Shorai batteries

I'm interested in this, as it seems that battery prices are getting expensive for the lead-acid styles, but seems to be getting cheaper for sealed AGM ones. I have read on the other big Norton forum that some of these expensive sealed batteries are failing in such short time they they are not out living the normal well made lead-acid batteries, cost life ratio makes them a gamble at the moment.

Anyone out there tried the Odyssey and similar style batteries yet?

Previously wrote:

I'm interested in this, as it seems that battery prices are getting expensive for the lead-acid styles, but seems to be getting cheaper for sealed AGM ones. I have read on the other big Norton forum that some of these expensive sealed batteries are failing in such short time they they are not out living the normal well made lead-acid batteries, cost life ratio makes them a gamble at the moment.

Anyone out there tried the Odyssey and similar style batteries yet?

Hello Ashley,

I've had an Odyssey battery on my R80 BMW for about 10 years. It never fails to start and the bike has always been outside. Last winter temperatures were very low but it always started. The batteries are slightly more expensive but I feel they are definitely superior to most other types.

Regards, Colin Cheney, somewhere in England.

Hi Albert,

RE- Shorai batteries,I`ve recently installed one in my Dommi, a 9amp/hour model, bought from Carrot cycles and what a dinky little thing is too,in fact it`s so light I`ve located in the battery box only with sticky backed velcro as regards it`s performance time will tell.Yep it was pricey at £90 +£56 for the special Shorai charger,if it does`nt last at least 5 years I`ll be real pissed.I`ve got an Oddessy in my R100,it sure does the job of crankin o`er that lump,but it weighs about 3kilos.

Regards,

Alan H.

Previously alan_houghton wrote:

Hi Albert,

RE- Shorai batteries,I`ve recently installed one in my Dommi, a 9amp/hour model, bought from Carrot cycles and what a dinky little thing is too,in fact it`s so light I`ve located in the battery box only with sticky backed velcro as regards it`s performance time will tell.Yep it was pricey at £90 +£56 for the special Shorai charger,if it does`nt last at least 5 years I`ll be real pissed.I`ve got an Oddessy in my R100,it sure does the job of crankin o`er that lump,but it weighs about 3kilos.

Regards,

Alan H.

I am a little worried about what I read above. You pay £90 for a battery-about 4 times normal lead acid prices, then pay another £56 for a special charger. Yet the NORMAL Dommie charge circuit is rough and ready (intended for lead acid) and I would guess soon overcharge/destroy any fancy battery. I await an up date with interest.

Al Oz

I am a little worried about what I read above. You pay £90 for a battery-about 4 times normal lead acid prices, then pay another £56 for a special charger. Yet the NORMAL Dommie charge circuit is rough and ready (intended for lead acid) and I would guess soon overcharge/destroy any fancy battery. I await an up date with interest.

Al Oz

Al - if one of the modern electronic regulator/rectifiers were fitted would you be any less concerned?

I am currently running a Shorai in a 1960 ES2, with 120W 12V Commando Alt and Pazon reg/rect - but haven't done enough miles yet to be able to comment on battery life.

Iain.

Looking at current data and incidents with modern batteries, the Odyssey looks the way ahead at the moment having been abused in 4X4's for many years now.

In my trade, Li Ion batteries are not yet fully trusted from safety aspect as they need careful charging and monitoring and many having internal protection to protect the battery is not system I wish to have fitted on my platform when the lights go out when the manure hits the fan. I want back systems that will work in a sea state 7. The dodgy batteries we use ie light, powerful, small dimensions are usually powered up sent in one direction and never seen again.

AShley, i use a Shorai LFX18 on my Commando, but only because I have installed the Alton electric start. The small size and high cranking power makes it a good choice. For general bike use, without electric start I think an AGM battery is a better choice unless space is a real issue. What has to be understood is that the LFX 18 for example is rated at 18Ah EQUIVALENT CRANKING CAPACITY. It is not an 18Ah battery for general use. If I recall it is actually about 9Ah.

