I put an EarthX battery in my bike 12 years ago, and it is still going fine.

I never have to crank my bike over and over and over.....and I suspect you won't have to either (unless maybe you park you bike outdoors in the winter).

There have been times when I needed to start my bike after it has sat outside in the campground over night and temps have dropped into the 50's, and it still starts instantly.  I set the choke and hit the starter button, and it is running in a couple of revolutions.  Your engine is going to be just as well tuned as mine is - and it will likely start just as quickly.

It could be that the EarthX battery supplies a fast spin of the starter and still maintains good voltage supply to the ignition system, and that helps with the quick starts.

https://www.batterymart.com/p-ltx12a-earthx-etx12a-battery.html?gclid=Cj0KCQj...

I lost 15 pounds.  That was easier and cheaper than trying to trim 15lbs off the bike.

The 14AH vs 3AH would be most concerning to me.  And 400CCA is total overkill.

I bought a new Chinese aftermarket starter and it didn't provide any specs (imagine that).  I'm guessing the starter for our bike is rated at something like 0.5kw (42amp x 12volts).  You'd get quiet a few 2-3 second tries before depleting the battery.  With the ignition on, the headlight is on while not cranking, but it shuts off when the starter button is pressed.  To save battery power, it might be a good idea to turn off the ignition between starting attempts if you have to try starting more than 2-3 times.  I think you'll be fine even if you have to try 20-30 times (hopefully not).  Obviously wait about 10 seconds between attempts so you don't fry the starter (you know this).

Glad you did the math!!  My 20-30 tries was obviously on the conservative side!  Seems like there is always something sucking power and allow for 25% inefficiency somewhere.

Relocating the battery and ditching the overly complicated battery box is a great plan!

Love your project!!  I've been following but it's all way over my head!

I have an Antigravity AG-801 on my bike and I love it.  I installed it 4 years ago and I haven't touched it.  It's the second one I've had.  The first one lasted 4 years before I ruined it.  I ran it down a few times* and it didn't recover from the last time.  But they are amazing if you treat them right.

*I left the ignition or parking light on each time.  

I want to say the Re-Sart series came out shortly after I got my second battery but it could have been that they didn't offer it in the same form factor that I built my bike around.  

It is also possible to revive the battery with a charger capable of balancing the cells.  I bought a replacement battery because I was in a hurry and the battery was only $40 more than the charger at the time.  I purchased the charger at some point but I forgot I had it.  I recently found it in a bin with my spare parts.  It will be interesting to see if it can save the first battery.  

Other than me being a dummy, my experience mirrors Dave's.  I'll never go back to Lead Acid or AGM batteries.

ohiomoto wrote on 03/21/24 at 16:58:28:


The Earth-X battery has an internal system to balance the cells, and also prevents you from discharging the battery so far that the cells will be damaged.

Yes......it is interesting that a lead acid battery can only provide about 30% of the rated capacity!  A lead/acid battery drops voltage while it is cranking the battery and power is being used - a Lithium battery maintains the voltage until it is out of power.  A lead acid battery can still crank the starter - but not have enough voltage to energize the ignition system and provide a spark.  Here is a list of differences for the Lithium batteries from the Earth-X website.


Interesting facts about lithium

A lithium battery can use 100% of its storage capability (measured as Amp-Hour, Ah), while a lead-acid battery typically only uses 30%

A lithium battery’s voltage remains relatively constant while discharging, while voltage for a lead-acid battery decreases

A lithium battery’s cranking power will not drop-off, and it will crank your engine longer. But when the lithium battery runs out of power it does so abruptly, just like your lithium powered hand tools

LiFePO4 cells by the nature of their chemistry are 3.3 volt. 12V lithium batteries, like our motorsport batteries, are created by using 4 cells in series (technically it is a 13.2 volt battery). The lithium cells (in series) in a 12V battery pack diverge in both levels of charge and capacity with each charge/discharge cycle. This condition reduces the performance of the battery (reduces capacity) and can lead to overcharging or over discharging a cell.

The lithium cells (in series) in a 12V battery pack diverge in both levels of charge and capacity with each charge/discharge cycle. This condition reduces the performance of the battery (reduces capacity) and can lead to overcharging or over discharging a cell. A cell is permanently damaged if over charged or over discharged just one time. In the case of overcharging, cells can rupture, and the entire battery will need to be replaced