Best Battery?

[Aelwulf]

I haven't had to refill my Yuasa (to be honest I haven't even checked, might not be a bad idea to ;) ), getting it from the dealer and my Battery Tender Plus from Cruisercustomizing.com ran around $60 or so total.  Might check out those AGMs whenever I need another one.

[XZv2]

Dear XZ-friends,
All cars there were in the family during the last decade seem to have overpowered batteries. If you start at freezing temps with all lights on, defrosters on, airco on, the starter motor just gives the normal trusted sound. Never a thought under the worst conditions that it turns around slower or that it may not start. Also they have electric gas pumps and fuel injection or diesel injection. No difference if I don't touch the accelerator or step on it. It just starts. Fool-proof.

I lack that in our XZ's. Some times, after a week not running, it turns over for 10-20 seconds before starting. Cold it prefers to start without touching the throttle. If I don't use the choke it wont't start cold. After some time the starter motor rotates slower.
I consider the original battery of the XZ as underpowered.
I do not deny that it will start quickly if everything is perfect. But if conditions are not perfect I do not get the confidence that I can go on starting and that the battery will turn out enough volts/amps.

I am dependent on the battery for starting (the bike has no kickstarter).  I want a strong battery and I found that in a car battery for my sidecar XZ. Feeling how nice such a power-house felt I wanted that too for our non-sidecar XZ's. I found that in the Odyssey batteries and I want to pay for that.
My brother's BMW 4-cylinder bike has a real strong standard battery and you can hear that when it starts up at freezing temperatures. Very different for an XZ with the standard battery under such conditions.
I think an Odyssey battery, especially the 545 or 2 310's are a real improvement for an XZ. 
XZv2

[jasonm.]

BMW fours have fuel injection. They need a big battery to get ALL the electronics going...

[XZv2]

That's true, Jasonm. They don't have the XZ carbs. Just because of the XZ's carbs, because of the high-compression twin characteristics of the XZ, its preference that the voltage in the system isn't too low during starting, I prefer batteries that have a real power surplus.
Of all vehicles I drive or ride, the XZ's are the only ones that are not super-easy starters under all conditions, and it has standard the weakest battery of them all. I see there a relationship and I improved the situation in three different ways.
If everybody is happy with the standard 14 amps Yuasa or even a cheap version of it, fine. I am not.
XZv2

[kwells]

Really what else is available in this size?  I'd like 650 CCA but it simply isnt an option

-edit-
So was looking a bit at the odyssey website at the 545 model

It appears to really have some serious CA
# 545 cranking amps for 5 seconds
# 495 cranking amps for 10 seconds
# 420 cranking amps for 20 seconds

185 CCAs

[treedragon]

Thanks for the heads up on the Odyssey batteries, it's just what I was looking for, particularly the long life aspect. As it turns out they are available here in NZ, although there are no prices listed on their website.................... sinking feeling

I have to agree with you XZv2 the extra capacity is a must, (and the cure for a multitude of ills in my books).
Eg my van, which is a similar vintage to the XZ, was a debatable starter UNTIL I gave it 2 batteries and a solar panel charger, (although admittedly it's mainly to cope with me absconding to remote places for extended periods).

So if I can cope with the price, assuming I am even game enough to inquire........... that leaves only one problem, where do I put the solar panel??  ;D  ;D

[XZv2]

Theedragon, think of the top of the boot of a sidecar, or, if you use that for a luggage rack, like I do, the top of the nose of a sidecar!
If you can't get an Odyssey in NZ, perhaps someone can take it from abroad for you. You are allowed to take them in the plane.
XZv2

[ironb12s]

Look at Mikesxs.com for the AGM (absorbed glass mat)battery. $59.00
Supervision has been running one for over four years without a problem.

Is there a more general source for the AGM type battery?  I have a friend with a GV1400LXE, looking for a new battery for his, will tell him to look at AGM and Odyssey for it.

[jasonm.]

Just for all to know. A 14ah battery in a bike this size is considered large. The newest 600-1000cc sport bikes are running smaller batteries than the Vision. My old Suzuki  GS1100 had the same battery as the Vision. If you are worried. I suggest getting a sealed MF battery. They have a higher cranking amp rating.

[cilynx]

Any time I replace a battery, I source a Big Crank ETX15L.  I tend to be very abusive to batteries, working on a myriad of 30 year old beasties in my unheated Milwaukee garage.  I've yet to have a Big Crank die on me.  FWIW, I have a Battery Tender that I pretty much only use to refresh batteries that I've abused trying to get a difficult case up and running.  Spec wise, the Big Crank ETX15L has 14ah and 190 CCA.  An additional perk is that the screw terminals are tapped into the body of the battery, e.g. no more nuts to lose.  Finally, a shoppers tip: Big Crank is a very large manufacturer / distributor.  Many, many store brand AGM's are just Big Cranks with a different sticker on them.  Look for ETX15L on the top of the battery body and you're good to go.  I've gotten the exact same performance out of the rebadges as I do the "originals".

[jasonm.]

I just checked their site. Looks like a winner. But I guess you can only buy them online ?

[kiwibum]

It only went bad because I had a bad diode in the dash causing a drain.

jasonm: what/where was the diode? what was the current draw on the battery? I've just noticed one of my bikes draws 30mA from the battery with everything switched off the other one I have a battery in is 0mA so I'm wondering what I should be looking at first. Thanks. Steve

[Lucky]

you can easily find a drain:
--disconnect the neg cable
--hook a test light or dvom between the disconnected neg post & neg cable.
--start pulling fuses, when the light goes out you found the curcit with the drain.
--put the fuse back in & start disconnecting components in that curcit. when the light goes out again, you've found the offending item.

--Lucky

[kiwibum]

Thanks lucky, forgot about isolating the circuits by the fuses.

[supervision]

  Hey Brian, how do you like your new battery?  How was dealing with xsmike?  He is showing extreamly cheep  KNOCK-OFF emulators, only $49.00!

[inanecathode]

Someone should make an emergency kick start for the vision :D
14mm socket on a pedal?

[Rick G]

I'm not convinced its necessary. I've been riding it since 1999  and have only had to run and  bump it once.
I had to hit the starter with a "starter rock " once , but that doesn't count.
The early Gold Wings has an emergency kick start lever under the the Right "tank cover " during the first and maybe the second year, but it  was omitted later as unnecessary.

[jasonm.]

It only went bad because I had a bad diode in the dash causing a drain.

jasonm: what/where was the diode? what was the current draw on the battery? I've just noticed one of my bikes draws 30mA from the battery with everything switched off the other one I have a battery in is 0mA so I'm wondering what I should be looking at first. Thanks. Steve

Kiwi, my other bike has a battery monitor(sensor). The circuit that is only suppose to be active when the ignition was on...But it went bad and turned out to be on all the time. This was either a "switching transistor(diode)" or some other failed component in the LCD dash related to the sensor. All I know is when I disconnected the sensor the draw dropped from 100mA to zero. So after that I put a relay on that circuit. Remember to use an Ampmeter properly connected. This saves much time. Heck , it only took me 10 minutes to figure mine out.
  Kiwi, You will need to pull your fuses one at a time to find it. If your other bike has the battery sensor(common in the 80's on big bikes)then that is the likely issue.

[kiwibum]

Thanks I'll look at it tomorrow, bike doesn't have a battery sensor, it's on one of my XZ400's that sold tonight. So I'll sort it out before new owner takes it away.

[Brian Moffet]

  Hey Brian, how do you like your new battery? 

I have not had a chance to do anything with the bike for a while.  However, the battery holds a charge really well.  And I didn't have any problems with XsMike shipping or anything.

Brian