So anyone fitting a Li-on battery rated with 9Ah cranking capacity on a bike is likely to be disappointed as it will not support all the lights for long with the engine turned off.

i am a big fan of the Shorai and have them on two bikes, but they need to be chosen to suit the application with this in mind.

Also I would only fit them if the bike has a modern solid state regulator as an old Zener system would probably damage it.

david

Having just looked at the price of Shorai the price makes them attractive compared with the Odyssey - but who sells Shorai in the UK? and it will be a while before I next visit Norfolk or Mayport in the US. Lithium Ion motorcycle batteries here in the UK, having just checked, seem to be 3 times the price of a comparable Odyssey

Davis seems to have it correct - buy the correct battery, and use a modern regulator, as the failure reports all seem to be with users that have been over optimistic and selected a smaller battery.

Lithium Ion technology will rule in the future, no doubt, but there will be those like me that will give it some time to avoid the Sony, Chrylser, Garmin and possibly Boeing scenarios.

If I was going to purchase a Lithium Ion Battery it would be Shorai though, due to place of manufacture and reported build quality.

I bought mine from Carrot Cycles

http://www.carrotcycles.co.uk

Dear Members,

None of you will like this especially Al Osborn but I have three machines, 1965 650ss 12V magneto ignition, 1953 Inter 6V magneto ignition and a 1960 12VES2 coil ignition all of which are running extemely well on Toolstation sealed lead acid batteries which cost about £10 each. Over a years experience now with no troubles and never going flat.

Ok I don't imagine for one moment they are good enough for electric starters but as I haven't got one it doesn't matter. I would also qualify my experience insofar that I don't do big trips in one day: max 50 miles I would say. However in the summer the machines are utilised almost every day.

It's a bit like Rolex watches all this: they tell the time but my phone is more accurate and a lot cheaper. I could have 5 batteries from Toolstation for the price of one "motorcycle" battery.

I wrote an article for Roadholder about my Inter 6V Toolstation battery about 12 months ago - it's still on the bike and I've not even looked at it!.

Cautionary Regards to you all,

Peter Bolton

Hi Anthony,

It is the way to go with generators like yours as the output can be controlled very well with a modern regulator which will control voltage and current. I fitted one to my1960 Puch and the output, being a two sroke, is amazingly stable irrespective of the rpm, and your style of battery is widely fitted to Puch motorcycles in Austria. The 'modern' alternator output even when controlled with Zeners will vary considerably in the low rev area and with the switching on and off of loads - it just seemed a way of controlling the excess at high alternator output at high revs. It must do the job as my second hand Bosch battery is 4 years old (in my ownership) on the MK3 and still going strong.

Among my few bikes I have a 2007 Enfield Electra X with an electric starter. This has always been rather 'marginal' in it's ability to turn over the engine. Hitchcocks Motorcycles (the UK Enfield specialists) sell a lithium battery which they states 'is much lighter and should overcome sprag-clutch problems' (the sprag on my Enfield failed one month after the warranty expired). The Hitchcocks offering was nearly £200 by the time VAT etc. had been added thus I looked at a Shorai equivalent. Carrot Motorcycles supplied a 14ah unit which was identical in size to the original lead-acid unit fitted to the Enfield for circa £140. The thing to get used to is the fact that these batteries are so light! - it's hard to believe that they have about 25% more 'cranking ability' than a normal battery - indeed they feel as if they have no 'innards' at all! Suffice to say that it spins the Enfield over a darn-sight better than any previous batteries that I've fitted to it. As stated, the main issue seems to be charging such batteries 'off the bike' - the special chargers do seem expensive. I'm also unsure as to the longevity of these batteries.

Regards,

Mark Woodward.

Worth a look is a "Motobatt" yellow item sold on ebay, seems to get rave reviews and not that expensive. I believe they are sealed and have two sets of terminals which could be handy.