I've got a 2003 savage and I'm having some battery problems. I head out to find a new battery but NO ONE has the same kind of battery I took out of the bike. I took out a MB14L-B2. Anyone know what that translates to in other battery brands or even better yet, what are some batteries that are compatible with my bike? What kind do you have? Thanks for the help! Keep riding!

There was a time you could pick up a far eastern YL14B-B2 lead acid battery for $14.99 on the net (with shipping costing about $6-7).

No more, them times are long past -- lead acid batteries cost a lot more and shipping costs a lot more too.

Go to Walmart for the best deal on a lead acid battery.  Or buy the bigcrank and have it shipped to your house.

Batteries ain't cheap no more.

Wagslick wrote on 07/19/08 at 07:40:11:
four-five years off a standard battery is good.  Battery technology has progressed a bit past the standard flooded lead-acid battery.  They have "sealed" batteries that you don't have to keep checking acid level on, and gel cells that are even better, and the latest and greatest "absorbed glass mat" technology.  This last one has a much lower self-discharge rate, so you can park the bike in September and start it in April without needing a battery tender/charger.  The glass mat between the plates proofs it against vibration.  The absorbed nature means even if you break it it will not spew acid -- hence may be shipped filled and charged.  You order the Big Crank, it arrives, you put it in the bike and GO!!  If you don't mind a slightly off-sized battery the Odyssey is a Mil-Spec AGM battery.

I have a Big Crank also.  Went to ride to work one morning last week and when I opened the garage I noticed my tail lights (plural, not typo) were on -- I had left the key in the "park with lights on" position.  Started spun normally, no apparent drain from the low wattage (no headlight) park lights be left on for 10 hours.

Thanks for the advice. I checked out Walmart and Autozone and Advanced Auto. They cant find batteries like the XT14L-B2 like I have now. They do have the exact same thing, but the little vent  hose is on the wrong side which prevents it from fitting into the Savage. The batteries that have the vent hose on the correct side have the negative and positive terminals mixed up.

Sounds like you fellas like those Big Crank batteries. Maybe I'll just get one of those. Any store stock those? I just feel like i'm getting ripped off with shipping even though I know they're heavy.

Wagslick wrote on 07/19/08 at 10:16:14:

Joe Fossil, running his brick and mortar, keeps one Savage sized battery in stock, as he only sells two or three a year.  When he sells one he orders a replacement.  He does not get a volume discount from the distributor.  The cost to ship the replacement to him is added to the retail price of the battery.

The big on-line battery store sells more in a day than Joe Fossil sells in a year.  He buys them by the pallet-load, getting a large discount from the manufacturer and saving considerably on the shipment in.  He is a high volume shipper out and gets a steep discount from the shipping company.

Result?  The on-line battery is better (hasn't been sitting on a shelf for months) and cheaper, even including shipping.

buttgoat1 wrote on 07/19/08 at 19:56:48:


How long did it take you to get it?

2 days, order processed on 2nd day, and arrived the day after that, UPS ground.  The good thing for me is that the battery mart is only about 200 miles away, well within a 1 day ship time for UPS.  I don't know how north GA fits in the UPS shipping chart, maybe another day at best.

your mileage may vary.... from Winchester VA.

My old 1 wasn't dead yet, just weak in the am, now its in my daughters 4 wheeler, which has carb issues (sigh)