I know there were a ton of battery threads on here, but I'm creating yet another one looking for battery recommendation.

I bought the bike in 2015 and I was very inexperienced. Originally it came with the OEM vented battery, which is very old tech. It did not hold a lot of charge, and it only lasted me a few months as I accidentally had it discharged several times by forgetting my keys in the bike.

So that same year I had it replaced with a Yuasa AGM battery. The new battery was great it every way. I had it discharged accidentally a few times, and it did not seem to degrade in performance. The bike sat for a long time without riding, and the battery would still provide plenty of power for a strong crank even in freezing cold after sitting for several months. It also lasted until the summer of 2021, nearly six years.

It would seem that getting another AGM battery is the logical thing to do, but there is a little nuance that has me worried. One day in the summer of 2021 I took the bike for a ride. It cranked strong and started as normal with no indication of any trouble whatsoever. Rode for a few miles, stopped at a red light, and all of a sudden the bike shut off and all systems went completely dead. No headlight, no taillight, no crank - just completely dead.

I parked the bike, came back with my van, loaded the bike and brought it to my mechanic and explained to him what happened. He called me later that day saying that the first thing he has to do is replace the battery, as it is completely dead and would not take or hold a charge at all. He was very surprised to hear that the bike started that day at all, as the battery was completely dead.

So after he replaced the battery, he said the electrical systems came right back, but the starter was dead. He replaced the starter, and then we determined that the headlight was stuck either in low or high beam, and front passenger turn signal wasn't working. Replaced the left handlebar switch and the turn signal and the headlight went back to normal operation.

So it was all a very weird event where three separate items went out. I am not blaming it on the battery, but I've read somewhere that AGM batteries tend to die completely sudden instead of a gradual decline of conventional batteries. I only have two theories - maybe the switch shorted out which somehow caused a voltage spike that killed the battery and the starter, or maybe the battery died and caused a pre-death voltage spike which killed the starter and the switch. Either way, I'm a bit worried about getting another AGM battery for that reason.

When the mechanic replaced the battery, he put in a conventional one, maybe even the OEM one, I have to check. But not even two years later, it is almost completely dead, not holding a charge. Leave the bike for more than few hours, and it barely cranks - I have to have it constantly on the trickle charger. I did have it accidentally discharged twice, I'm sure that contributed to its shortened life span, but conventional batteries in general do not last very long, do not like to be discharged, and don't hold the charge very well while sitting, especially in the winter.

That leaves two more options - gel and lithium-ion. I am not too familiar with gel, if they are even available for our bikes, but I did hear they tend to die the same way as AGM, which is concerning. Lithium-ion batteries are all the rage these days, but I know they require a different charge cycle, and they can also be a fire risk if overcharged or over discharged. Batteries from reputable vendors have circuits that protect from overcharging and over discharging, so this may not be a concern. I know they also last for up to 10 years, and do not get permanently affected by sitting, weather, and discharges.

Provided I fix my dreaded oil leak I'll have to replace my battery next. If you guys convince me to get another conventional battery, I'll probably wait until the Spring to do it, and just suffer through the winter by keeping the bike on the trickle charger al all times.

I am the parasitic drain, lol. I often forget my keys in the bike in the on position.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 10/01/22 at 08:28:04:


I never use the handlebar kill switch to turn the bike off - I always use the key.  For me the handlebar switch is just for emergencies.

With your battery history I would not buy a Li-Ion battery, as they will be ruined by just one "key left on" experience.

AGM batteries can go dead with little notice - but that usually happens with many years of service........5 or more years is common.