My new battery arrived yesterday. It's a Bikemaster AGM battery. WOW!! That thing is awesome. It spins the engine like its a kids toy pinwheel. They are supposed to hold the charge really well, and don't sulfate when sitting idle for several months. The local Cycle Gear ordered it, and was $68.00. Well worth the wait (back-ordered for two weeks). It charges with a simple trickle charger. I think my days of $35 WalMart batteries is over............
AGM battery today
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They have a Deka Extreme AGM battery at the local autoparts store. About the same price as the bikemaster. It shows 220 CCA's on the label. Counter person says that he gets some of them back and indicated a higher percentage than the lead/acid. He speculated that it was because they would sit on the shelf ready to go while the lead acid was only charged after purchase. I wonder if it could also be due to its sitting on the side somewhere in a warehouse or parts store.
Don, do you have any experience with AGM failures?
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I'm not Don, but a few years back I had a gel battery (can't swear it was AGM) and it didn't last near as long as I had hoped, less than 3 years. Determined that two cells had somehow shorted to each other, which rendered it pretty much useless. I don't recall the brand, or if it was a major name.
It wasn't abused or stored wrong when I had it, but I can't speak to pre-purchase handling. Even though they say they are ready to go when you get them, it seems prudent to let them sit on the charger/trickle overnight just to make sure it's fresh when you install. They do seem to function really well and less hassle overall.
I have another Chinese made no name type coming for Rampsbaby's VT1100 Shadow Spirit, just to get a fresh start, and it was the easy bay way to go for us at the time.
Joel in the Couve
It wasn't abused or stored wrong when I had it, but I can't speak to pre-purchase handling. Even though they say they are ready to go when you get them, it seems prudent to let them sit on the charger/trickle overnight just to make sure it's fresh when you install. They do seem to function really well and less hassle overall.
I have another Chinese made no name type coming for Rampsbaby's VT1100 Shadow Spirit, just to get a fresh start, and it was the easy bay way to go for us at the time.
Joel in the Couve
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Maybe since it was back ordered this will be a fairly fresh battery and last you a long time.
All good information here. The battery was just made last month, and back-ordered. They said was charged already,however, I never really depend on the factory charge. I let it sit overnight on the trickle charger just to be sure. My Yuasa charger is also new and goes from charge to storage (float) automatically, so it cannot overcharge...........works great.
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when you charge the AGM style batteries, they should be charged at spproximately 10% of their Amp Hour Rating,
eg - if it is 20AH - no more than a 2amp charge rate
if 14AH no more than 1.4-1.5 Amp
a 3 step or intelligent charger should be used.
an AGM battery also needs to be kept in a full state of charge when not being used.
they can sit idle for up to a few months - but must be fully charged before not being used (disconnected as well) - then fully charged again before being reinstalled.
never run one of these completely flat - you will ruin its longevity, and if it is not regularly charged, or improperly charged will also reduce its life..
hope that helps
I would possibly opt for a GEL battery - as their technology is a bit more advanced than the AGM - but for motorcycle running purposes - an AGM of nearly any brand should be pretty good value over a wet cell style
eg - if it is 20AH - no more than a 2amp charge rate
if 14AH no more than 1.4-1.5 Amp
a 3 step or intelligent charger should be used.
an AGM battery also needs to be kept in a full state of charge when not being used.
they can sit idle for up to a few months - but must be fully charged before not being used (disconnected as well) - then fully charged again before being reinstalled.
never run one of these completely flat - you will ruin its longevity, and if it is not regularly charged, or improperly charged will also reduce its life..
hope that helps
I would possibly opt for a GEL battery - as their technology is a bit more advanced than the AGM - but for motorcycle running purposes - an AGM of nearly any brand should be pretty good value over a wet cell style
I agree that an "intelligent" charger should be used, especially in an application like our bikes. Especially by dummies like me in too much of a hurry to get the timer switch out...
( I'm still on my last "Neverlast"
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wet cell)
In less mission critical applications, I have found wall wart transformers work very well for charging AGM batts. ( and others as well) Many have a no load output of around 13.5v DC and current output ratings will go from 150ma to 1.5amps or so...
I usually use a timer switch... but,
I messed up an old 6v AGM yesterday by leaving it on a 4a charger for a couple hours by accident. It was near flat and I meant to give it a short blast to try and refresh it.(maybe ten minutes) and got distracted... It now puts out 2.5 volts
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LI Po (Lithium Polymer) batts Definitely need their own type charger from what I understand.
( I'm still on my last "Neverlast"
In less mission critical applications, I have found wall wart transformers work very well for charging AGM batts. ( and others as well) Many have a no load output of around 13.5v DC and current output ratings will go from 150ma to 1.5amps or so...
I usually use a timer switch... but,
I messed up an old 6v AGM yesterday by leaving it on a 4a charger for a couple hours by accident. It was near flat and I meant to give it a short blast to try and refresh it.(maybe ten minutes) and got distracted... It now puts out 2.5 volts
LI Po (Lithium Polymer) batts Definitely need their own type charger from what I understand.
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OK- so, 2 years or so have passed since this topic was started. Hows the battery doing now after 2 years? Good, bad, crappy?
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Well, I'm not a very good motorcyclist- if its too dirty to pick my nose I'd rather have a professional mechanic work on it in his shop. Also, I'm getting ready for a 5,000 mile ride next year if the Good Lord's willing and the last thing I want while riding through the Montana/Dakota badlands is a cheap battery dying on me. So I'm looking at this as cheap insurance.
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