Lithium Ion Battery

[North]

Is it okay to use a Lithium Ion Battery on a 1200?


Thanks

 

[TeaPig]

I'm not an expert but doubt it very much as the charging procedure for Li-ion is relatively complicated compared to a lead-acid battery and critical to prevent damage to them. Abused Li-ion can also catch fire.

You can't therefore just hook them up to the existing wires and forget about it.

 

[Greg Masters]

I can't quite see the point. They cost $$$$s but make but a tiny difference to the all-up weight of the bike.

Greg

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

No, not without putting in another charging system. Lithium Ion requires a complicated charging system or thee batteries go in fire Very little point anyway and it would have to be a custom cell £££

 

[North]

A guy on a site over here in British Columbia said they were cheaper and less weight.

He gave me the name of a place were a could buy one cheap. He bought one for his 450 KLX.

I don't know anything about them, so I thought I would ask. I will just go with the Gel.

Thanks for the infor Guys

 

[Malcvtr]

They look pretty fking impressive in this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyYBh4ec05c

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

They do indeed, very impressive. Bit odd that he specifically said it isn't lithium. Did you follow the link the the manufactures site? http://tekbattery.com/prices.html get your credit card out!!!!!!

 

[rce]

Seen the price of them http://www.super-b.com/products/super-B-5200.html

Too few advantages, too many disadvantages.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

its actually http://www.super-b.com/products/super-B-7800.html that you would need but still much cheaper than my link. Hardly a bargain mind you.

 

[Malcvtr]

This seems much more reasonable on price for the same thing:

http://www.shoraipower.com/s-101562-R1200RT.aspx

And some interesting stuff in their FAQ section:

Q. I hear that lithium crank poorly when it gets cold, is that right?
A.Lithium do increase in resistance more as temperature drops, compared to lead-acid. However, they also react to cranking under cold conditions in a much better way. Lead-acid will increase resistance on each subsequent cranking attempt, until it won’t turn over. If your LFX fails to start the engine on first crank, that first crank has warmed the battery, and the second attempt will be much stronger, and so on until you get a good start.

Shorai LFX are much better in cold-weather conditions than other-brand lithium starter batteries, due to our eXtreme-rate formulation with low resistance. Down to about 20 degrees fahrenheit (-7C) most users find that they can start normally on first crank. If your headlight comes on at key-ON, it is good for the batteries to flow some current before cranking in cold weather. The suggested headlight-on time before cranking depends on the temperature. If starting at 40f (5C), 30 seconds will help wake the battery and increase cranking performance. If at 0f (-17C), leave the lights on for 4~5 minutes before cranking. The result will be a better first crank, and longer battery life. Any other accessories that can be turned on before cranking can also be used for this purpose, such as heated gear, radio, etc...

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Thats getting more like it although the nearest distributor is Denmark and batteries cost a fortune to transport legally.

 

[trainman]

This seems much more reasonable on price for the same thing:

http://www.shoraipower.com/s-101562-R1200RT.aspx

And some interesting stuff in their FAQ section:

Q. I hear that lithium crank poorly when it gets cold, is that right?
A.Lithium do increase in resistance more as temperature drops, compared to lead-acid. However, they also react to cranking under cold conditions in a much better way. Lead-acid will increase resistance on each subsequent cranking attempt, until it won’t turn over. If your LFX fails to start the engine on first crank, that first crank has warmed the battery, and the second attempt will be much stronger, and so on until you get a good start.

Shorai LFX are much better in cold-weather conditions than other-brand lithium starter batteries, due to our eXtreme-rate formulation with low resistance. Down to about 20 degrees fahrenheit (-7C) most users find that they can start normally on first crank. If your headlight comes on at key-ON, it is good for the batteries to flow some current before cranking in cold weather. The suggested headlight-on time before cranking depends on the temperature. If starting at 40f (5C), 30 seconds will help wake the battery and increase cranking performance. If at 0f (-17C), leave the lights on for 4~5 minutes before cranking. The result will be a better first crank, and longer battery life. Any other accessories that can be turned on before cranking can also be used for this purpose, such as heated gear, radio, etc...

I note it says on the link page that these are 'drop in' replacements, but theres nothing I can see in FAQs about a lead acid charging system being ok for Li-on, I would want to be very sure on the long term issue here, you may only get a problem when you are out of warranty - a lot of money to lose

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

The ones shown in the video had circuits packed into the case so I would imagine they will be fine, as for the others, there isn't any information really but you would have to assume there is.