Scorpion Battery
- Thread starter Constant Mesh
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
My WestCo battery was made in Vietnam. Is Vietnam preferable to China?
Really? Hmmmm. I wonder if that is something new?
Well, I'm not digging mine out of the bike, but I could have sworn they were made in the US, Pennsylvania to be exact.
Not that it would automatically makes them any better.
But at least the WestCo's do have a reputation for reliability.
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I bought the WestCo in March '08 from Bike Effects.
CopB8
Well-known member
Is there a discount/promotion code for bikeeffect.com purchases that I can use?
Duster19
Well-known member
You can't go wrong with bikeeffects. And there is a discount for forum members. If in doubt just give them a call.
Dave
PS. I have a WestCo battery, purchased from Bikeeffects.
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
That Scorpion looks interesting. They claim 210 CCA compared to 130-135 by every other maker of batteries for the FJR including Yuasa, GS, and WestCo.
Marketing and hype? Or legit? Somebody needs to try some.
Marketing and hype? Or legit? Somebody needs to try some.
zorkler
Ave U !!!!
westco has a product with a 190 cca
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
Hmmm... considering it is the same size, weight and AH rating as the others, I find it hard to believe that the Scorpion has 50% better CCA. But if it does, it would be the bomb diggety.
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ionbeam
2 FUN
QUOTE (Fred W @ Jan 12 2009, 12:52 PM) QUOTE (SkooterG @ Jan 12 2009, 12:28 PM) That Scorpion looks interesting. They claim 210 CCA compared to 130-135 by every other maker of batteries for the FJR including Yuasa, GS, and WestCo.
Marketing and hype? Or legit? Somebody needs to try some.
Hmmm... considering it is the same size and weight as the others, I find it hard to believe that the Scorpion has 50% better CCA. But if it does, it would be the bomb diggety.
The physical size and weight of a battery will almost always dictate what the CCAs will be for a given battery design (lead acid, glass mat, gel cell, etc), it's a chemistry/physics thingie. Cold Cranking Amps can be defined and tested in different ways, there should be one standard but it doesn't always work out that way. CCA is supposed to be tested at 0 °F. Some companies will tell you what piece of test gear they used to find the CCA. As Scoot mentioned to me, one place he had his FJR's battery tested showed something like 170 CCA. This could be the temperature at which it was tested or could be the tester used. I'm not buying believing any reports of CCAs in the 200 amp range in the stock battery size. However, should someone find one that passes a legitimate CCA test, I'm all ears...
Marketing and hype? Or legit? Somebody needs to try some.
Hmmm... considering it is the same size and weight as the others, I find it hard to believe that the Scorpion has 50% better CCA. But if it does, it would be the bomb diggety.
The physical size and weight of a battery will almost always dictate what the CCAs will be for a given battery design (lead acid, glass mat, gel cell, etc), it's a chemistry/physics thingie. Cold Cranking Amps can be defined and tested in different ways, there should be one standard but it doesn't always work out that way. CCA is supposed to be tested at 0 °F. Some companies will tell you what piece of test gear they used to find the CCA. As Scoot mentioned to me, one place he had his FJR's battery tested showed something like 170 CCA. This could be the temperature at which it was tested or could be the tester used. I'm not buying believing any reports of CCAs in the 200 amp range in the stock battery size. However, should someone find one that passes a legitimate CCA test, I'm all ears...
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For wht it's worth, I took my Westco out of the box lsat evening. Just bought from Bike Effects. Made in Vietnam.
Well, unless this is a recent development (production moved overseas?) I guess they must make some decent batteries in Vietnam.
There is certainly a a lot of positive experience with these WestCo batteries.
Just for grins, I went down to the garage and checked the Yuasa battery I have sitting on the shelf (it's dry) for my VFR and it is marked "Made in USA". So at least some Yuasa batteries are still made in the US as of last year when I bought it. Might explain their higher cost.
charismaticmegafauna
Well-known member
My experience with 'Made in USA' (Penn) Yuasa batteries has been "mixed" (I've had a couple premature failures) -- I certainly wouldn't pay extra for one.
Conversely, my experience with 'no-name' (Made in China) batteries has been excellent -- note: only AGM batteries. The last inexpensive (AGM) battey I changed-out of S.O.'s bike was 7 years old (hadn't failed, just a little lowered voltage).
Based on my experiences, I'd certainly give the Scorpion battery a try.
Two important aspects of new modern batteris are (from Scorpion site):
Also, the old-style dry-charged batteries lose some of their capability/capacity just sitting on the shelf (un-charged) -- the ravages of time affect them (if small), nonetheless.
Conversely, my experience with 'no-name' (Made in China) batteries has been excellent -- note: only AGM batteries. The last inexpensive (AGM) battey I changed-out of S.O.'s bike was 7 years old (hadn't failed, just a little lowered voltage).
Based on my experiences, I'd certainly give the Scorpion battery a try.
Two important aspects of new modern batteris are (from Scorpion site):
- Scorpion AGM Battery ships charged and ready to install
- Very low self-discharge rate
Batteries, in general, are finding it increasingly more difficult to be manufactured in the U.S. -- environmental restrictions often force off-shore (often, Mexico) production.
Also, the old-style dry-charged batteries lose some of their capability/capacity just sitting on the shelf (un-charged) -- the ravages of time affect them (if small), nonetheless.
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Understood. When I ordered the Yuasa I fully expected to install it right away. However, the old battery somehow revived itself and has been behaving just fine since. Considering that I figured I'd get longer life out of the new one leaving it dry on the shelf than just installing it anyway. I chose the SLA Yuasa (OEM) battery as it is the most highly regarded and recommended in all of the the VFR circles, where some AGM aftermarket batteries have had poor track records. The VFRs are notorious for poor charging system reliability and the R/Rs being over loaded and blowing out.Also, the old-style dry-charged batteries lose some of their capability/capacity just sitting on the shelf (un-charged) -- the ravages of time affect them (if small), nonetheless.
charismaticmegafauna
Well-known member
How dey do dat...? :blink:
Certainly, I'm unsure how an old-style battery is better than a modern battery in VFRs (anything's possible...?) -- but, VFR charging woes are legend.
In the dual-sport world: AGM batteries are recco'd, across the board, where not fitted originally (if possible?). Especially for ADV riding scenarios.
