 to your door.

Scott

 

I run Shorai's in my hi compression 06 Road Glide and one in my 03 Kawasaki ZRX1200. Couldn't be happier with both. Spins them over like no battery I've ever had and weight? Like you're holding a empty display model...