Lots of battery issues on here - which replacement?

appledell

appledell

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original battery is rated at 19 AH and deemed to be crap !

Hawker odyssey is rated at 16 AH and deemed to be a god :bow Why is this battery so much better than the OEM if it is lower rated :duno

What about westco? Cheaper price £59 - AGM (same as odyssey) rated at 20 AH

Which one is best???
 
Dunno which is best but have been using Odysseys on and off for years (Guzzis) and now in my GS and as they have always done what it says on the tin so see no reason to use anything else.

Andres
 
The reason for all the battery questions is the cold, batteries do not like cold, ones with liquid in them less so than AGM it appears.

Perhaps the issue is not so much which battery to replace the existing one with, as how best to treat them in very cold weather. If you can't stick the bike in a garage with a trickle charger attached, then you might be best off removing the battery, taking it into the warm and charging it there.

Inconvenient but effective. When I was living in Falkirk over the very cold 1982 winter, we took all the car batteries out every night and stuck them near the boiler for the night. No problem starting then.
 
Retro battery

Can't answer the specifics except to say that retrofitting my 1200GS with the Odyssey was the best thing I ever did. Holds the charge well and just keeps going, unlike the OEM install !
 
The standard GS1200 battery is rated at 14AH. The PC535 Odyssey is about the same in terms of AH rating as near as makes no odds.

The claim is that this battery is better at producing the necessary oomph (technical term I believe - I don't do leccy things) to get the bike started especially in adverse conditions.
 
got a bmw gel battery to replace the oem 18 months ago so far so good if that go's tits up might try a odyssey
 
odyssey battery

Took the plunge and bought an odyssey. Had to adapt the securing clamp as i didn't realise I needed a different one:blast. Fortunately NN had delayed delivery of the battery so supplied a free clamp:thumb2

I now keep the battery plugged into an optimate each night as that was how I nursed the OEM one through and I got into the habit that I'm struggling to break. Seen different comments regarding using optimate but seems ok:rolleyes: Not seen a definitive "to use or not to use" yet?:rob

Just need the weather to get a little warmer..........snow and ice at the mo:(
 
My 3rd battery in 4 years has just about expired. First 2 from BMW and the last a Varta which has lasted about 14 months. All 3 were rated at 12AH but I can't really blame the batteries as most of my winter journeys are very short and I have no way of trickle charging as my garage is in a block some distance from my house.

Have ordered an Odyssey from Motorworks which should be with me in a few days. I know the batteries on the way out because when it starts in the morning the dash lighting goes outwhen cranking the engine, the engine cuts out at traffic lights and the engine hunts on tickover. The same symptoms I get every time. I've had the bike from new (oct 04) and have no plans to change yet so I'm looking at the new battery as a long term solution, fingers crossed.:augie
 
Got to give the Hawker the thumbs up, due to a little accident i'd not used the bike since early october, I just parked it in a carpark, chucked a cover over it, even left the alarm activated. On Saturday I went to take the battery off and give it a charge, but thought i'd just give it a try the bike took a good 30 seconds of cranking and then fired up as if it was only used yesterday, brilliant bike and a great battery:thumb2

Shep
 
Shep said:
Got to give the Hawker the thumbs up, due to a little accident i'd not used the bike since early october, I just parked it in a carpark, chucked a cover over it, even left the alarm activated. On Saturday I went to take the battery off and give it a charge, but thought i'd just give it a try the bike took a good 30 seconds of cranking and then fired up as if it was only used yesterday, brilliant bike and a great battery:thumb2

Shep
Click to expand...

This is the kind of thing that puts my mind at rest when I question if I've spent too much on a battery. Can't wait for it to arrive.
 
AGM cells were originally developed for military applications where there was a requirement for maximum stored energy in minimum form factor.

By design, AGM batteries have a greater cell density than wet cell or gel type conventional batteries; they have a greater surface area of lead plates, separated by glass insulator mats that hold the electrolyte in suspension. Because of their construction they out perform the equivalently rated wet or gel cell, and are leak/spillproof. They are more resistant to cell distortion during extreme load and thus can endure deep discharge cycles.

Basically they are tougher, and can pack more 'juice' into that little plastic casing.

BMW USA even have their own AGM battery as a direct replacement for the OEM item, part number 61 21 7 661 896.
Not sure if it is marketed within the EU though? It says BMW USA though surely BMW in Europe could sell them too (or are we less important as customers?).

Picture/details here:

http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=43217
 
Was in my local dealer last weekend and mentioned to them that I had ordered an Odyssey. They didn't mention a BMW equivelent so I'm guessing we can't get them here.:nenau
 
I gotta ask the question.

If the OEM wet cell battery is shite, and BMW have AGM cells as part of their inventory, why aren't they fitting superior AGM cells to new bikes?

Surely the cost per unit isn't that prohibitive ?:confused:
 
Odyssey - got out to the bike and it was covered in snow this morning - hadnt been started in over a week and was outside the whole time.

Started first time :thumb2 nuff said. Try doing that even with a new OEM :augie
 
It's here, It's here. My Odyssey turn up this afternoon from Motorworks.:JB
Now the down side, can't fit it as the bike's in the dealers having failed to start this morning (check out throttle cable thread) so will have to wait until friday to fit it :forry
The upside is I get to ride to work on the wife's new 650GS.:clap
 
My Odyssey won't fit...

My 2005 OEM battery died over the holiday period. I didn't ride it for 3 weeks and it lives outside. It won't hold a charge now.

I bought an Odyssey from Motorworks yesterday. It arrived today and I've fitted it. I can't put the seat back on if I use the lower seat setting. From experimenting, it seems to be the positive lead is getting in the way where it screws onto the battery and is stopping the seat from dropping into position and the locks at the back aren;t engaging. The high seat position fits fine. If I disconnect the lead, the low seat position fits fine too, but the bike won't start....

Motorworks are being very helpful so far.

I've also got a 'tappety' noise coming from the timing chain which I've been advised is likely to be a stuck cam chain tensioner that will free up if I run the engine at idle for a while and warm it up. We'll see.

Norman
 
I bought an Odyssey from Motorworks yesterday. It arrived today and I've fitted it. I can't put the seat back on if I use the lower seat setting. From experimenting, it seems to be the positive lead is getting in the way where it screws onto the battery and is stopping the seat from dropping into position and the locks at the back aren;t engaging. The high seat position fits fine. If I disconnect the lead, the low seat position fits fine too, but the bike won't start...

I have the same issue :confused::confused:

Anyone have any bright ideas ? :augie
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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