Hi Looking for a new battery and comparing Shorai and Ballistic. Read lots on the Shorai, but virtually nothing on the Ballistic. The 8 cell seems to be the one used for the 950 Has anyone used them in the KTM 950 - thoughts. They are $40 less than the shorai..which isn't really that much, but if they are similar I'm inclined to go this route. Appreciate any thoughts or experiences.
I put a Testsycl in my Super Enduro... Neat product, sold by a member here.. http://shop.testsycl.com/Motorcycle-Batteries_c2.htm Edit: Also have one in my TE610. Light, bulletproof. Good product.
I installed a Ballistic EVO2 8 cell on my 08 990A today, fully charged and won"t turn the motor over!! anyone have any info for me? Cross reference chart tells me I've got the correct battery. Apparently the 12 cell is a little too long to fit in the box. I gota wait until Monday to get answers from the factory. WTF I wanted to ride this weekend!
I had two new Ballistic batteries and neither one would turn over my 990 unless it just came off of a charger and the bike was warm. I tried it on my friend's DL1000 and it would start it but it turned over very slow. The 120 cell is suppossed to be rated at 450 CCA but I think that is an optimistic rating. I put in a new Yuasa and my 990 starts fine. I took a video to show the guys at the shop how the Ballistic battery with a full charge 14.5 volts would not starrt the bike and then hooked up the Yuasa and the bike started fine. I gave a copy of the video to the shop so they could show the Ballistic rep and 4 months later they still have not heard back from him.
I installed a 12 cell in my 990 and it starts no issues. My Voltage regulator was going bad and i cooked a Shoria battery so the shop had a ballistic and decided to try it. I purchased a new Regulator from Rick's and it puts out a constant 14.7 volts so i am worried it my get damaged from the high voltage. Ballistic rates the max charging voltage as 14.4 volts. So may just stick it in my scooter and go back to a gel cell Yusa and not worry!
I agree that the Ballistic looks good as far as the cases and the terminals are brass with good contact area. Terminal is cast/bonded into the body of the case. I don't know what the internal contacts look like nor do I know what is bonding the terminal to the case if it is cast in or if it is glued in. From my experience, the 8 cell ballistic is not recommended for the LC8 application based upon displacement of the engine, it might have enough AMPS to eventually swing it through if its a 950, but with the 990s the ECU will unlatch the starter system if the voltage drops too much.... and with a 8 cell this is exactly what will happen. Early on when Ballistic released these batteries, we tried to fit a 8 cell to a Duc 996 and it would not start the engine reliably. Current design Shorai LFX18A1-BS12 has been solid so far and I have not experienced a low voltage drop out as described previously with the 990.
I installed a Ballistic 12 cell and last night at rest it was 14 v, when I hit the starter it would not crank over. About 45 degrees in the barn so I let it set for 1 minute with the high beams on, then rest for 1 minute and tried again and still would not roll over. One more minute of lights and rest then it fired up. I just installed a new Ricks voltage regulator so I will give it a 30 minute ride and let sit overnight and see what the voltage is. Ballistic says max voltage after charging is 14.4. After reading the link above I am getting pretty nervous with running the Balliastic and my go back to a AMG standard lead acid battery. I had a Shoria and it went into melt down due to low voltage and left me stranded in the NC mountains and was real lucky to find a guy with jumper cables to get me started and was able to ride to Wheelers cycle in Robinsville and get a new battery. The Shoria was to hot to hold in my hands and the case was expanded but did not rupture. At the time the stock voltage regulator was putting out 12.2 v at idel and 11.5 v at higher rpms.
I am using a Testsycl in my 950 as well and have really good luck with it for the last year or so. Nice and light, and always cranks the bike even in our cold winter temps here. Just read in the paper this week that we got the 'coldest spot in the nation' (lower 48 only) honors again this year...
That is the Ballistic battery, isn't it? At least that what it says on the site referenced above. I killed a Shorai on my 950 when a short to ground took the voltage too low. Pinched a wire to the frame during. Word is that the Shorai battery now has a protection circuit to prevent this problem. I had to replace it with a lead acid AGM as I didn't have time to wait for the offered warranty replacement. My DRZ400E has a 4 cell Ballistic. The bike is still in the process of getting a makeover, so I haven't any long term experience with the battery. I did leave the key on for a few days by accident, no lights on but the ignition and isolation relay coil (for the DS kit) drained the battery. It charged back up and is holding a charge. So far, so good. My guess is this battery also has a deep discharge protection circuit to prevent catastrophic damage.
Bought the 12 cell EVO2 for my 950 and wanted to install it this past weekend. Should have read these forums first as the configuration is a bit different and the cable extenders (only $10) will be required. Will update this post with my progress as soon as I git 'er done. BTW, there's plenty of space in the 950 compartment. I just placed the ballistic battery in the KTM's stock rubber battery housing and added a piece of styrofoam on either side.
I stick with an AGM for the 950. Reliability is much more important than loosing a couple of pounds so low on the bike. That said, I run an 8 cell Ballistic on my 450 and it's been rock solid for over two years. Of course, I have the option of kick starting if there's a problem. I did try it on the big bike and it would start but I would use the 12 cell if you stay with Ballistic.
I have the 8 cell Ballistic battery in my 950SE. Unlike what others have posted, I've never had any starting problems with my Ballistic battery. Starts my SE even after sitting for weeks. Just my .02
Toasted my Shorai once upon a time. Back to the old Yuasa boat anchor.....I hate dead batteries! I'm sure they have their place, just not in my bike.
Hooked up my 12 cell EVO2; had to use the extender cables that Ballistic sells. Did a 2-day camp/ride thing up north, returning today. The battery starts strong, stronger than the Shorei it replaced. So far I m a fan.
I recently experimented with at Ballistic LiFeO4 (lithium ion) battery. Ballistic Performance Components recommended a 12 cell EVO2 battery for my 2010 BMW R1200 GS Adventure. This battery would not reliably turn my engine over especially when the temperature was lower than 50 F. The dealer arranged a replacement for me to try again. This one too was too weak to crank over my 1200 cc boxer engine. After speaking with Ballistic, the owner himself replaced my 12 cell battery with the 16 cell battery. This worked ok but still had some problems when the temperature dropped below 35 F. On a recent long distance trip (Iron Butt ride), the 16 cell battery suddenly failed and would not even turn over my engine. After returning the battery to Ballistic Performance Components, I was told that the battery was full of water and had been submersed in water (opinion of owner -Chip). The water caused the battery to short out. Now it is useless after 10 months and would not be covered under warranty. Here is the problem... My 16 cell battery was never submersed in water! In fact my bike was not even washed in this time period. I ride every day rain or shine. The owner-Chip could not tell me why the water was in the battery other than it MUST have been submersed in water. I believe that there was a flaw in the battery design with the socket on the top of the battery for balancing the cells. Or there was some unseen flaw in the plastic housing such as a crack or poor weld that allowed wheel spray into the battery. For example, as the battery was mounted in my GS Adventure, it is at the approximate level with the air intake snorkel. Now, one would think that I would have bigger problems than the battery if I had submersed the bike to a level above the battery (and air snorkel). Yes, I would have aspirated water into the engine. How could I have started an Iron Butt ride and have the battery fail after 500 miles. I don't believe my bike would have made it that far!!! How can Ballistic Performance Components sell a product that is advertised as impact and water resistant and that can be mounted in any position for any power sport? Evidently, this battery is not ready for prime time! Do not purchase!
