Batteries!

[HotRodZilla]

My dad loved Japanese cars. Datsun/ Nissan and Toyota specifically. We always had American work trucks, but he loved the Japanese vehicles. Whenever an OEM battery died, he replaced them with DieHards. Those DieHards outlasted anything I ever saw.

Lesse, my truck will be 16 years old this December. 1999 bought new, Dec 1998. The current Diehard is 3 three years old and the one before that lasted 8 years. Leaving only about 4 years before the OEM died. The batteries are abused more now as I only put around 5-6k per year on it since 2002. Before that was almost 20k per year.

 

[ionbeam]

The best life any battery can hope for is to be installed in a new vehicle. It is the regret of a battery to be so unfortunate as to go into an older electrical system in a modified vehicle. Regardless if the battery is OEM or aftermarket its the battery's place in life makes the difference.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Hate to sound like David Byrne here... But stop making sense Alan.

 

[RossKean]

I think I'm done with this one!

 

[RadioHowie]

Hang around, Ross...I'm sure the fun isn't over.

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

You are telling us that OEM batteries have a different life span from an aftermarket battery, I'm asking you to show us *anything* in writing that shows this is a fact.
Rotten old used lead that no longer contains any power is another discussion.

You haven't experienced that the OEM batteries last longer than aftermarket??

Seriously??

I have NEVER had a aftermarket battery last as long as a OEM.

I though our disagreement was on what CAUSED the shorter life on the aftermarket batteries??

On my 2007 Bandit1250 that I traded for the FJR that OEM battery was 6 years old.

I had a Vulcan 750 that I bought used that had a 8 year old OEM battery.

I had a Honda V65 1100 Sabre with a 10 year old OEM battery!!

Anyway, this is getting boring, the bottom line IMOP is that the OEM's last longer (generally) than the aftermarket, all my riding buds have the same experience with batteries that I've had and actually I've never met any rider that said "gee this aftermarket battery is WAY better than the OEM", always the opposite.

So I'm out and I wish everyone a battery that lasts 12 years!!!

 

[Denver_FJR]

IANAC, but the difference in purity between recycled vs virgin lead can have an impact. Here's a interesting read on VRLA batteries and recycled lead. (It's particularly interesting if you're an insomniac!)

 

[FJRBluesman]

To think I missed all this. WOW! Thank you Lord!

Back to the OP...

I think FredW and Bust hit it. How is it "crapping out" and do you keep it tendered in winter? In fact forget winter if you only ride once a month in season it should be tendered. Yuasa's are good stuff.

I did have an original battery from my 1965 Triumph Tiger that just crapped out last month. British trash!

Okay that last line was total BS.

 

[FJR30FAN]

FYI... the OE battery was not the same Yuasa battery that you can buy here in the US, unless the dealer replaced it after un-crating the bike, which would be unusual. The stock battery that comes in an FJR is the Asian brand GS Yuasa (stands for Genzou Shimadzu) In the US that would be called GS brand.
The US Yuasa batteries are not much more expensive than a WestCo, unless you are foolish enough to buy it from a bike dealership.

YMMV

PS - if you killed two batteries in just 2 years each, and were using the same battery tender to "maintain" them, you might want to look at your battery tender a little closer.

Is the GS brand readily available in the USA? When I looked up the GS Yuasa website it had a reference number YT14b-4 but when I looked that up in the USA website it could not find that one...

 

[MrZappo]

FYI... the OE battery was not the same Yuasa battery that you can buy here in the US, unless the dealer replaced it after un-crating the bike, which would be unusual. The stock battery that comes in an FJR is the Asian brand GS Yuasa (stands for Genzou Shimadzu) In the US that would be called GS brand.
The US Yuasa batteries are not much more expensive than a WestCo, unless you are foolish enough to buy it from a bike dealership.

YMMV

PS - if you killed two batteries in just 2 years each, and were using the same battery tender to "maintain" them, you might want to look at your battery tender a little closer.

Is the GS brand readily available in the USA? When I looked up the GS Yuasa website it had a reference number YT14b-4 but when I looked that up in the USA website it could not find that one...

