What Battery

[Bikermice]

I need to buy a new battery for my 125 and was wondering how many Ah would be sufficient? I see the cheapest is 4Ah but they go up to about 30Ah - on the one hand I don't want to pay extra for a higher rating if it won't make a difference to cold starting, but I don't mind paying the extra if it will start better and hold a charge better.

Also, is it worth getting a charger as well, bearing in mind I only do short trips (15mins twice daily). And how often should I top up the charge?

Thanks

[Aff]

Ah is how long the battery will last on a single charge, not how much power it can output. You will need to match the batter to the CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) of your bike.

On a 125 a 4 or 6Ah will be fine.

Just make sure you get one that's the right size.
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Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[J.M.]

Battery recommendations - None. I know little about them.

Charging recommendations - You shouldn't really need to. My current commute on my 500 is 4 miles each way twice a day and it never needs charging. On my 125 it was 8 miles each way and also never needed charging.

If you do plan on charging the battery, get a trickle charger and attach it whenever you're not riding the bike. It will just make sure that the battery is constantly topped up.
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[stinkwheel]

Buy the correct one for your bike.

ie, the same shape, size, voltage, amp hour rating and terminal layout as the one it came out of the factory with.

Hopefully, this is the same as the one that's in it.

Once you've found it, the more you spend, the better the quality of the battery.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[monkeymark]

Don't mean to thread hijack but it was mentioned about battery size and it made me think.

Are larger sized batteries any better? I ask as if my build goes ahead I'll be making a battery box for relocation. As I can make it any size would there be any advantage to putting in a larger battery? (if it makes a difference I do intend to do long journeys at times, as in over to France and may run the likes of satnav).

[stinkwheel]

The size of battery required depends on:

* The charging output of your alternator.

* The power requirement of the electrical systems.

* The size of the engine (and therefore the current the battery requires to turn the starter motor).

* The physical space available.

Put a large battery on a bike with a low charging output and you'll never get it fully charged. The alternator will be running constantly trying to do so and could eventually burn out, as well as putting a lot of load on your engine.

Put a small battery on a bike with a high power requirement and you'll keep deeply discharging the battery. It wont last very long.

So. The correct size depends on the bike and the manufacturer has usually worked this out for you.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Alpha-9]

Motobatt maintenance free sealed Gel battery all the way

Never had any issues with cold starts on the button after switching to one, top notch battery IMO
Wasn't too expensive I didn't think, was like £30 I think

Just put this into google
*your bike model* wemoto battery

Job done
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Fzr-600 1999

[Bikermice]

Cheers, very helpful

[monkeymark]

Cheers stinkwheel, very helpful.

I have seen those gel batteries. Wasn't sure what the difference was other that stability. Not much more expensive though.

[johnsmith222]

No real reason not to get a motobatt battery nowadays. I've got one for my ZX9R and you can really see the high standard it has been built to. I have not had it long enough to know how reliable it is. It's 6 months old.

Although I do know I cranked the bike over no problem after it was sitting up for 2 weeks (with a horrible datatool alarm draining on it).

I have read that they replace it within a year if it dies. I've read someone getting a replacement for their hayabusa and they honoured it.

The problem in that case wasn't actually the battery though, it was the guys charging system.

[TomGT]

I put a motobatt into the CBR earlier today, starter kicks over twice as fast

Chuffed
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1992 ZXR 400

[LordShaftesbu...]

No more cold weather problems for me now I've switched to Motobatt.

[Shinigami]

i've bought a motobatt for my hornet as reckon the current one if a bit buggered (not the main reason bike won't start though) only takes an hour to charge and 4 goes of starting the bike and it's dead.

Managed to get one for £42 inc postage for it
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Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[sickpup]

[Bikermice]

[Alpha-9]

[stinkwheel]