Has anybody done this? If so any tips and make of lithium battery used?
Lithium battery on a 1250 GS
- Thread starter Stevie900
- Start date
I'd check with BMW first to make sure it is compatible.
so long as the battery has the right circuitry built in so that it charges correctly then the bike dont care what battery you use
Indeed - Lithium's charge with constant voltage like Lead-Acid from my (slightly dated) experience of designing battery chargers BUT require much tighter control of the conditions so either the charger has to be more sophisticated or the batter contain extra charge control circuitry.
I would not expect BMW to give carte-blanche to the choice of Lithium that can be used, so wouldn't risk fitting something that they hadn't recommended, otherwise any claims in the event of fire, damage, fcuk-up etc, etc could well be dismissed.
Can't imagine anyone making a motorcycle lithium with anything less than the required electronics built in, the claims would put them out of business very quickly.
Lithium is also an option on my GFs S1000XR and as all the modern BMWs use the same regulator/rectifier, you have to assume that it would be fine.
I ran a lithium for 2 years on my Ducati 848, put it on a shelf for a year then fitted it to my Ducati 939 Supersport for 4 years, still going fine when i sold that bike with it still fitted after 30+ thousand miles. Never used a charger, even after it being on the shelf.
You will hear about the fires from them, but there were probably only one or two till it got onto the internet and then there were thousands. My phone battery never caught fire either.
Lithium is also an option on my GFs S1000XR and as all the modern BMWs use the same regulator/rectifier, you have to assume that it would be fine.
I ran a lithium for 2 years on my Ducati 848, put it on a shelf for a year then fitted it to my Ducati 939 Supersport for 4 years, still going fine when i sold that bike with it still fitted after 30+ thousand miles. Never used a charger, even after it being on the shelf.
You will hear about the fires from them, but there were probably only one or two till it got onto the internet and then there were thousands. My phone battery never caught fire either.
If have warranty use BMW lithium, so no problem, if out warranty, no cheap but very good.
https://www.antigravitybatteries-uk...ries/antigravity-atz-10-re-start-battery.html
AberdeenAngus
Registered user
Direct replacement Lithium ‘vehicle’ batteries contain a Battery Management System (BMS). Such batteries are ‘plug & play’ and the fact that they are Lithium is transparent to the vehicle.
BMW were happy to fit a 3rd party Shorai lithium battery to my bike when it was brand new as part of the PDI and said the warranty would still be fine.
Just went through this. Narrowed my choices to either Anti-gravity, Shorai, NOCO or EarthX. Ruled Anti-gravity off the list because I wanted a Lithium-Iron (LiFe) based battery not a Lithium Ion due to less chance of a thermal runaway.
Tried a Shorai first, it was rated at 270 CCA, topped it up with a Lithium charger before installation and it would barely start the bike. Contacted Shorai thinking I had a bad battery since I've used them in multiple bikes with no issues. Asked them if I could pay the difference and upgrade to the next higher rated battery. They never responded and simply sent the same model, with the same results, and due to shipping limitations would not allow me to return it, so I've got two new Shorai batteries sitting on my bench that are useless to me.
Next tried the NOCO rated at 500 amps and it started the bike just fine, but with further investigation found it was only rated at 4 amp hours so I started getting concerned about load and how it would do while running accessories. Was able to return it.
Ended up with the EarthX and very pleased. It cranks the 1250 the strongest of the three I tried, it also has a sophisticated battery management that allows it to be charged with a regular lead acid type charger, no need to get a lithium specific model. It's rated at 420 PCA (pulse cranking amps), but 7.8 amp hours instead of 4, so loads of reserve, and is the only lithium battery supposedly approved for use in light aircraft. It was also the most expensive at $240.
HHTH
Tried a Shorai first, it was rated at 270 CCA, topped it up with a Lithium charger before installation and it would barely start the bike. Contacted Shorai thinking I had a bad battery since I've used them in multiple bikes with no issues. Asked them if I could pay the difference and upgrade to the next higher rated battery. They never responded and simply sent the same model, with the same results, and due to shipping limitations would not allow me to return it, so I've got two new Shorai batteries sitting on my bench that are useless to me.
Next tried the NOCO rated at 500 amps and it started the bike just fine, but with further investigation found it was only rated at 4 amp hours so I started getting concerned about load and how it would do while running accessories. Was able to return it.
Ended up with the EarthX and very pleased. It cranks the 1250 the strongest of the three I tried, it also has a sophisticated battery management that allows it to be charged with a regular lead acid type charger, no need to get a lithium specific model. It's rated at 420 PCA (pulse cranking amps), but 7.8 amp hours instead of 4, so loads of reserve, and is the only lithium battery supposedly approved for use in light aircraft. It was also the most expensive at $240.
HHTH
That would be approved for aircraft use in the US then. Many other countries have different regulations.
Interesting to see the note about older bikes and possible over voltage.
The same voltage regulator, 12318523367, has been fitted to the GS since 2011 so, as that regulates the voltage, then a Lithium should be fine for any bike built since that date.
Run LiFePO4s on all my bikes. Brilliant. Make sure you get the right CCA so it has enough cranking power. But if you do, they are lightweight and are able to crank high compression twin engines far better than standard batteries. I use both Shido and Shorai with no issue on BMWs 1250s and a 14:1 high comp Ducati 1098R which is a tough demand of any battery. On the BMW 1250, you need around 330CCA. A correct lithium battery charger/tender is valuable to ensure they are kept at top performance.
My point was not about aircraft regulation per se, but rather that they meet a very high standard of construction and durability.
Just to resurrect this old thread, my standard BMW Exide AGM cell is on its last legs, with starting problems and annoying TFT error messages popping up. It's most likely the original bikes battery which is four years old now. I'm having to carry a Lithium booster pack as it keeps letting me down and failing to start once hot.
I'm about to fit a Motobatt Hybrid MHTX16 battery that uses a combination of LiFePo4 and AGM lead-acid in a single unit with an integrated electronic BMS system to balance cells and take care of charge/discharge. It is claimed to have all the advantages of both battery types but none of the disadvantages. I hope it lives up to the hype, the online reviews looks impressive.
I'll post a review of it once I've tried it out.
I'm about to fit a Motobatt Hybrid MHTX16 battery that uses a combination of LiFePo4 and AGM lead-acid in a single unit with an integrated electronic BMS system to balance cells and take care of charge/discharge. It is claimed to have all the advantages of both battery types but none of the disadvantages. I hope it lives up to the hype, the online reviews looks impressive.
I'll post a review of it once I've tried it out.
Adam: I know it’s not yet 6 months but I am interested in how that new battery is working for you as I may need to change out my (1150) GS battery soon
I also bought the same battery as Adam a week or so after him.
Adam and I were discussing it just the other day.
Its been absolutely brilliant is the best I can describe. Even after numerous short distances and having to restart the bike numerous times in-between (I live in a city) its been faultless and never missed a beat. It fires up instantly, not even a hint of hesitation like my previous brand new battery did.
In fact what got me to discuss it with Adam, I was given a brand new 850GS whilst mine was in for a service and I was surprised to see even the smaller V twin engine struggling to turn over when firing up compared to my now instance fire up on the much bigger boxer 1250.
I would highly recommend getting this battery.
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