Sure, it is available at any Yamaha Dealer ... $159.00 or so .... The YT Yuasa is $90 on Amazon ...

I did the YT .... Ill report back in 8 years or so ...

 

[FJR30FAN]

Excellent, I just bought it at Amazon, thanks.

 

[Fred W]

I bet that you'll get a YT14B-BS, made by Yuasa USA. That is not the same as the OEM (asian) battery which is the GS Yuasa brand battery.

Either way, I 'm sure that it will work just fine for you.

 

[MrZappo]

While your at it, order one of these ...

https://www.amazon.com/Yuasa-YUA1200901-Smart-Battery-Charger/dp/B000GZL29M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406575985&sr=8-1&keywords=yuasa+smart+shot

Very nice for the price .... Works very well ...

I bet that you'll get a YT14B-BS, made by Yuasa USA. That is not the same as the OEM (asian) battery which is the GS Yuasa brand battery. Either way, I 'm sure that it will work just fine for you.

Yep, it is the YT they sell at Amazon ... Quality seems high ... As I said, Ill report back in a decade or so ... Or sooner if it craps out ... Perfect so far though ...

 

[Constant Mesh]

The specifications for OE batteries are likely more rigorous. The bike manufacturers don't want to have problems with batteries during their warranty periods. Yamaha has such a brief warranty (only 1 year) that they probably use lesser batteries on their bikes.

Kawasaki and Honda provide a 36 month warranty. One wonders if their OE batteries are better than Yamaha's?

 

[FJR30FAN]

While your at it, order one of these ...
https://www.amazon.com/Yuasa-YUA1200901-Smart-Battery-Charger/dp/B000GZL29M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406575985&sr=8-1&keywords=yuasa+smart+shot

Very nice for the price .... Works very well ...

I bet that you'll get a YT14B-BS, made by Yuasa USA. That is not the same as the OEM (asian) battery which is the GS Yuasa brand battery. Either way, I 'm sure that it will work just fine for you.

Yep, it is the YT they sell at Amazon ... Quality seems high ... As I said, Ill report back in a decade or so ... Or sooner if it craps out ... Perfect so far though ...

I could not resist and ordered one...yes I am getting the Yuasa USA battery but for less than $100 its a good deal and free shipping!

 

[Madmudder]

VX-6 battery additive brings them back to life for a few more years or "Charge-It Concentrated Battery Additive" by Solder-It

"When you get a new battery, immediately obtain this cadmium sulphate additive. Pour 1/6 of a 2 oz bottle into each cell of a new 12 volt battery. My experience has been that preventing the buildup of depositions on the plates can double the expected life of your battery. JC Whitney still sells this product, but the product is now called "Charge-It Concentrated Battery Additive" by Solder-It (apparently the manf) at $10.99 for 2 oz or $25.99 for 1 qt (32 oz). I once bought this product from Checker Auto under the brand name "Instant ElectroStart" by Victor, but apparently Victor went out of business or stopped manufacturing this product in 2000. You won't find this product at Advance Auto or AutoZone or Checker any longer. I think the computer geeks who plan the store layouts realized that selling what used to be a $5.00 product with a $2.00 markup that would double the life of a battery could not justifiably take up shelf space in competition with a battery they can sell for $100 with a $60 markup. The big chains need to keep their shareholders happy by selling twice as many batteries. Oddly enough, it occurs to me this is an example where socialist central planning might result in more efficient use of resources for all of us. The old VX-6 boxes used to quote Lee Petty, Champion Nascar Winner, saying, "I'd Rather Race Without Tires Than Without VX-6 In My Battery."

 

[RadioHowie]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Pretty worthless for sealed battery applications, isn't it???

 

[Fred W]

Most replacement batteries are "no maintenance" and not vented, but not permanently sealed since you have to activate them by filling with acid before first use. One could put that stuff in there at that time, but I wouldn't. My batteries seem to work just fine without it. YBMV

 

[Madmudder]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Pretty worthless for sealed battery applications, isn't it???

Only for those who would rather open their wallet! Sealed batteries can be opened & if they don't work well now what do you have to loose?

 

[lnewlf]

I like my $26 AC Delco.....going on 2 years now and all is good...