Battery
- Thread starter DracoDab
- Start date
softail898
Registered User
A lot of members on here would advise Harleys own brand Battery but it is Freaking Expensive! Motobatt have a good name and many have them on their bikes including me. Less than Half the Price of Harleys. Tayna Batteries stock Motobatt and many other brands. They have a very good reputation for price and delivery.
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Rick
Affiliates Clerk
The H-D factory supplied battery should last many year's if properly maintained, although premature failure has been known and I know of two fellow members that had complete failure within weeks of purchasing a brand new bike.
Motobatt are from my experience good batteries, bought several in the past without a problem.
My rule of thumb is as follows:
Short of cash - buy Motobatt
Not keeping the bike for more than a year or two - buy Motobatt
Love your bike, can't see yourself selling for many years and have the cash - buy H-D.
Motobatt are from my experience good batteries, bought several in the past without a problem.
My rule of thumb is as follows:
Short of cash - buy Motobatt
Not keeping the bike for more than a year or two - buy Motobatt
Love your bike, can't see yourself selling for many years and have the cash - buy H-D.
spakey
Club Member
2 years on a new bike, 1 year if bought over the counter I was told at Southampton HD.
Simon_A
Club Member Honorary Life member
My experience of using Motobatt on old brits are as Rick has suggested, good initially but over an extended period ??? There's a lot of good information on this site on batteries, mostly posted by Kiwi Dave. HD used to specify Yuasa but have now moved over to Deka, these are not standard construction. Strangely enough Halfords still supply the right Yuasa battery for most with their YTX-20-HL which is 310cca as an alternative to the standard YTX-20-BS at 270cca
SJC69
Club Member
It's the 'H' in the YTX-20-HL in the battery code that signifies it is the higher CCA capacity otherwise from the outside and dimensions it's the same!
With batteries it's never all about the case and what it looks like, all manufactures quite often use the same actual case with different construction and plates in them, so have a habit of putting cheaper components in the same case as the expensive battery with similar Identifying numbers and selling them as a slightly cheaper version that looks the same, but certainly is not!
It's all about the specification so in this case the CCA!
The lower spec battery would probably be fine with a kick start only bike but even with an 883, once they changed Sporters to all having the same starter motor will notice that 15% CCA boost to the lower spec battery.
With batteries it's never all about the case and what it looks like, all manufactures quite often use the same actual case with different construction and plates in them, so have a habit of putting cheaper components in the same case as the expensive battery with similar Identifying numbers and selling them as a slightly cheaper version that looks the same, but certainly is not!
It's all about the specification so in this case the CCA!
The lower spec battery would probably be fine with a kick start only bike but even with an 883, once they changed Sporters to all having the same starter motor will notice that 15% CCA boost to the lower spec battery.
Andy from Sandy
Registered User
I don't know but if a battery is the same size and weight but claims a higher output I am going to suspect it may not last as long as the lower output rated battery. You can't get ought for nought.
Perhaps as an example Eneloop AA batteries. The Pro version has a higher output but is claimed to have 500 recharges where as the "normal" lower output one has a claimed 2000 recharges.
Perhaps as an example Eneloop AA batteries. The Pro version has a higher output but is claimed to have 500 recharges where as the "normal" lower output one has a claimed 2000 recharges.
softail898
Registered User
Yeah, too many instances of Leccy stuff self combusting. From 'Phones, Scooters, Cars and even Vapes. All of them use Lithium Batteries.Funny thing batteries the moco ones seem to go forever as do motobatt if the bike is used regularly all year round with an optimate for slack periods not so sure with the new fad lithion batteries especially needing a special charger tend to worrry about fireballs……..
softail898
Registered User
SJC69
Club Member
With these type of batteries it is all down to the quality and assembly of the plates along with what they are actually made of that gives the performance and longevity, this is where the difference is.
I should add this is often where the cost difference comes in with regards to MRRP.
Andy from Sandy
Registered User
We know the plates are made of lead and the specific ones designed for high output leisure use has more lead than a battery designed for engine starting duties that generally get recharged after only a small amount is taken out of them. This is why I talked about weight being a factor. More lead higher weight.
There might be grades of lead like there is in silver or gold but I have never looked into any of that kind of thing.
There might be grades of lead like there is in silver or gold but I have never looked into any of that kind of thing.
SJC69
Club Member
In theory for simplicity, the compared batteries are exactly the same weight, that consisting of lead and other material in both batteries, however, even if they contain the exact same amount of lead, how and the way those plates are made up and assembled will reflect on the performance.
A very good demonstration relevant as to weight comparison for this, is to compare the equivalent Yuasa YB16-B wet cell similar in dimensions and weight from the YUSA Motorcycle Battery up-grade chart, it is mostly recognised that an AGM battery will out preform and perform longer than a conventional wet cell due to it construction & technology, however both are listed as the same weight, you could argue the semantics of weather the case is exactly the same etc, however as this is all very generalised I doubt if this makes much difference, they weigh the same, but the YuMicron has much lower performance.
Also their is a top rated battery for this application, which is the GYZ-20-HL this is heavier but does have larger plates and different grid design.
I will put reference material in links below, but would state I don't have a connection or necessarily believe YUAS/GS batteries are better than others, my preferred choice is actually the DEKA OEM, it is just YUASA are very good with and easy to access their material along with their learning academy.
YUASA UK
YUASA Vehicle Flip Book
Battery Construction YUASA Video
Battery Construction PDF
A very good demonstration relevant as to weight comparison for this, is to compare the equivalent Yuasa YB16-B wet cell similar in dimensions and weight from the YUSA Motorcycle Battery up-grade chart, it is mostly recognised that an AGM battery will out preform and perform longer than a conventional wet cell due to it construction & technology, however both are listed as the same weight, you could argue the semantics of weather the case is exactly the same etc, however as this is all very generalised I doubt if this makes much difference, they weigh the same, but the YuMicron has much lower performance.
Also their is a top rated battery for this application, which is the GYZ-20-HL this is heavier but does have larger plates and different grid design.
I will put reference material in links below, but would state I don't have a connection or necessarily believe YUAS/GS batteries are better than others, my preferred choice is actually the DEKA OEM, it is just YUASA are very good with and easy to access their material along with their learning academy.
YUASA UK
YUASA Vehicle Flip Book
Battery Construction YUASA Video
Battery Construction PDF