Topic: Alien Motion Batteries?????

[I Zombie]

So in simplest terms, with the right charger & voltage reg. lithium batteries will work in our applications? Any truth to what I've heard about them being "fussy" for lack of a better term @ lower temps, below 50 degrees F?

[chickenman_26]

Any truth to what I've heard about them being "fussy" for lack of a better term @ lower temps, below 50 degrees F?

Yes. I've been testing all three sizes and different capacity Shorai batteries in various bikes for more than a year. Below around 50 degrees, if the bike is cold soaked (exposed to ambient temps overnight), it's possible, depending on the engine configuration and oil viscosity, that you may get no more than a half turn of the crankshaft if you turn on the key and thumb the start button. V-twins and other bikes that load the starter heavily seem to produce this symptom more than SOHC bikes using the LIPO4 batteries. The trick is to "warm up" the battery by leaving the headlamp burning for a minute or so. Then the battery will fire the bike up with no problems. It is a bit scary though, to be in an unfamiliar town a thousand miles from home and have a no-start at 5 am on a Sunday morning. BTDT with a LFX18 in an Italian V-twin. I gave it another try after letting it sit for a bit and was on my way.

Stu

[Ryan66]

So in simplest terms, with the right charger & voltage reg. lithium batteries will work in our applications? Any truth to what I've heard about them being "fussy" for lack of a better term @ lower temps, below 50 degrees F?

According to twotired the regualtor issue isnt an issue. Just proper maintance and upkeep of the battery seem to be the only issue

[chickenman_26]

Here's a picture of the Battery Bug mounted on my CB500 with the Shorai battery. Note the battery voltage is 13.6 - engine NOT running. This battery normally starts the bike faster than you can get your finger off the start button. I haven't had any cold start problems at all on the SOHC. Though the battery bug does show lower performance (based on cranking voltage) at colder temps, the bike doesn't seem to notice.

Stu

[brokenspoke]

So even "cold soaked", one would have no problem kick starting it, correct? That voltage seems plenty.

[bollingball]

chickenman: Which model battery bug did you get. I have a (AGM) and saw they have one for that but for large deep cycle batteries.

                                            Ken
PS looks like the bb series would be correct is it water proof?

[EDU]

I don't know much about anything but I can tell you this, the LiPo batteries I've had never had any issues. And I would only start the bike every 3-4 months!! Never had anything bigger than a 4-cell either.

Having said that, they were all used on modern 600cc 4cyl sportbikes (CBR600RR road, R6 2007 race and now ZX6R2010 race). They dropped almost no charge over that period of time so I didn't even unplug them. And they ALWAYS started the bikes issues.

My ZX6R has an issue at the moment and it won't charge the battery... so last 4 track days I had to bring a charger/balancer with me just in case. Never needed it. I would charge the battery the night before and run it all day long, starting the bike before every session with no issues but then again I have no running lights/brake lights/blinkers/etc on that bike. I'd had to charge it again when I got home, obviously but I was impressed by how long they last on a bike fuel injected bike running a ton of electronics!

I have always had the Motolab batteries but I've also heard good things about the Shorai. If you do get the Motolab ones, make sure to order their charger/balancer too. It works really well and it only cost me $30 more from memory.

I have recently bought a CB500 and I think I'll be running the 8-cell on that bike. Or at least try!

[chickenman_26]

chickenman: Which model battery bug did you get. I have a (AGM) and saw they have one for that but for large deep cycle batteries.

                                            Ken
PS looks like the bb series would be correct is it water proof?

Ken,
You want the Powersports model. It has one long, straight cord rather than two short coiled ones, and it uses an algorithm that properly tests the small batteries used in bikes. Also, the ones they're shipping now have a neat backlighting that comes on after engine start and goes off when you shut the bike down. Yeah, it's waterproof. Linky below...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029VY4G4/ref=asc_df_B0029VY4G41893973?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0029VY4G4

And here's a magazine write up on it for more on how it works.

http://www.argusanalyzers.com/company-info/news-room/news-and-reviews/news-article/archive/2009/07/10/article/wingworld-magazine-the-most-frequently-asked-battery-question-and-an-answer-from-battery-bug-12.html

Stu O

[chickenman_26]

So even "cold soaked", one would have no problem kick starting it, correct? That voltage seems plenty.

Correct. Compared to the starting motor, the ignition consumes very little power. But it really won't be much of an issue. Just leave the lights on while you put on your helmet, then fire it up. That's just for the first start of the day. It'll behave normally after that.

Stu