Shorai Battery

[artbone]

My buddy Charlie brought me 2 Shorai batteries for my fleet when he visited a couple of weeks ago. What a cool product! I put one in the '83 and it really brings the electrical system to life. The lights are brighter when you turn on the ignition and the starter really spins the motor. The thing I like most about them is that you are supposed to be able to leave them for a year without charging and they keep enough charge to crank the bike . . . and the one for the Vision only weighs 1.6 lbs.

They come with a lot of padding to put in the batt box so the batt doesn't rattle around in there since they are so much smaller. I'm going to put them in all my bikes as the acid batteries go bad.

As you can tell, I'm sold on them.

[QBS]

Never heard of them.  What is their technology?  What is the amp capacity?  Can they be mounted in non vertical positions?  Are they maintenance free?

[Lucky]

http://www.motorcycle.com/products/shorai-lfx-lithium-battery-review-91165.html

[QBS]

Excellent report.  Thank you Lucky.

[Lucky]

And what a cool buddy Art has! lol!

[vadasz1]

Here it is for our Visions:

http://www.shoraipower.com/s-174391-XZ550R-Vision.aspx

210 CCA is good but since the terminals are opposite than stock the battery will have to be mounted with them facing inward instead of outward.

[QBS]

What is the cca rating for a standard lead acid V battery?

[vadasz1]

Here is the battery from Yuasa:

http://www.yuasabatteries.com/motorcycle.php?action=showListing#formanchor

[supervision]

  I was hoping someone would get one, i am glad to hear you like it!  I though they migh not crank long enough to start the v. Looks like it is working ok though. The stuff i read is that they only putt out good for only a few seconds, course apush start could fix that if necessary.

[AdvRich]

 i really like all that I've researched on this battery, but here is a bit of caution when using a Shorai with a non MOSFET R/R. The fella Tweety on this link has some good info. http://superhawkforum.com/forums/general-discussion-30/r-r-shorai-battery%3D-epic-fail-24934/

[supervision]

  I heard one time that all wires are filled with smoke, the object is not to let it out. 

[artbone]

I've got the Shorai in my 83 in MX which I haven't ridden since I installed it. I had a hernia operation and was on the "don't ride motorcycles" list for 60 days. That's over now and I'm ready to ride. I guess I'll take a fire extinguisher with me (and a camera) I can't believe that guy took the time to take a picture while his bike was going up in flames.

Also, Tweety got way too technical for me. I couldn't tell if he knew what he was talking about or just blowin' smoke (pun intended.) I've always found that in theory, practice and theory should be the same, but in practice they usually aren't.

[AdvRich]

Thumbs up Artbone! Glad to hear you'll be riding again. If ya haven't done a MOSFET conversion yet, it'd be good with any battery choice for the long cooler run. I put one in a couple of weeks back in my other bike and it is great. They'll all end up with them at some point.

Post some MX ride pics if you get the chance.

Rich 

[artbone]

Okay guys, I didn't want to open my mouth and show my ignorance but now I'm forced to. What the hell is a MOSFET R/R and where do you get such a device?

[supervision]

  Art, many newer bikes come with them . They use a newly invented type of switching transistor, to control the AC current before it is sent to the R/R, thus making them run cooler. I will put one someday, but I have too many bikes, needing attention.

[AdvRich]

Okay guys, I didn't want to open my mouth and show my ignorance but now I'm forced to. What the hell is a MOSFET R/R and where do you get such a device?

A walky talky so you can talk and buy one from the Mothership..  ;D

There are plenty of write ups on bike sites across the web doing the conversion process, pretty simple. The most ROV relevant one was posted by Tiger with a link to a site showing the conversion and folks chiming in http://ridersofvision.net/rovforum/index.php?topic=13270.0 . The model for the Vee would be an FH008 which is rated up to 35amps. There are larger models, but the Vee will never put out even the 35 amps and the higher capacity units are also larger and thus harder to fit. They used to be availbale for around the $40 to $50 range used. I got mine in the 60's shipped a month or so ago. There are some on eBay currently, but with the growing interest they are priced up around $100. They are always being listed and you should be able to pick one up for less.

As they run only warm to the touch as opposed to the earlier heat sink version there is some thought that on the Vee it could be mounted in the stock location, even with it being generally a hot location with the exhaust and cylinder heat flowing into that area. Or as some might still prefer, to locate it out in the breeze near the left rear passenger peg where the previous shunt style R/R seemed to fair better with longevity. Which ever location, it is a good idea to upgrade the connectors between the stator and the R/R. I went the solder, shrink tube, and tape route for less expense. If I need to test the stator wires later, the benefit of using a coupler, I have some extra length built in to do so. Hope this helps.

[artbone]

You convinced me! I just ordered one from ebay. Now I want to change to the 100/135 W headlight and add an oil cooler.  :)

[Lucky]

if you need any help with my oil cooler design, let me know, i'll pm you my number

[iain]

I have a oil cooler on my bike.
Could post a photo if you wanted

Iain
NZ

[QBS]

Art, the headlight upgrade is a no brainer.  A TIP: give the male headlight prongs a light coating of grease to keep corrosion (and hence, resistance generated heat) at bay.