I need a battery - HOLY CRAP! $100?!

[Rasputin]

While I was at NAPA today a fellow came in and bought a battery for a quad. The counter guy told him that there were instructions on how to properly do the initial charge on the battery and to follow that would result in better battery life. I would imagine that every company that sells a battery has similar instructions but I would personally follow the instructions that come with the battery. I know as guys we tend not to read such drivel as instructions but, hey we follow the second gear fix to the word, so why not a simple battery charge. 2 amps or 5 or 1000 amps who cares do it according to the manufacturers info. Only takes 30 seconds to read and maybe prolong your battery life for a few years.

[natemoen]

Got a agm battery with 1 year warranty for just under $50 shipped off ebay recently.

[BA80]

Your right Steve, 2 amps. In my defense the 5 is right above the 5.................I MEAN 2.... on the keyboard.

[crazy steve]

...Charge it for at least 12 hours on a 5 amp charger.

Make that 2 amps.... Charging rate should be no more than 10% of the battery's ampere-hour rating.

+1 on the 12 hours; make that a minimum, 14-16 would be better. Proper activation is the key to long life...

[Rasputin]

You guys in the states have it easy. Up here a cheap and i mean cheap acid fille battery can not be found for under 80 bucks. If you want to go AGM then you can find them on SALE for 135 bucks. No wally world cheapies for us as most do not carry motorcycle batteries. Oh and by the way our buck is close to or higher than a US buck right now, so no comments about funny money OK.

[BA80]

Hey there,

See this link, it shows the model # of the battery to look for on the shelf at Walmart!:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Powersport-ES50N18LA3-Car-Battery/16782697

They come DRY, but with the acid container that you pour in, then you charge it up with a 2amp trickle charger overnight BEFORE you put it in use, to get the most capacity out of the battery! Should be about $50.00.

T.C.

+1 on Wally World. Charge it for at least 12 hours on a 5 amp charger.

[newtoXS11]

Hey there,

See this link, it shows the model # of the battery to look for on the shelf at Walmart!:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Powersport-ES50N18LA3-Car-Battery/16782697

They come DRY, but with the acid container that you pour in, then you charge it up with a 2amp trickle charger overnight BEFORE you put it in use, to get the most capacity out of the battery! Should be about $50.00.

T.C.

Thanks for this - I remember looking at this specific battery at wally world... even took it out of the box because it looked like the right size. Without my current battery in hand I didn't want to risk it though, and the 19-year-old hipster working the automotive section was absolutely no help. You're awesome, TopCat!

[jjz28]

it is rediculous how much batteries are now. I had to get one for our car and just a small crank amp was $70 bucks. A few years ago, you could get batteries at wallyworld for like$35.

[TopCatGr58]

Go back to walmart!

Hey there,

See this link, it shows the model # of the battery to look for on the shelf at Walmart!:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Powersport-ES50N18LA3-Car-Battery/16782697

They come DRY, but with the acid container that you pour in, then you charge it up with a 2amp trickle charger overnight BEFORE you put it in use, to get the most capacity out of the battery! Should be about $50.00.

T.C.

[newtoXS11]

I got my XS with a fresh battery when I bought it a couple years ago, but due to my utter neglect it's on its last legs... I could use a new one already. I tried Walmart but their search utilities only go back to '83 for motorcycles, so I couldn't even tell what kind I WOULD need, let alone if they had it or not. My next stop was Auto Zone. They could order one for $100+... I balked.

It seemed kind of ridiculous - the last motorcycle battery I bought, which was for my '83 750 Virago, only cost about $40. I understand that prices go up over time, but almost tripling in price over three years is absurd. I did an online search and $100+ seemed about the going rate for XS1100 batteries although I did find one or two batteries without the acid for ~$40. Since I don't know where to get just the acid I figured that was a dry well.

So I turn to the kind and knowledgeable people here for help. Any information would be great - sources for buying online, battery ID code cross references, advice on how to recondition my current battery... I just want to not have to fill up a saddle bag with a battery charger. I also don't want to pay what I feel is over twice as much as I should for a battery.