BATTERY

I have the Triumph battery charger. I have connected it a few times after coming back from holidays and not riding the bike for a few weeks, it did show the red light on the charger. I did get worried thinking something was wrong with the battery but when I checked it with a volt meter it was way above charge (14+) volts. Maybe that is why it came on. I only plugged it in thinking it might have lost some charge after sitting a few weeks.

Scorp said:

I have the Triumph battery charger. I have connected it a few times after coming back from holidays and not riding the bike for a few weeks, it did show the red light on the charger. I did get worried thinking something was wrong with the battery but when I checked it with a volt meter it was way above charge (14+) volts. Maybe that is why it came on. I only plugged it in thinking it might have lost some charge after sitting a few weeks.

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where did you buy it scorp

I had DAVE at Toodyay buy it when I had all the work done on my motor. Not sure if you are aware of him?

keno351 said:

LOOKS LIKE I NEED A NEW BATTERY SOON, HAS ANYONE USED LITHIUM IRON BATTERIES , IF SO CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME INFO GOOD ,BAD ETC. SCORPION HAS ONE WITH 520CCA, SOUNDS GOOD FOR THE ROCKET

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I've heard a lot of the Triumph Rocket stock batteries dying before their time and leaving some of the guys stranded out there I think It's just a hit and miss, I bought my Rocket 5 years ago to the day and it has never failed me yet I have never had to charge it. Then again poking karma in the butt is never a good idea and I bet the bike won't start up tomorrow...

jake shaw said:

... I did read somewhere that they do not hold a charge as well as regular batteries in cold weather....

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The problem is not that it is not "holding a charge" - it is purely down to temperature (i.e. LOW temp) where the ions are not as mobile and give an appearance of a low-charge battery; in actuality, the battery is NOT discharged, it is simply not releasing that charge - important distinction (although at first appearance you might consider the same thing)
Without any re-charging at all, if the battery is simply raised to a higher temperature, then the charge will be successfully released
Read on ..............

Claviger said:

Read up on cold starts using LiFePO4 batteries, the type everyone buy shorai uses. It's not a straight up, press button ride motorcycle procedure. There is some level of push button, wait, push button wait, push button, wait until the internal chemistry is warmed up before it'll actually fire the bike over ....

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It's important to note here that "cold start" does not mean a generic ambient temperature start, it specifically means "cold" as in <40F.

This is the information as presented by Shorai

Down to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7C) most users find that they can start normally on first crank. If your headlight comes on at key-ON, it is good for the batteries to flow some current before cranking in cold weather. The suggested headlight-on time before cranking depends on the temperature. If starting at 40F/5C, 30 seconds will help wake the battery and increase cranking performance. If at 0F/-17C, leave the lights on for 4~5 minutes before cranking. The result will be a better first crank, and longer battery life. If the engine fails to start on first crank, that first crank has warmed the battery, and the second attempt will be much stronger. Other accessories that can be turned on before cranking can also be used for this purpose, such as heated gear, radio, etc... Insuring that the battery is fully charged after storage also improves first-start performance in cold weather.

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i.e. The process is to self-heat the battery to improve the ion exchange.


We have to realize that the R3 is really a car-sized engine operating with a motorcycle-sized battery
In truth virtually any lead-acid battery that is physically small enough is really under-sized in electrical capacity for the application.
A lithium battery is capable of providing much more energy with less voltage sag for the same comparable physical size.
But as pointed out, they have their own compromises.

That said, I wonder how this performs in the R3
WPX30L-LS Lightning Start Power Source Sld 600cca 30ah Motorcycle Battery for Yuasa YIX30L-BS, YTX30L, YIX30L, 4010595, ETX30L

(Maybe a little too big)

Of course you could just buy something like this and keep it handy for those cold days.
NOCO - 1000A Lithium Jump Starter - GB40

I run Lithiums in both bikes. One from Zodiac in Holland for the R3 and one I made myself for the Guzzi.

But I have a booster for the Land Rover (just in case)

Noco also makes normal/agm/litium all-in-one chargers.

I have the one size down from @Scorp at 600cca that coupled with the bigger starter spins the motor over so fast I hang on incase the bike decides to roll over

ruzzle said:

Go for that SSB Powersport job.... there's a bloke in Adelaide who sells them for about fifty bucks less than anyone else.. can't remember his name... you'll find him by searching SSB on da Gigglenet... brilliant battery... weighs b-all.... much better all round than the AGM ones.....(and dearer!!!)

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Extreme off-road/4 x4 or something like that