Please suggest gel battery

[mfarrington]

I do a crappy job of maintaining my battery. Need a gel. Looking for best price point to value. Thanks!

[jetmechmarty]

Battery-Web.com

Mike,

I bought the Deka in the above link. It was been working great for about 2 years. It was made in Pennsylvania, as is the Yuasa battery. The Deka has enough CCA to fire my bike instantly. Battery-Web is close enough that you'll get it fast. I'm a happy customer! Any of those AGM batteries will do the trick, but it just so happens the one with the best price is made in the USA.

[mfarrington]

Marty, Thanks!

[skids]

The problem with gel batteries is that they give out rather suddenly rather than by giving you some warning like the slower death of a lead-acid battery.

[IanDMacDonald]

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...d=140853877729


I use this battery in mine.

[Tat2demon]

Holy crap. Almost $100 just to ship that sucker.

[natemoen]

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...d=140853877729


I use this battery in mine.

Screw that! I will take my $40 agm battery and replace it ever couple years and be way ahead of that!

[CaptonZap]

I do a crappy job of maintaining my battery. Need a gel. Looking for best price point to value. Thanks!

Here's some rain for your parade.
http://www.qsl.net/wb3gck/gel-cell.htm
If your regulator is not set up for a gel cell, you will probably not reap the benefits that you are trying to obtain by using one. They do not suffer abuse any better than wet cells, as far as charging voltages go. And if you are having problems with your wet cell battery going dry quickly, I would suggest that you check your regulator, since that is the usual suspect for water loss in batteries. If the final charge voltage is too high, the current causes oxygen and hydrogen to form on the plates, using the water in the electrolyte, and the gases go out the vent.

CZ

[Rasputin]

Around here it is usual to pay 80 - 90 bucks for an acid filled battery. A gel will go for 130 - 140 bucks.
I have had acid filled ones last up to 7 yrs with no special treatment for winter. I just charge them shortly before storage and leave everything hooked up all winter. Others would drain down and freeze over the winter or sulphate off during their lifespan and be useless in a couple of years. One of my buddies ran the same batteries as I and had to buy a new one every spring. Makes one wonder a bit about quality control.
Now enter into my life the Gel battery. I have only run these for about 3 yrs so far so I have not had the same time frame to base my thoughts on. Absolutely no problems what so ever! No acid spill down the tube, no low battery symptoms, nothing!!! Just turn the key and the bike starts.
First thing in the spring I start it and it acts like I just started it yesterday. With the acid filled it may do that but it was always "If it don't start in the first 15 seconds you will have to boost or charge it". The gel will crank like a brand new battery.
While you may have different results i have been slowly replacing all of my batteries with gel whenever I need a new one.

[motoman]

Here's some rain for your parade.
http://www.qsl.net/wb3gck/gel-cell.htm
If your regulator is not set up for a gel cell, you will probably not reap the benefits that you are trying to obtain by using one. They do not suffer abuse any better than wet cells, as far as charging voltages go. And if you are having problems with your wet cell battery going dry quickly, I would suggest that you check your regulator, since that is the usual suspect for water loss in batteries. If the final charge voltage is too high, the current causes oxygen and hydrogen to form on the plates, using the water in the electrolyte, and the gases go out the vent.

CZ

A huge +1 on that CZ! Not to bust anyones chops, but I'll stick with the Interstate lead-acid wet cells that I get 8+yrs, out of, consistantly for the last 27yrs.(original IIRC Yusa lasted 5yrs.). I also do not own, or ever would own a battery tender(justified AND proved reasons would take another seperate long thread).

[skids]

I also do not own, or ever would own a battery tender(justified AND proved reasons would take another seperate long thread).

What about charging the brand new battery? Surely you charge those to full initial capacity, no?

[natemoen]

What about charging the brand new battery? Surely you charge those to full initial capacity, no?

Battery tenders shoildnt be used for the initial charge anyways. Battery chargers and batterytenders are very didifferent.

[fredintoon]

- - - I also do not own, or ever would own a battery tender(justified AND proved reasons would take another separate long thread).

Hi Moto,
Saskatchewan winters have my bike batteries on a shelf in my attached garage 5 months each year.
They never get below freezing but in the past they have been dieing of neglect.
Now my reason for not buying a battery tender is simple, I'm too cheap.
But what I got for free was an outdoor timer, meant to turn on a car's block heater a few hours before start up rather than have it use power all night.
The timer set for 1 hour a day, plus a 1amp charger for the BSA's bike battery and a 2 amp charger for the Pumpkin's car battery kept both batteries alive over last winter just fine.
So, is a battery tender more than a charger/timer combo, or what?

[motoman]

What about charging the brand new battery? Surely you charge those to full initial capacity, no?

Definitely do Sid. Using my smaller 1amp charger I bring the new battery(motorcycle size) up to its maximan voltage level before installation. That normally is 13.1-13.2v. A few decades ago the level would be as much as 13.7-13.9v in many cases. Would imagine quality and components of construction of battery these days affects that ability, like quality of so many of products that USED to be better. Doing this will ensure battery will always have the ability to come back up to that level from charging system. Otherwise, battery will always just come up to voltage level that it was when installed.

[skids]

OK, I confused the nomenclature. I just bought an el cheapo battery from Walmart and charged it to 12.67 volts as recommended in the box. I used a low capacity charger (500ma) to get it there. I suppose a tender cycles the battery to some extent, I don't know. I will do a little research.