AGM battery

[temesvar]

Time to replace the battery on the '08 RT.

Am thinking of MotoBatt AGM. This is new

to me, was just wondering what the pros and

cons are with AGM's. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

[JR356]

AGMs are good,got 7 plus yrs out of my Odyssey AGM with no real maintenance other than checking bolt tightness yearly and using a quality battery maintainer if not riding for a month or longer.

 

JR356

[Guest Kakugo]

No con's on AGM batteries apart using an AGM-approved battery charger when the bike isn't used.

Extremely happy with mine so far.

[dirtrider]

Morning Albert

 

As mentioned, not many cons to a GOOD AGM battery.

 

The 2 that I can think of are initial cost & battery size/fit.

 

Not all AGM batteries are sized to fit in the BMW 1200RT battery area without shimming the battery and/or reworking the hold down strap. (not a deal breaker by any means but might need to be addressed)

 

Charging is another area as your 08 1200 came with a GEL battery so the alternator voltage output is tailored more towards the GEL requirements than some AGM batteries but in most applications the AGM will work just fine in your 1200RT.

 

I'm not familiar with the MotoBatt AGM--just make sure that your battery maintainer/charger is compatible with the MotoBatt AGM charging requirements (or other AGM if you get a different brand).

 

The biggest threat to an AGM battery is an incorrect battery maintainer that has an automatic or manual de-sulfation cycle that doesn't sense the battery type correctly & socks it with a 15+ volt de-sulfation cycle.

 

The good side of the AGM type of battery is they have decent deep cycle ability & don't sulfate easily so they usually need very little in the way of maintainer help. (ie no need to hook to a battery maintainer with bike parked overnight or even a few weeks)

 

[temesvar]

Thank You all for your input. I made up my mind, will get a

MotoBatt from http://www.motobattbatteries.com. For $86+ shipping

is not bad at all. Am just wondering if my BatteryTender800 is big enough for it.

I know there will be some shimming to be done to fit but that is not an issue.

[dirtrider]

Am just wondering if my BatteryTender800 is big enough for it.

 

Evening temesvar

 

Just give them a call & you will get an answer from the manufacturer (very helpful company).

 

CALL THEM AT: 877-456-7901 or 386-736-7900

[temesvar]

 

Evening temesvar

 

Just give them a call & you will get an answer from the manufacturer (very helpful company).

 

CALL THEM AT: 877-456-7901 or 386-736-7900

Thx D.R. I just called them and they just closed

However, have already emailed them with my question.

My BatteryTender outputs only 800mA. I think they suggest a

BatteryTenderPlus, that puts out 1.25A Will wait untill they respond.

[Asymmetrical]

Good morning.

 

The issue with AGM battery chargers versus traditional lead acid or gelcell batteries is not the amperage of your battery tender (assuming you are using the charger only as a maintainer), but the voltage at which the tender goes into 'float' mode, which it does after going through 'bulk' and then 'acceptance' phases - assuming it is a tender that has that capability (i.e. a 'smart' charger).

 

AGM batteries require a higher voltage than either of the other two battery types I mentioned in order to reach fully charged status. That is something that is either a predetermined function within the charger you are using, or is something that on more advanced chargers can be set by the user.

 

It is important to reach the maximum voltage when charging your AGM battery or it will reduce its useful life. Good luck in researching this.

[temesvar]

You can use the Battery tender 800 on all the MotoBatt's, which ever you may need.

 

Thank you,

 

Darren

Motobattbatteries.com

darren@motobattbatteries.com

1-877-232-5878

 

 

 

Funny how things work out: I just received this email from

MotoBatt as i was calling them. Darren was on the phone,

asuring me that the BatteryTender800 will do just fine!

Thanks all for help!The battery is on its way already!

To bad is still winter here...

[bdfbeemer]

So what is the reason to go with an after market battery in lieu of the factory battery?

[dirtrider]

So what is the reason to go with an after market battery in lieu of the factory battery?

 

Morning bdfbeemer

 

2 BIG reasons--

 

(1)-Battery cost-- BMW OEM are super expensive. A better aftermarket battery can be bought for about 1/2 the OEM battery cost.

 

(2)-Update to a proven AGM over the factory (finicky/sudden failure prone) GEL battery.

 

[bdfbeemer]

Thanks. any suggestions on brand?

[JR356]

Odyssey,as stated in prior post,got 7 yrs out of an Odyssey with minimal maintainence.

Yuasa

Have heard some folks recommend Big Crank.

 

Some good threads on batteries over on ADVRider.

 

Some decent deals thru that online site that starts with a A and ends with an n.

I just bought a recommended generic chinese AGM for my 05GS thru them,less than $40 shipped arrived fully charged in a couple days and it's working well so far.

 

JR356

[Rougarou]

I got several years out of my BMW gel battery and decided to replace it simply because of it's age 6+years. I ended up with a Deka AGM.

 

On those times when the bike needs to be on the tender, I used the old gray box BMW tender and it works just fine.

[dirtrider]

Thanks. any suggestions on brand?

 

 

Morning bdfbeemer

 

I'm sure there are riders that have had good & bad experiences with about all brands of AGM batteries in the BMW boxer bikes.

