R1150GS Battery

greenlaningxt

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I need another new battery, looking for recommendations, this time the bike has been unused for a while as I have had a shoulder joint replacement, plus coronavirus lockdown.

This is the 3rd odyssey battery that has given up after the bike has been unused for a while and been on trickle charge (optimate)

Seems OK for a couple of months then does not hold charge anymore, bike is in storage away from home, anyone else had this problem with an Odyssey, I was under the impression they were bulletproof.

So what do people recommend?
 
Was it on here I saw someone opening an Odyssey and topping it up with some success?

Why would you trickle charge it? I found the Odyssey very good in the 1150GS. I only charged it after more than a couple of months sitting in garage.
 
I've had good luck with Westco AGM batteries in my R1150GS and have had good luck so far with a Motobatt AGM in my '83 Honda. All of them stay on Deltran Battery Tenders or Battery Tender Jr.'s all the time unless being ridden. I've had as much as a 6-year life out of the Westcos.

I tried an Odyssey a few years back and it lasted less than 2 years. Apparently neither the Deltran chargers or the stock R1150 GS charging system are proper for the Odyssey. Over on advrider, oilhead electical/fuel injection wizard Roger04RT went over this, and showed how he soldered in a diode in his alternator/voltage regulator to cause it output the proper voltage for an Odyssey.

I don't have Roger04RT's skills or understanding of the matter, and it is a lot of work to get the alternator out, so I went back to my tried-and-true Westco.
 
Roger 04RT is your man if you need technical data, I just checked some of his posts. Wish I had that much time.

Got me thinking tough, from what he seems to say is Odyssey batteries need more voltage than a standard system to charge.

Also they need a non standard maintenance charger, their own.

There seems to be a way to condition the battery, by discharging and the pumping a large charge into it.

I’m going to try this next and if it holds charge look at getting the extra .5 of a volt out of the charging system.

And if none this works go for a nice cheap reliable lead acid battery like the Exide.

Thanks for pointing at his posts, food for thought..
 
Why not give Motobatt a try? I’ve never had a bad one of them.
 
I use mottobat for years, can't foult them, I used it on r1150rt on r1100rt on xrv750 and fazer 1000, at moment I have twin setup on r1100rt and it's been good to me
Other battery under tank
Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk
622a76e795ada4831dc6fed530525c6c.jpg
 
I would suspect the Optimate if you have had 3 premature failures. The Odyssey battery on my R1150GS was 7 years old when I sold the bike. As said above, it only got a charge if it needed it and then only for 24 hours at most. It survived 3 winters of very little use as the bike was parked in my mum's garage whilst I lived in Cardiff city centre.

Anyway, for value for money, I agree with the Exide from Tayna recommendation. I just bought one for my S1000XR as the OE just died after 4 years.

https://www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-batteries/types/51913/
 
Mine had an exide in when bought it, ordered the featherweight one off of Tanya yesterday and just arrived today!

It has good rating of being lighter but having 250 CCA ie more cranking power. Good if running reg which I do.

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for all the replies.

If I can’t reconditioned the odyssey, then it’s probably going to get replaced by an Exide.
 
Ditto with odyssey. Lasted only 3 years although optimate conditioner used regularly. Now not holding charge very well and notably slower cranking. Buying an exide.
 
I ordered, received & fitted the Exide AGM to my 1150GSA today. The only problem is it's smaller than my previous Exide so the rubber retaining strap isn't able to hold the battery as it's intended.

Any solutions?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Spangle said:
I ordered, received & fitted the Exide AGM to my 1150GSA today. The only problem is it's smaller than my previous Exide so the rubber retaining strap isn't able to hold the battery as it's intended.

Any solutions?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

use some of the packaging as a spacer - cardboard or polystyrene, whatever it came with
 
I had to replace my battery today after 5 faithful years.

I hadn't used the bike since Nov last year (shame I know) and took it out yesterday. Started first time ok with a jump start for the car and rode for and hour. But it wouldn't hold a charge when I restarted it.

Ordered a Exide GEL12-19 Motorcycle Battery (replaced like for like) from Eurocarparts as a first time user (code: 5alxrw5) you get a 50% discount. £61.49 collected.

Good luck.

T
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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