I m thinking of buying a Lithium Ion battery for my bike to save a few kilos. I don't use the bike during the winter so always use a trickle charger and I m a little confused if these can be used on Lithium Ion batteries as have found 2 differing opinions on the subject. This is what Ultrabatt say In an "emergency" you could use a trickle charger for about 10-15 minutes, BUT... a trickle charger can kill every lithium battery same like a lithium charger can kill a lead-acid battery. Different technologies and different chemical reactions makes them also require having different charging amps/voltages and charging characteristics. Our lithium batteries can be used and charged by your motorcycle itself, but only don't use a trickle charger. This is what Racing Batteries say Using a Racing Battery on the road requires a little extra care as they don't carry the excess Amp Hours that a Lead Acid unit does. The main problem is alarms and other stray current drains - Racing Batteries don't like being drained absolutely flat and being left in the garage in a discharged state. But as long as you get your optimate attached within a week or so of putting her away you'll be fine (or bettery still isolate the battery when not in use). Likewise, you'll damage the battery if you leave the headlights on and the engine off for more than 10 minutes or so.
BladeRR8, if you're going the route of a Lithium battery then it uses a different charger, normal charger is constant current gradually reducing as the internal resistance rises with charge state, Lithium chargers are constant voltage and suitable ones are available, I assume you're looking at a Lithium Iron Phosphate type battery as it overcomes the safety implications of other types, wouldn't think any other would be suitable for bike applications, plenty of info on Wikipedia if you're interested.......Mike
Some Info's you should read before you buy. Shorai Motorcycle Battery vs. Ballistic Motorcycle Battery Comparison - webBikeWorld Shorai LFX14A1-BS12 Battery - £129.95 Ballistic Battery 12V LiFePO4 8 Cell EVO 2 Vehicle Replacement Batteries for Motorcycles, ATV, Watercraft, Snowmobile, Utility Vehicle Ballistic Battery 12V LiFePO4 EVO 2 Review - YouTube Ballistic Battery EVO2 Review at Motochanic.com - YouTube Shorai Lightweight Motorcycle Battery Review - Make your motorcycle 4 pounds lighter. - YouTube
Cheers for all the replies and some great info BlackDevil really appreciated mate, Thanks !!!!!!!! Been doing some more research today and although I m really interested in one of these I was put off a little when I read their not recommended if you have an alarm fitted as I think they drain them to quickly and if they go flat thery are totally unrecoverable which does'nt sound good.
I'm using a Skyrich Li-Ion (£165) and it seeems fine. I think this is silghtly different from a Li Iron Phosphate battery? Optimate 4 doesn't seem to work with it (I just tried it myself as was getting mixed messages about trickle chargers). Anyone got a specific link to a specialised charger for these batteries?
Do you have an alarm fitted with the Skyrich battery ? and how long do you leave it before starts ? Not sure if this will work with Skyrich though ? :: Performance Ultrabatt Ultracharger - Special Lithium Battery Charger - Required to charge all Ultrabatt Batteries from our extensive line of Lightweight Batteries Lightweight Lithium Batteries Parts for 2011 KAWASAKI ZX10 R 11 bikes. Suppliers of
Lithium-ion Battery Charging Basics How to charge Lithium Batteries. Found only info about ballistic charger so far. Amazon.com: NEW BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE EVO2 LiFePO4 LITHIUM MOTORCYCLE BATTERY CHARGER, 120V: Automotive Ballistic Balance Charger instructions - YouTube
Cheers JM1 just need to get rid of my alarm now as its a datatool s3 and is just a pain in the backside but unfortunately its required by the insurance company so preferable if I could disarm long term whilst in storage in the garage.
I forgot to mention that when I asked Skyrich how to charge it they said treat it exactly as you would a lead acid battery. Confusing!
Very confusing I agree. I believe you can use a trickle charger if it has'nt got a desfulate mode or something but not 100% sure, hopefully some one will be along soon and correct me.
Yeah I heard that too, but not sure how to establish whether Optimate 4 (for example) has a desulphate mode.
BladeRR8 - here's a link to a post about a guy's experiences with a Shorai battery and an alarm in case it's of any interest... Shorai LFX14A2-BS12 Extreme Rate Lithium Iron Powersports Battery : Honda CBR 1000RR Motorcycle Forums: 1000RR.net
