Batteries - Any Particular brand?

P

Pati

New member
Looks like my battery may be going out. Anyone have any idea which one is best and where to get one besides Suzuki for my '06 C90? Is there one that has a higher cca and reserve than stock?

approxamate prices too?
 
IF you can find one, a lead-acid Gell Cell will work the best. They are expansive, but are designed to run on a continuous load, so like running the starter? IT would burn out the starter before weakening the battery, if you just kept it cranking. I used one in a boat, where the charging system did not work, to start the engine; and it would last a while...
 
gel cell looks like what's on sale at G man, the price looks consistent.

It's only expensive until 5 years go by and the battery still cranks like crazy, then it's worth it.

I only put lead acid batteries in vehicles I plan to keep 4 years or less.
 
Another question lol, what should be the initial voltage of one of these batteries. I checked it with a voltmeter yesterday and it seemed to be right at 12 volts, maybe a little below (The meter is an old fashioned one and it's kind of tough to read) I couldn't crank it while I was testing as I was the only one at home. I remember auto batteries should be around 12.6 volts or so and not go down below 10 volts or so while being cranked. It seems to barely crank in the morning, and now in the afternoon.

It will start first thing, then die after about 2 seconds, then it will barely crank. Yesterday I stopped at the gas station and went to crank it and my led's showing the gas level, time etc. flaked out for a second or two. Cables are tight. I just want to make sure it's the battery before I spend a hundred bucks to replace it lol. It's about a year and a half old so I guess that's about right for out here.
 
it should last way longer than a year and a half. I keep lead acid batteries going at least 3-4 years. The one in my TL is from the factory, and it is still 100% (from 2001). The TL also has a very good (strong) charging system, so it makes batteries last a long time.
 
Before my gel cell, I bought a regular lead acid battery, checked the water took it out in winter.

Still only went a year and a half.

Sometimes in the mfg of the battery, some are better than others. The one you got is the lemon.

btw, you have to check the fluid levels in each cell; because one cell will use more water than the rest, and one cell will use less than the rest. This is bad because any part of the exposed cell is 'cooked' and you lose part of your battery's cranking power.

Just more reason to go gel cell and forget about it. Charge it up in spring and drive.
 
I guess I kinda ride all year around :D, but that means a lot of cold starts too. When I'm not using it the bike gets hooked up to a battery tender though. 20F-110F usage, and I've had decent luck with lead-acid. I wouldn't mind gel cell, if there were more options available around here to pickup one.
 
I ride year round as well. I've found that in Arizona, where the summer temps reach 115, regular lead acid batteries don't last very long. I was replacing them every year in my GPZ750. This is probably the longest time I've had a battery last in a bike. I was going to try charging it but since I ride it every day, I don't think I should need to. But if it accepts a charge and starts right up, that might indicate that something else was the matter.
 
It only gets past 100F a few days/weeks of the year here, but stays 90F+ for months. I only put a trickle charger on it when it'll be parked for 1+ weeks. I never know when the weather will be good enough to ride again most of the time, so thats the only way I can do it. I also only have to hook the connector up, as I have one end permanently installed on the bike. Takes about 2 seconds to connect up the charger.

The heat in the summer in AZ is probably pretty devastating to the batteries.
 
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