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Best battery for a snow bike?

T

thejean

Well-known member
My Yuasa battery is kaput and need to replace it. Wondering if I should go with another Yuasa (some days away) or go with a PowerSonic which I can get today.

I am also debating on getting a lithium ion battery. It's about 2.5x the coat but can hold charge longer, is more cold resistant and has 20% better cold cranking amps.

Any opinions appreciated. Thanks, JC
 
I run the Turntech lithium batteries in my ktm 300 and 350 and have been very impressed. The lithium will give you full juice and amps until it's suddenly dead. I always top up with the battery tender to be safe but the bikes seem to keep them charged just fine. I ordered them directly from turntech. There are other lithium types out there and perhaps some that are better for very cold but the standard yusa style seem not to last for me even when trickle charged and too whimpy for me. If I remeber right there are more that one type of lithium so do some research as to which is best for your needs.
 
I'm off to Affordable Battery here in Calgary this afternoon to check out the options. Thanks and keep the opinions coming!
 
If it gets cold none of the lithium Ion batteries work well.

They need to get warm to work and put out power.

You need to use power first to warm them up , but every time you crank your bike without a start the fuel injection primes and floods the engine with fuel , that is where most of the fuel oil contamination on fuel injected bikes comes from.

Anything warmer than -10 celsius they usually work fine or if you have a insulated / heated trailer. Once they are warmed they work great.
If you have a kick start bike so you can kick it for the first start of the day that will work as well .
My Sat phone with the li ion batterie has 3 minutes talk time at - 40 than the batterie shuts down. I warm it up inside my coat for 1/2 hour and it shows full charge again good for 3 minutes once more.

Just some food for thought about the latest greatest.
 
turntechbattery.com under FAQ tells you a lot about their specific ones which are a lithium ion phosphate. The ones I run are the 5Amp for $114. They weigh in at 2lbs so could be lighter LithIons out there yet but they are lighter than the acid ones I think and crank way harder from my experience
 
Give Murph from SpeedCell a call hes awesome to deal with. He will tell you everything there is about lithium batteries pros and cons. The Best thing about the battery is the quick disconnect feature and the customer service. After Riding disconnect it and bring it inside to warm it up and reinstall in the morning. Just have the top on your battery box easy to remove with a pin or clip setup. He goes by Murph on snowest also. They will make you a battery that meets and exceeds your needs, only company that can do this in the states. Hope this helps
 
powdermuncher said:
If it gets cold none of the lithium Ion batteries work well.

They need to get warm to work and put out power.

You need to use power first to warm them up , but every time you crank your bike without a start the fuel injection primes and floods the engine with fuel , that is where most of the fuel oil contamination on fuel injected bikes comes from.

Anything warmer than -10 celsius they usually work fine or if you have a insulated / heated trailer. Once they are warmed they work great.
If you have a kick start bike so you can kick it for the first start of the day that will work as well .
My Sat phone with the li ion batterie has 3 minutes talk time at - 40 than the batterie shuts down. I warm it up inside my coat for 1/2 hour and it shows full charge again good for 3 minutes once more.

Just some food for thought about the latest greatest.
Click to expand...

Talking to the local battery suppliers I confirmed everything you state above. And my 300 XC-W indeed has a kick starter. So I guess given that I could either use the kicker to get started or turn on the headlight to get it warmed up if I don't feel like kicking. I also like the way you can leave them in the cold down to -40C before you have to worry about damaging them (my garage isn't heated). I also like the way you can leave them for a longer period (even better if its cold as they discharge slower in the cold) as I wouldn't have to take it out of the bike in between riding weekends.

The $150 one that fits has 102 cca and the $250 one has 210 cca. By comparison, the largest Yuasa that fits only has 65 cca.
 
I bought a Shorai Batt last Jan and I noticed a huge difference in the cranking power versus the stock batt. CCA is rated for 210 while my stock was around 85 brand new. However, listen to the warnings about not letting it get below a certain voltage because this may cause damage to battery. I let mine drop down to zero because I left the hand grips on all night. Oops... Not sure if I'm having battery probs now or charging probs due to my bike issues. For $130 it's and awesome battery and was rated number one as the best bang for the buck in Dirt Rider magazine a while ago.
 
Jon Mutiger said:
Just get a yuasa ytz-7s, you will be happier long term.
Click to expand...

Yes, but that one doesn't fit, it's almost an inch too tall. The largest one that fits (the YTZ-5S) only has 65 CCA and it is actually smaller so I will have to add some foam to keep it stable in the battery box on the bike. The YTX4L-BS is the OEM battery and fits perfectly but only has 50 CCA, which I'd be very surprised if it's enough to get the bike going in frigid temps. But at least with the Lithium battery, additional cranking will warm up the battery enough and get stronger with each crank. I also wanted to try an Odyssey (had one in my rally car and it was awesome) but they don't make them small enough yet.
 
adamd1979 said:
I bought a Shorai Batt last Jan and I noticed a huge difference in the cranking power versus the stock batt. CCA is rated for 210 while my stock was around 85 brand new. However, listen to the warnings about not letting it get below a certain voltage because this may cause damage to battery. I let mine drop down to zero because I left the hand grips on all night. Oops... Not sure if I'm having battery probs now or charging probs due to my bike issues. For $130 it's and awesome battery and was rated number one as the best bang for the buck in Dirt Rider magazine a while ago.
Click to expand...

So I guess those warnings are true then. The dealer mentioned that. Here's another good read: http://motocrossactionmag.com/Revie...-SHORAI-KTM-250350450SXF-LIGHTWEIGH-7938.aspx

Above article states that the stock batteries don't work that well when it gets cold - just not enough CCA....

Has anyone tried a battery warmer with a lithium? Seems that would not only keep the battery warm, but the current draw would further help it warm up.

I want to make a decision in the morning and like usual, I am 50/50 on this one. Just once, I'd like there to be a clear solution without trade-offs!
 
For those following along, here's another good article: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=757934

Fella recommends AGM battery.

After reading all of the hassles an lithium battery may cause, I think I will go AGM and hope it's enough to fire up the bike once things are warmed up. If I need to use the kick starter for the first start, so be it. Just would suck to get it home only to realize it doesn't have the balls to start the bike.
 
thejean said:
For those following along, here's another good article: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=757934

Fella recommends AGM battery.

After reading all of the hassles an lithium battery may cause, I think I will go AGM and hope it's enough to fire up the bike once things are warmed up. If I need to use the kick starter for the first start, so be it. Just would suck to get it home only to realize it doesn't have the balls to start the bike.
Click to expand...

For a snowbike an AGM battery is probably the best choice. With that said I have run a Shorai and now run an Antigravity. Warming the battery does suck but once warmed up they work great.

Here is a long thread about LiFePO4 batteries: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=770364

The gist is Shorai's claims are BS. My own experience confirms this.
 
So here's my solution. Ordered the larger 08 EXC battery box (part # 78011055000), which allowed me to use the YTZ-7S battery with 130 CCA. Should work awesome I think.
 
There ya go! That'll work decently. I have seen 5 different people try light weight batteries of various makes, and so far they are all back on lead acid. Something is to be said about the good ole reliable way to go.
 
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