640 Adv battery

Buckster · 10-24-2005, 04:14 AM

My battery is goosed, instead of getting one under warranty which will mean the crappy Yuassa that seems to fail on a regular basis, I intend to upgrade to a Gel unit or some such, any recommendations?

Buckster · 10-24-2005, 12:15 PM

Come on, some of you must have a battery recomendation, I was not sure if I should go with a Westco gel or a Sprint lead acid.

meat popsicle · 10-24-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckster

Come on, some of you must have a battery recomendation, I was not sure if I should go with a Westco gel or a Sprint lead acid.

If your so anti-battery, change the charging system, get a big capacitor, and kick away!

Um, anyways, you had problems with the standard battery?

markjenn · 10-24-2005, 01:09 PM

Nearly all the motorcycle batteries sold today are AGM - sealed lead-acid Absorbed Gas Mat batteries. I doubt you can even find true "gel" battery for the Adv. They're generally considered better than gels and have the same property of being sealed and having no lliquid electolyte - the lead-acid solution is absorbed in the gas mattes. So whether you got Yuasa, WestCo, Excide, etc. is not going to make any difference in the battery type - it will no doubt be an AGM.

Some folks think Yuasa's are worth the extra $$$.

- Mark

Buckster · 10-24-2005, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meat popsicle

If your so anti-battery, change the charging system, get a big capacitor, and kick away!

Um, anyways, you had problems with the standard battery?

Are you PUI again?

My battery has a cell down, from hunting about on the net it appears that the Yuassa has a life span of about 10k miles, they warranty them for twelve months, Sprint offer a 24 month warranty.

meat popsicle · 10-24-2005, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckster

Are you PUI again?

My battery has a cell down, from hunting about on the net it appears that the Yuassa has a life span of about 10k miles, they warranty them for twelve months, Sprint offer a 24 month warranty.

at least you got the correct battery with your bike!

complain, complain, complain!!!

creeper · 10-24-2005, 03:05 PM

Mark is pretty much right on the button Bucky.

Advanced (absorbed) Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are about as good as it gets in the size/capacity we use. So it's really a cost/availability/warranty issue for what ever is available in England.

I still have the original battery after nearly 3 years and 10K miles... but I've always put it on a battery tender if it's going to sit for more than a few days.

Now that I've said this, it's almost a certainty that it will fail completely within the next 10 minutes.

potatoho · 10-24-2005, 05:06 PM

Wow, we have to change these things? Orig batt, 6 years 15k miles. No choke and no auto-decomp LOL.

creeper · 10-24-2005, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by potatoho

Wow, we have to change these things? Orig batt, 6 years 15k miles. No choke and no auto-decomp LOL.

Was it you that caused me to get 19 e-mail notices all at once??? I thought my fuckin' 'puter exploded.

Christ on a Crutch...

potatoho · 10-24-2005, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creeper

Was it you that caused me to get 19 e-mail notices all at once??? I thought my fuckin' 'puter exploded.

Christ on a Crutch...

Would be a neat trick, but I don't think it was me. Unless you get 19 more because I just posted this reply

bmwktmbill · 10-24-2005, 10:32 PM

Buck,
We went round and round on the BMW Airhead list on this point. It's all AGM, not gel now. I had good luck with Panasonic AGM-same as what Westco sell relabeled. In the USA a company called Digikey sells Panasonic real cheaply. You can do a search for the 800 number and give them a call on sizes. Just put 50K tough miles on one. It is still very strong.
Bill in Tomahawk, WI

Buckster · 10-25-2005, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmwktmbill

Buck,
We went round and round on the BMW Airhead list on this point. It's all AGM, not gel now. I had good luck with Panasonic AGM-same as what Westco sell relabeled. In the USA a company called Digikey sells Panasonic real cheaply. You can do a search for the 800 number and give them a call on sizes. Just put 50K tough miles on one. It is still very strong.
Bill in Tomahawk, WI

Thanks, that's the kind of recommendation I like, with the battery size I know that if it fails in the back of beyond it could be a major problem so the best battery is the only way to go. I heard that the Westco was the Panasonic but need to check the model number because all they list here is gel, although I am led to believe that they are the AGM type.

Buckster · 10-25-2005, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creeper

Mark is pretty much right on the button Bucky.

Advanced (absorbed) Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are about as good as it gets in the size/capacity we use. So it's really a cost/availability/warranty issue for what ever is available in England.

I still have the original battery after nearly 3 years and 10K miles... but I've always put it on a battery tender if it's going to sit for more than a few days.

Now that I've said this, it's almost a certainty that it will fail completely within the next 10 minutes.

There's the rub, I have over 11k miles after just over a year, my expected mileage this next year will be about 18k miles maybe more if I get my tour of Scandinavia and Iceland in.

Esteban · 10-25-2005, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by potatoho

Wow, we have to change these things? Orig batt, 6 years 15k miles. No choke and no auto-decomp LOL.

DITTO

99 640 LC4e
16,000 miles and original battery.

Loadedagain · 10-25-2005, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by potatoho

Wow, we have to change these things? Orig batt, 6 years 15k miles. No choke and no auto-decomp LOL.

mine is original too... gonna replace it this year just for the hell of it, but i betcha i could get another year outa it.

10-24-2005, 04:14 AM	#1
Buckster ^OP Banned Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Atlanta GA or London UK Oddometer: 1,003	640 Adv battery My battery is goosed, instead of getting one under warranty which will mean the crappy Yuassa that seems to fail on a regular basis, I intend to upgrade to a Gel unit or some such, any recommendations?

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10-24-2005, 12:15 PM	#2
Buckster ^OP Banned Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Atlanta GA or London UK Oddometer: 1,003	Come on, some of you must have a battery recomendation, I was not sure if I should go with a Westco gel or a Sprint lead acid.

10-24-2005, 01:09 PM	#4
markjenn Beastly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2003 Location: Swellvue, WA Oddometer: 9,700	Nearly all the motorcycle batteries sold today are AGM - sealed lead-acid Absorbed Gas Mat batteries. I doubt you can even find true "gel" battery for the Adv. They're generally considered better than gels and have the same property of being sealed and having no lliquid electolyte - the lead-acid solution is absorbed in the gas mattes. So whether you got Yuasa, WestCo, Excide, etc. is not going to make any difference in the battery type - it will no doubt be an AGM. Some folks think Yuasa's are worth the extra $$$. - Mark

10-24-2005, 03:05 PM	#7
creeper Still alive... Joined: Dec 2003 Location: Puget Sound Oddometer: 10,718	Mark is pretty much right on the button Bucky. Advanced (absorbed) Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are about as good as it gets in the size/capacity we use. So it's really a cost/availability/warranty issue for what ever is available in England. I still have the original battery after nearly 3 years and 10K miles... but I've always put it on a battery tender if it's going to sit for more than a few days. Now that I've said this, it's almost a certainty that it will fail completely within the next 10 minutes.

10-24-2005, 05:06 PM	#8
potatoho Cheese and Rice! Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Sea-level Oddometer: 4,608	Wow, we have to change these things? Orig batt, 6 years 15k miles. No choke and no auto-decomp LOL.

10-24-2005, 10:32 PM	#11
bmwktmbill Traveler Joined: Jul 2005 Location: Traveler Oddometer: 4,009	Buck, We went round and round on the BMW Airhead list on this point. It's all AGM, not gel now. I had good luck with Panasonic AGM-same as what Westco sell relabeled. In the USA a company called Digikey sells Panasonic real cheaply. You can do a search for the 800 number and give them a call on sizes. Just put 50K tough miles on one. It is still very strong. Bill in Tomahawk, WI