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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Battery misfit /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1338085856 Message started by 360k+ on 05/26/12 at 19:30:55 |
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Title: Battery misfit Post by 360k+ on 05/26/12 at 19:30:55 I ordered a new glassmat battery from an outfit who said it fit Savage and S40, all models. However, it doesn't! My 2009 S40 has a chamfered battery box along its bottom, which matches a chamfered stock battery. In other words, if you were to looking into the empty battery box, the chamfers would run along the bottom in the direction the battery slides in. The new battery is squared off (not chamfered) on the bottom which causes it to be too high to fit in the box. I'm wondering if all years of Savages & S40 have the chamfered box or is it a more recent "innovation"? It's important because I now have to return this battery (and pay shipping both ways), then get another, and I want it to fit. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/26/12 at 19:34:39 Take a piece of cardboard & cut it to fit in the box.. ship that with the return.. I had NO idea they changed the battery box.. What is on the bike that fits in the chamfered area? Would another box fit & could you get it for less than freight both ways on a battery? |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by Oldfeller on 05/26/12 at 19:36:13 Got caught by this a year ago, took a piece of 2X6 and a pry bar and jacked the battery box open just a tad so it would go in. I got lucky, the lid went up and the tabs unfolded just a tad (and the welds held). Your mileage may vary (or your welds might bust before the top moves up enough). |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/26/12 at 19:38:34 Or, you could have a look at the Open Carry battery box that ( dang, cant remember his name now), built. He also built the front pulley cover. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by Oldfeller on 05/26/12 at 19:45:17 Like I said, I got away with it, so my box now holds old standard and the new taller squarer glass mat batteries |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/26/12 at 19:48:33 I was typin while you were postin,, Id give it a go,, fix it or bust it,,Ill bet you can get a used on for cheap if ya wreck it.,. Pssst,, Mite ask around before ya get too crazed,.. JIC, yaknow? |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by 360k+ on 05/26/12 at 20:33:55 Oldfeller, you sound like some of the old knucklehead owners I've known; i.e., "by god, I'll make her fit!" LOL. Honestly tho, I was tempted to do just what you said, but would rather keep things as they are (I just sold a 1980 Honda CB125 (thumper) that looked like I rolled it off the showroom floor). The cardboard idea is a good one tho, to show the distributor the difference. If they have the right battery, I'd take that over a refund, but they probably won't. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/26/12 at 20:38:15 Why dont ya ask if anyone would sell ya a battery box,, Ill bet that would cost less than freight X2.. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by 360k+ on 05/27/12 at 06:55:36 I found boxes all the way back to '87 (eBay) and they all have the chamfered bottom, so I'm wondering why these aftermarket companies are claiming they fit? I really don't want to stay with a lead/acid battery, and its associated maintenance, but may have to. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/27/12 at 08:24:22 Maybe someone has one thats later model,, Who did the recent mod that he built his own? I dont think mine is anything but squared off,, its an 05. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by WD on 05/27/12 at 09:12:02 If you check the chart from Yuasa, the wet cell is a 14 and the sealed equivalent is a 12... or they used to be. Been a few years since I memorized the conversion charts. And there was no direct fit from the factory backwards terminal standard battery. I know the stock battery for my 98 fits Savages and a couple models of Honda, is stupid high from anywhere and doesn't last long... which is why I notched my battery box to fit an industry standard 14LA2. Which does have an absorbed glass mat equivalent for $50 at Wal-mart. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by 360k+ on 05/27/12 at 10:02:27 Something about this issue just doesn't seem right? What I mean is, I can't believe this isn't being sqwaked about more often here on the forum? In any case, here is a box from a '95 clearly showing the chamfered bottom, but I've looked at many from different years and they all seem to have the chamfer characteristic... http://1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj534/gary95329/Battery/BatBox.jpg http://1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj534/gary95329/Battery/Batbox2.jpg At least for the AGM battery I bought with its squared bottom, the chamfer raises the battery up in the box so it won't clear the top of the box framework. I measured the stock battery and the AGM battery and the square side-by-side measurements are exactly the same, but the stock battery has a chambered bottom on its case which matches the box. At this point I've looked at probably 25 batteries "guaranteed to fit" and they all seem to have the squared bottom. The round trip return postage (if it fits, it ships) is about $25, so you can see why I don't want to repeat this too many times. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/27/12 at 10:06:44 The cardboard profile will protect you from having a problem, or should, Now that I see that, Im wondering if they arent all that way,, I wasnt exactly looking closely, but dang if that dont look like what I Think I remember seeing.. Give Skeebo a holler, he built his own, maybe you could get his old one & try the OldFeller bash on one,, or see if you like the Skeebo "Open Carry" battery box & maybe he would build ya one,, Gotta be more than one way to skin this cat.. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by skeebo on 05/27/12 at 10:53:54 56494F4855526353635B49450E3C0 wrote:
For Yuasa AGM mid-size |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by skeebo on 05/27/12 at 11:35:24 My bike is a 96 and the box is identical to yours.....open type hold down is simple....security might be a question for some. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by verslagen1 on 05/27/12 at 11:56:18 maybe somebody sat on your box. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by 360k+ on 05/28/12 at 08:49:12 233B3535323F500 wrote:
