Battery Life? Best replacement battery?

Hey how long should a battery last if taken care of? It used all season and trickle charged over the winter. I have used my latest for three years and appears to be about done. Thanks! What is the best replacement?

 

3 Years sounds like a good stretch for a battery, but I can't say for sure as i never had one last more than a year. lol. I use a YUASA battery and have even used the brand Wally World sells.

 

As above, I say YUASA. Domestically produced, competitively priced and superior to knock offs. I put a Wal-Mart Chinese battery in my VFR this spring in a pinch and by June it would not show a full charge on my battery tender, no matter how long plugged in. It was no bargain either! I have not had that with OEM spec YUASA.

Forgot to mention, this replacement is my third or fourth in 11 years, so I guess my average would be right about where you are at = three years life.

 

I went with to a reputable shop and had my 3+ year old battery load tested. It showed less than 12.0 volts when connected and did not recover after a load was applied. It was ready for replacement. I went with a Yuasa YTX12-BS for $82. It now keeps a full charge at 12.8 volts and cranks the bike to a start quickly.

 

On my old viffer the battery was 3 or so years old but it never died until the day I sold it. I think what helped is my bike had everything that was a bulb replaced with a led and low power consumption 35 watt hid lights so it was easy on the battery and stator since the voltages spike and power draw of everything was very minimal.

 

Batteries plus was great. Road my vfr in and swapped the battery in the parking lot. The stock battery number cross referenced with a completely wrong sized maintenance free one. Clerk was able to find an appropriate sized maintenance free with the right polarity setup for the leads.

 

Best Battery is a LiFe one. Lighter, better CCA, more juice than standard & should last 10years+, if you make your own like mine (check past threads) then it is not expensive, mine has been in use for 2 years. Bike spins up faster & everything else is great.

Your lead battery should last 5-10 years if looked after & your charging system is working correctly. I'd check your charging system if Yuasa batteries are dying in 3 years.

 

What type of battery are you using? If it's the standard you need to maintain the electrolyte level. Heat and time will let the water level drop

 

Standard batteries are sealed for life, no loss of fluid etc, unless abused, if they are over charged or over heated, then they will dump gas & fluid to avoid explosion.

 

That's not true, just through regular use the fluid level will drop and needs to be monitored. Faster if overcharged obviously. And to be clear, when I'm referring to standard I'm referring to the flooded wet type. That's why gel cell and AGM are advertised as "maintenance free".

 

RowLocks ! The VFR's Standard battery are sealed for life, lead gel cells, no loss of fluid etc. Take a look, NO gas/fluid drain pipe or over flow if you like to call it that. NO removable cell caps, so NO refill/topup allowed. Obviously OLDER bikes from the 70's/80's & early 90's had standard lead acid batteries with all the issues you describe, they can be replaced by the sealed variety & I would advise anyone buying one to do so. Things may still be a little backwards in the Land of the free !

 

My current Japanese made Yuasa was installed in 2008 when my original RR failed and I upgraded the RR to a SH689DA. The only special thing I do is if I haven't ridden for 3 weeks is charge it overnight with a CTek motorcycle specific smart charger, luckily over 6 years on it's still strong when cranking.

 

Shorai LFX Lithium Battery? Relatively new but expensive!

 

I prefer Fujikawa batteries personally, they tend to last. They are however extremely hard to find. I bought 3 of them 5 years ago for $50 each and i still have 1 on hand left over. They are unactivated so they are still factory fresh. Made in Japan (rare find these days for batteries) Ive always had shit luck with Yuasa batteries, if i am lucky to see 1-2 years.

 

I've had the stock battery in my '05 since taking possession of the bike in 2007 so I figure I will stay with a Yousa. I just ordered one yesterday. it's pricey but to be honest 7 years on a battery is pretty good. I normally put the trickle charger on it every 2 weeks or so over the winter but got side tracked and didn't do it for about 6 weeks last winter. The battery charges and the bike starts but every now and then it cranks slow. I was going to go through the troubleshooting process to rule out other things but like the mechanic at work said ... how much is it going to cost you to tow the bike home and if the battery is original it is just a matter of time before it goes fully? Hopefully the new one holds up as well as the original.

 

the YUASA in my CBR lasted me 8 years. The YUASA original one in my VFR lasted two. I haven't had one last more than two, and that is with the battery taken out & put in the basement, fully charged a few times over the winter. Got tired of the $170 something battery, went to Batteries Plus and spent 1/2 that for the same length of life...

 

I have the original Yuasa in my 2010 6th gen. Runs as goods now as when i First bought the bike.

Genuine Japanese made Yuasa batteries in Aust cost a small fortune (circa $180+). I put a Deka in my 1200 Bandit a while ago and found it darn good. Certainly worth considering.

 

Looks like I spoke to soon, 7 years on and even with an overnight charge with the CTek the Yuasa looks like its on the way out the clock Zero'd this morning but at least the bike still started and run ok.

Is there a newer lighter alternate to the Yuasa YTX12-BS people are using these days ?

 

Look at the Motorbatt ones, any of the wet acid batteries you can get in Aus are just crap these days some I was getting about 6 months out of. Stay away from the Gel type. AGM is the only way to go and the Motorbatt have reversable terminals. I find the MB9U will crank over anything I put it in and they are well priced

 

Thanks, though it seems the Motobatt MBTX12U is recommended for the VFR800 Fi 98 YTX12-BS, do you know who sells them in Sydney ?