Battery Needed

[Adrian]

Good afternoon Brains Trust from wintery South Australia  - battery adice.
Mine is no longer holding a decent charge - coming in at 1bout 12.5 volts - and under load - starter  motor - it's dropping right down to as little as 8 - 9 volts.
The picture is the now defunct battery. 3 years old and have recently discovered that its a cheap thing that doesn't really belong on a motorbike.
So any advice as to what best suits my 1984 R65 - which is now a Siebenrock 860cc.
The bike has a new upgraded alternator and associated electronics.
Of course it has to be a sealed battery .
Thanks for any advice …..

[Barry]

12.5 volts is poor for a full charged AGM battery under no load so if it really is fully charged then it does sound to be on it's way out.  On the other hand 9 volts while cranking is not so terrible.

While you are correct in saying it's not a specific motorcycle battery,  many of us have been using similar generic AGM batteries without problems. My own is over 6 years old now although they don't last as long in hotter climates. Not sure what your average temperature is but 3 years is not so bad in a very hot climate.

There are better batteries available with the Odyssey PC680 generally being considered one of the best.  But in the UK at least the PC680 is almost 3 times the cost of a cheap generic so to add up economically it would have to last at least 15 years.  That's something of a gamble when any battery can fail prematurely.

[Adrian]

There are better batteries available with the Odyssey PC680 generally being considered one of the best

Hi mate - this seems to be the recommended battery by lots of Airhead owners - but I'll wait for other advice for a day or 2.
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This one has been on my Optimate 4 for a few months - between short starts - and it's just not turning the motor over very well now.
.
So a better quality battery is probably the way to go I reckon 

[Kelvin]

I'm using Motobatt and am happy with the price and performance (but have only had it for 18 months, so can't comment on longevity). Easy for me to pick up, the local (Sydney) bike shop keeps them in stock.

http://www.motobatt.com/MB51814

[Adrian]

I'm using Motobatt and am happy with the price and performance (but have only had it for 18 months, so can't comment on longevity). Easy for me to pick up, the local (Sydney) bike shop keeps them in stock.

Thanks mate - I have a look

[georgesgiralt]

Hello,
When my old AGM died (after more than 6 years of very good service) I went to an independent BMW wrench I know to buy an Odyssey because I've seen them in it's shop.
He told me he did not sell them anymore because they suffered "sudden death" for no reason, even with the specific charger and he had had trouble with their after sales service. So I bought a cheap AGM and it is still running fine in south of France where summers are very hot and winters sometimes cold (both condition posing a threat on batteries...) And it was cheaper too ;-)

[mrclubike]

I have 2 Odyssey PC680's
one is 4 years old and the other is 6 years old
I use them because they   have a good reputation
They are costing around $130 here in the US
Not cheap but neither are BMW motor cycles :-/

[Adrian]

Thanks guys - I went with the Motobatt that Kelvin recommended - only because the manufacturers stated dimensions are just about going to fit the battery tray without any slack.

[Bob_Roller]

I live in a low desert, from late April through early November the temperature is above 100 F, 38 C .
The average temperature in my garage is 95 F, 35 C to 106 F, 41 C during this time .
My first PC680 lasted 3 years about the same as an OEM BMW flooded battery .
My second PC680 only 14 months .
I went to generic AGM batteries ever since .
Now I average 24-30 months on a battery .
I am originally from the Chicago area and got 6+ years on a BMW battery there .
Heat is not a good environment for storage batteries .
If you live in an area that has cold winters, leaving the battery in the cold with a battery maintainer connected to it is the best thing you can do to it .

[skippyc]

I used motobat going well so far I have 1 in a Kawasaki z200 that is 10 years old and it’s still going.

[Adrian]

I used motobat going well so far I have 1 in a Kawasaki z200 that is 10 years old and it’s still going.

That's good news mate - I spoke with a battery tech a while ago and he said that batteries are a bit hit or miss outside of about 4 years.
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he didn't know why some will last for the 4 years or so and some will last for 10 years or longer.
.
He was of the opinion that if a standard battery lasts 5 years then you would have got your monies worth
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The wet battery in my car has lasted 7 years so far - although the car has only done 22,000 kilometers since new.

[BPT]

Adrian - I have also gone the cheap, generic route, using the recommendations on this forum and have had decent luck. I've heard that some of the more expensive ones are "better" quality, but it seems even those can crap out on you, unexplainedly.
Here in the US, the generics can be had for less than $50 so I figured I'd take a chance and so far it's worked out ok.