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Battery for my 08 Softail

I will stick with my premium AGM battery for the next while. Have a friend who said the lithium battery was the greatest thing. His bike caught fire a month ago. Investigators brought it down to battery failure. Since that happened I googled it and found that it is not uncommon. The circuitry in them that protects them from overcharging can fail and cause basically a thermal meltdown. Also it has been known to happen in accidents
 
I don't have much input on what battery may be best.
Mainly do the price of a new battery for me has been a bit on The High side since 03 when the battery in my Vulcan failed.
Shortly after replacing that battery I came home with a new 03 RKC, and have been getting free batteries every 2 - 3 yrs with a new bike.
I hope to have broken that habit with my current ride.
 
dolt said:
Recently replaced a lead acid (AGM) battery in the higher compression all bore 107" motor in my '02 FLHT and will never go back to lead acid and will replace the lead acid batteries in my two other bikes (when they die) with lithium batteries————-. Lithium batteries do require an application specific charger but they are not expensive.
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Hi Dolt- I too like the idea of Lithium batteries ; but- and this is a BIG but, - as you mention these batteries require a Li -Lion specific charger. With all sorts of dire warnings if one doesn’t use them.
My issue is that the 3 phase alternator and the 12v rectifier in charging systems ain’t not worried about what battery it’s charging.
How can Lithium batteries be specified to fit a particular vehicle with 2 or 4 wheels when the charging system is not Lithium compatible? I( my Wife) have a 2017 Honda Civic Turbo which is reasonably sophisticated and at the first service I asked Honda this question. Their answer was they hadn’t considered this issue—-
I’ve also put this very question to some Electrical Engineers within the Power Company I work for, and to a man they’ve said they don’t know. They’ve acknowledged the conundrum that it poses, but had to admit that they didn’t know. Didn’t think it was probably a good idea.
My CBX is 38 years old. My Triumph T595 Daytona is 21 years old. My Deluxe and my ”Canbus” equipped BMW HP2 are both 10 years old. All of these have conventional 12vDC. charging systems.
So, until I know better, Lithium batteries won’t be on my shopping lists.
No matter what their advantages may be.
 
This has been my issue all along, how can a battery that requires a special charger be compatible to a vehicle and or a motorcycle that also has a charging system not compatible to a Lithium battery? If an Electrical Engineer can't answer the question and thinks it's a bad idea, I guess i'd wait until more data is available. JMHO.
 
Jeff Klarich said:
This has been my issue all along, how can a battery that requires a special charger be compatible to a vehicle and or a motorcycle that also has a charging system not compatible to a Lithium battery? If an Electrical Engineer can't answer the question and thinks it's a bad idea, I guess i'd wait until more data is available. JMHO.
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Me thinks it's very prudent to do so:)
 
Not an electrical engineer but the science is there. "Wait until more data is available", come on man, it should be evident by now that lithium iron is the future for motorcycle batteries with more and more manufacturers entering the market and the price coming down. The data is there, one just needs to look, read and learn.

There is no relationship between the charge rate and the output of the battery, be it lithium or lead acid. The chargers available for lithium batteries are "switchable" so the same 800mA charger is used for both but there is a selector switch to select whether the battery being charged is lead acid or lithium. Lead acid batteries require an absorption phase during charges but lithium batteries do not and can be charged insanely fast which is the only reason it is not adviseable to charge a lithium battery with a battery designed to charge lead acid batteries although, some have claimed that they have done that with no issues. All the charger does is adjust the rate of charge for the battery being charged; had nothing to do with system compatibility. I will stick with the battery manufactures recommendation on the selection of a charger.

A lithium (iron) battery can reach a low state of charge and struggle to turn the motor over but turn on the lights and the lithium battery become energized and will spin the motor easily; try that with a lead acid battery. So, to all the naysayers, I say, keep living in the stone age while the rest of us grow with and take advantage of the available technology. Trust me, in the not to distant future, biscuit, Jeff and gator508 will be running lithium batteries, it's just going to take them a little longer to catchup.;)
 
Just because we have some questions we’re naysayers? I thought this forum was for discussion and different ideas. I’d be a little careful on your comments, your coming close to flaming other members. Make your point if you can but leave individual names out !
 
Jeff, I stand by my previous post. Anyone opposing a particular proposition is a naysayer and I would say that those members named in my previous post are on the opposite side of the question of lithium vs lead acid which makes them naysayers. I fail to see how anyone can consider that flaming. My intent was to point out what I believe to be a misunderstanding of the requirement for a "special" charger for a lithium battery and the disconnect between that and the actual system operating from the battery charge. I also stick to my prediction that those named in my previous post will some day, perhaps not tomorrow, be replacing lead acid batteries with lithium. How does that come near flaming.

You like to jump on me whenever you get the chance; why don't you just ban me?
 
I don’t jump on you or anyone else for that matter. I merely point out there are different points of view and the jury may still be out on the said topic. You seem to think your posts are always fact and the debate is over and if we question it we are naysayers. if I make statement and it may not be 100% correct I would expect push back and so should you. I say let the members decide or ponder what they want on this or any other subject.
The only bad question is the one not asked.

BTW, I’m not a mod so I can’t ban anyone.
 
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