Topic: clear case batteries

[my name is nobody]

Are there any manufacturers who (still)? make clear case batteries ?
I saw a guy on craigslist selling them (NOS) and they only needed activating. Guy only had one size, and I lost his contact info.
But it'd be nice to actually SEE the battery levels. Overfilling due to bad vision is a pain in the a$$. Wishful thinking?

[Bankerdanny]

Is there a reason you can't just use a sealed AGM battery? They aren't much more expensive than a traditional lead acid and my experience is that they improve starting.

[my name is nobody]

Is there a reason you can't just use a sealed AGM battery? They aren't much more expensive than a traditional lead acid and my experience is that they improve starting.

I never really thought about it. Mainly because the AGM costs more, plus I don't know much about them,
so I get sidetracked into thinking they're not an option I have always used conventional...good suggestion though.
Maybe research a little more.

[beemerbum]

Is there a reason you can't just use a sealed AGM battery? They aren't much more expensive than a traditional lead acid and my experience is that they improve starting.

Every late 60's or 70's bike I have ever looked at has damage to chrome and other areas from battery acid. Hardly anyone took the time to properly route the overflow tube from the batteries. The modern AGM battery is the way to go. The old liquid acid batteries are garbage

[Deltarider]

Every late 60's or 70's bike I have ever looked at has damage to chrome and other areas from battery acid. Hardly anyone took the time to properly route the overflow tube from the batteries. The modern AGM battery is the way to go.

Aren't you exaggerating a little bit here? I mean, the tube on mine has been there ever since 1976 and I never judged it necessary to replace by a new one (supplied with every battery I bought).

The old liquid acid batteries are garbage

Man, one wonders how we ever managed... 

[Bankerdanny]

Every late 60's or 70's bike I have ever looked at has damage to chrome and other areas from battery acid. Hardly anyone took the time to properly route the overflow tube from the batteries. The modern AGM battery is the way to go.

Aren't you exaggerating a little bit here? I mean, the tube on mine has been there ever since 1976 and I never judged it necessary to replace by a new one (supplied with every battery I bought).

The old liquid acid batteries are garbage

Man, one wonders how we ever managed... 

I can't say that every 60's and 70's bike I have seen has that kind of damage, but damaged chrome on exhaust systems from battery acid is very common. Just because lead acid batteries work fine (my current and previous 3 bikes all had them), isn't necessarily an excuse not to buy AGM if you need a new battery anyway. If you can afford the extra $30 or so then I think that AGM is an upgrade over standard lead acid and worth the extra money. My 750 would have one if I hadn't gotten a brand new battery that still didn't even have acid in it when I bought the bike last year.

[TwoTired]

There are a lot of posts glorifying the AGM batteries.  I've had three.  The two I got from Scorpion for a 550 and a 750, both died on the shelf in a year.
The one I bought for my Grumman Tiger lasted a good long while.
Easy to say the ones for aircraft have better quality than those for motorcycles.
I know I'll never by another Scorpion battery again.  They are poor quality even with the AGM technology label, apparently sold as a sales promotion.

Too bad Yuasa doesn't sell one for the 550.  I'd try again with that brand.

Cheers,

[TwoTired]

As for acid etched chrome examples, that's abuse by the owner, not the battery tech.
Blaming damage from bike mods and abuse by owner on a battery technology, isn't anywhere near logical.  Just a transferance of blame from the true source to something other than human fallibility.

Lot's of examples of technology misapplied causing failures/ mishaps exist in the world.

[low-side]

A lot of that chrome damage was from tipovers as well as poor vent hose routing.  I'm not going to dog conventional batteries, but you can get a decent AGM for not much more these days and they generally have significantly more cranking power and they won't spill.  They also won't boil if your VR fails on the over charging end of things. 

[Bankerdanny]

As for acid etched chrome examples, that's abuse by the owner, not the battery tech.
Blaming damage from bike mods and abuse by owner on a battery technology, isn't anywhere near logical.  Just a transferance of blame from the true source to something other than human fallibility.

Lot's of examples of technology misapplied causing failures/ mishaps exist in the world.

That's one of the nice things about the AGM's, they help limit DPO damage.

[beemerbum]

Every late 60's or 70's bike I have ever looked at has damage to chrome and other areas from battery acid. Hardly anyone took the time to properly route the overflow tube from the batteries. The modern AGM battery is the way to go.

Aren't you exaggerating a little bit here? I mean, the tube on mine has been there ever since 1976 and I never judged it necessary to replace by a new one (supplied with every battery I bought).

The old liquid acid batteries are garbage

Man, one wonders how we ever managed... 

Obviously, your overflow was routed correctly. Not everyone was blessed with that set-up. I am not exaggerating. Before I discovered the virtues of th SOHC Honda, I worked on many a Yamaha XS650. Everyone had acid leak damage to paint and/or chrome. When I got into the Hondas, all three had signs of acid spills or leakage.

[seanbarney41]

I own 3 scorpion agm batteries right now, 1 of which is in a project bike that does not run for the last 2 years.  Another has withstood freezing temps for weeks at a time.  They are all doing fine.  I don't even own a battery charger.

[lrutt]

They only downside to AGM's is how they fail. Unlike a wet cell which will give you a gradual notification that it's getting weak, an AGM will just fail out of the blue it seems.

I supposed for a 100pt resto the clear case is the way to go, but for real world, give me an AGM or LiFePo

[my name is nobody]

My plan is to completely service the charging system, and replace the battery with a correct Yuasa battery.
the one they specify as "Yumicron" that has more plates and cranking power (So they claim) ... This is for my 550
that has charging issues while in city traffic. part of the problem I have is a junk battery that I got from Batteries Plus.
It's total junk, and I'll never buy another one. That being said, I need a good battery that'll hold a charge in order
to get valid test results. Lots of good suggestions from everyone, it has turned out to be a pro/con for conventional vs.
AGM discussion, and that's ok , I'm learning.

[Deltarider]

What is nice about the Yuasa, either the old 12N12A-4A-1 or the new YB12A-A with more plates, you know it is a direct fit. No need for adapters to put on the terminals that can accidentely touch (short to) the frame. My YB12A-A  came with acid in an easy to use Yuasa container. I'm not afraid of acid. What I like most is that I am in control of the start of the countdown towards the end of its lifetime, which begins after filling the acid. If I buy a sealed battery, I have no idea how old it is.
All newer type batteries seem to have their own problems like terminals that need extra adapters (I hate that), risk of overcharging and what not. Just read the various posts here in this forum. And if you want to save weight, start with your self. Much more satisfying. My policy remains the same: I only change things for newer if they are better in all aspects and not just one that happens to be stressed in advertisements.