The pictured one isn't mine; it's one from a '95. Mine's a 2009, but has the same chamfer shape at the bottom. I looked at pictures of boxes dating back to '87, which indicates the shape has been around forever. This is why it seems to me that the problem should be more outspoken. What I mean is, either I bought the ONE battery that won't fit the stock box, or everyone else is modifying their boxes to fit the squared off batteries, or a bunch of folks are returning batteries to the vendors? If it's the latter case, then that's a whole lot of wasted money in shipping (batteries are heavy). I spent all day yesterday searching for batteries online, and didn't see a single one that appeared to have a chamfer like the stock battery, at least not from the pictures. This is why it is not making sense to me? Normally, a universal problem like this will reach critical mass, and the vendors will change something. BTW, I know I could hack something to solve the problem, as others have done or suggested, but I'd prefer to keep the bike stock if possible. Note, this fiasco would be a non-issue if Suzuki had simply designed a square box, but instead they made this weird shape that doesn't fit the majority of the batteries out there. FYI, the size of both my stock and new AGM battery is... 6 5/8 = 6.625 = 168mm (H) 3 1/2 = 3.5 = 89mm (W) 5 1/4 = 5.25 = 133mm (L) This is verified both by me physically measuring and the recommended Savage/S40 size from battery mfrs. I did find one battery that has the same specs, except that it is slightly shorter in height (6.4in), which might be just enough to squeeze in. I am tempted to order and cross my fingers... http://www.batteryweb.com/motorcycle-batteries-detail.cfm?model=PTX14AHL-BS It's frustrating, but thanks for your insight and suggestions. It's nice having a supportive resource like this with its depth of experience. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/28/12 at 09:05:41 I had a glass mat that fit,, a Big Crank,, |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by ralfyguy on 05/28/12 at 10:43:18 I bought a agm magnapower battery from autozone 4 years ago and it fits like a glove. And the battery still is as good as the day I bought it. Never a single issue. 4 years is a great age for a motorcycle battery. If this one ever bites the dust, I'll get the same one again. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by 360k+ on 05/28/12 at 13:12:37 776469637C62707C050 wrote:
Autozone has one for $150 (yikes!), but even that one lists the same size as the one I have (that doesn't fit). AGMs will wear out, but they generally last longer than wetcells and are maintenance free too, so a better choice in my opinion. On my other bikes I usually get about 5 years of service, depending on how much it's ridden. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/28/12 at 13:32:38 http://www.batterymart.com/c-big-crank-batteries.html |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by verslagen1 on 05/28/12 at 14:07:00 big crank is a tight fit, but it does fit. ps, never seen a stock battery and never turned one over to check for a chamfer either. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by rokrover on 05/28/12 at 14:44:18 I just went through the same problem replacing the stock battery with a Chinese "Power Source" sealed battery # WP14L-2, guaranteed to fit, at least according to the dealer's aftermarket parts catalog. Well, the new battery slid in 3/4 way before bottoming out on those protruding top brackets at the ground terminal side of the battery box. I removed said box, trimmed foam, cussed some, and reworked said box profile scientifically with a hammer by pounding out the bottom chamfer and brackets till the new battery just squeezed in. It is now an interference fit. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by 360k+ on 05/28/12 at 19:16:38 4D50544D50495A4D3F0 wrote:
I cussed a lot! Probably alerted the neighbors to stay clear, and I am in a rural area where neighbors are a 1/4 mile away. The wife of 30 years has already learned to hide when she recognizes this mode. Anyway, I jimmied the box; bending , reshaping, lemme just say, it's no longer stock. I didn't want to do it, but I figured... A) if I don't, I will have to go thru this every time I need a new "guaranteed to fit" battery, and B) I can always get another stock batbox from eBay. Again, the whole problem could have been eliminated if Zuk would just have made a square batbox. It does piss me off tho that vendors claim fitment, but don't actually test to any extent. Ahhh, if only I could re-engineer the world... Now that said, allow me to attend to these fine BBQ ribs my somewhat timid wife has prepared on this Memorial Day. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by Paraquat on 05/29/12 at 06:26:22 Just ran into this in April. My new battery didn't fit as well as the previous. I made it fit, but it took manipulating. I thought it was just me. --Steve |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by splash07 on 05/29/12 at 06:50:42 I have not had a problem with the battery fitting but I did buy a battery that was supposed to be for the savage but the overflow drain was on the wrong side of the battery. Instead of being on the right side it is on the left and it is keeping the cover from screwing on flush. Right now I just have it crammed in there and the overflow drain tube is being pinched closed. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by ralfyguy on 05/29/12 at 10:28:53 The Magnapower battery has rounded off edges so that is probably why it fit anyways. The measurements usually are from flat side to flat side. Things like radius edges are not mentioned in the description. Mine is a tight fit as well, however I didn't have to work around it. It slid in just fine. If my battery had full sharp edges, it would not have fit either. I paid $92 for my Magnapower back in the day, but I don't remember the specs like cranking amps or AH, it just worked flawless the whole time. I will gladly buy it again when the time comes. |
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Title: Re: Battery misfit Post by rl153 on 05/29/12 at 14:40:45 My bike is a 2005. I bought a big crank battery in 2010. It fits, you just have to flatten out the wire terminals. |
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