 

The one that seems to keep coming to the top of all the others as far as value vs long life & continued trouble free usage for years is the Odyssey. The Odyssey is also my personal favorite when I need an up-level long life AGM battery.

 

The Odyssey usually costs slightly more to begin with but figured over the years of service the cost-per-year is usually quite low.

 

[OoPEZoO]

The last Odyssey I had in my RT has got to be pushing 10 years old now. The RT is no more, but the battery has new life with a set of cables attached to it and serves as my garage "jumper pack" for starting things like my garden tractor (that I'm too cheap to buy a new battery for). Excellent quality battery, and certainly worth the few extra $$$.

[longjohn]

I thought it was the AGM batteries that were prone to sudden failure, as opposed to the OEM gel which will give you a little warning when it starts to die. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Froggy]

+1 on the Odyssy. Prior owner put one in my totaled 02RT, 6 years and still going strong. Will be picking up a 13RT soon with factory batt in it so i will keep an eye on it. I might try a lithium battery...ten pound savings is a lot on a bike. Looking at the EarthX 24D, yes twice the $ as my trusty pc680 but I dont mind trying new things. Would love to get EarthX 36 but at 350+ thats too much to take a chance on.

[OoPEZoO]

+1 on the Odyssy. Prior owner put one in my totaled 02RT, 6 years and still going strong. Will be picking up a 13RT soon with factory batt in it so i will keep an eye on it. I might try a lithium battery...ten pound savings is a lot on a bike. Looking at the EarthX 24D, yes twice the $ as my trusty pc680 but I dont mind trying new things. Would love to get EarthX 36 but at 350+ thats too much to take a chance on.

 

You realize that EarthX battery is half the Amp Hour capacity of a PC680 (8Ahr Vs 16Ahr)? It might crank the bike over a little quicker under ideal conditions, but if you ride in cold weather it could leave you stranded. Lithium Ion batteries fall on their face in cold temps and their performance is greatly diminished.

 

The previous owner of my GS decided that he needed to shed some weight from it and bought some advanced lightweight battery from a company named Braille. While not Lithium Ion, it boasted the same sort of benefits.....higher cranking amps and lighter weight. That battery flat out SUCKED. Worse battery I have ever had in any vehicle. If my bike sat outside at work when it was under 45ish degrees, I would have one shot at starting it. After that, the battery was flat and I had to jump it. It also wouldn't start the bike if I left it off the battery tender for longer than about 2 weeks. I never had that issue with my RT and PC680. Long story short, my GS now has a PC535 in it and its back to never worrying about the battery.

 

This is not directed specifically at you, but if anyone wants to shave 10 lbs off the weight of a bike......go on a diet and/or pack lighter. The battery is NOT the place you want to do it.

 

 

[Selden]

You realize that EarthX battery is half the Amp Hour capacity of a PC680 (8Ahr Vs 16Ahr)? It might crank the bike over a little quicker under ideal conditions, but if you ride in cold weather it could leave you stranded. Lithium Ion batteries fall on their face in cold temps and their performance is greatly diminished.

 

This is not directed specifically at you, but if anyone wants to shave 10 lbs off the weight of a bike......go on a diet and/or pack lighter. The battery is NOT the place you want to do it.

I put in a Battery Tender lithium ion battery 2 years ago, and it has performed well, despite poor care on my part by leaving it connected to a defective trickle charger last summer. After a two months of no use (lots of rain, plus auto travel), the battery was completely flat, and I didn't know if it could be revived. I picked up a BT Jr charger designed specifically for lithium ion batteries, and to my surprise it eventually came back, although it didn't seem to crank as readily as before. I sent it off to Deltran this past Monday for a checkup.

 

Before the charging issue, I was able to start my RT in temperatures as low as ~35°, although the procedure is counter-intuitive: turn the ignition on for 30 seconds, with high beam and grip heaters on. Press the starter button for a second. Wait 10 seconds, press again. It usually starts on the second try. It has never failed to start in cold weather, although I have experienced the blinking light ABS failure (but I experienced that with the Odyssey as well). If I lived north of the Mason Dixon line, I probably wouldn't consider a Lithium ion battery, but in Georgia it has worked well.

 

I wish Deltran offered a higher capacity battery that fits in the RT battery box, but the 14AH model is the biggest that will fit. I really like the 4-post design, which provides more flexibility for attaching wiring. And, I notice that they changed the case design since I bought mine in 2014, which suggests an engineering change.

 

[dirtrider]

Afternoon __

 

Those lifepo4 batteries seem to work OK in warmer weather but up north here they are kind of iffy in real cold weather with 20w50 oil in the boxer engines.

 

I ride & ( late fall cold weather camp) with a group of off-roaders (lot of BMW GS/ GSA bikes. It never fails that on the colder mornings (15°-20°f) we always have to jump some of the lifepo4 battery bikes.

 

If it's not too darn cold they will start by shocking the battery with headlights-on ( A real pain to do on the 1200 bikes) or a few cranking attempts, but on real cold mornings with bike sitting out all night at least a couple are usually a no-go.