The guy who does my MOTs has stopped stocking Motobatt. Too many returns and a lack of support from the importers. Yuasa AGM is the way to go. Get one from Halfords with your subscribers discount card and they are great value.
AND Make sure the power from your new battery actually reaches your starter motor by installing one of Exiges starting circuit cable kits. The oem cables were marginal when new and build up even more resistance with age, so the combination of a Yuasa AGM battery and the cable kit will transform your starting and preserve your sprag clutch at the same time, thus actually saving you money.
Removed the originals. Took them to work and used some heavy duty battery charging cable and industrial crimps to make copies. All in a days work. As I wrote in my original post It made an amazing difference
Good job, it's most rewarding when you knock something up yourself my reply was very firmly tongue-in-cheek, a search would reveal all - I apologise for the deceptive misleading.
I managed to make the original battery last 11 years on my 999 A cheap old charger from Halfords which is on all the time except for when I'm riding. It starts everytime. 14 years later and still working well
Odessey battery on mine, best battery I've had on any of my bikes. Also made my own cables for a few bikes, pretty easy with the right equipment.
Magneti Marelli now do a range of Lithium Ion batteries specific to Ducati, this one for my 998. Chargers also!
And do you get stickers, I mean it’s worth getting one of those just to have a Magneti Marelli sticker on the fairing! (As always people, ensure you reg rec isn’t supplying more than 14.5 volts before going Lithium).
Lithium all the way for a bike that's not a daily rider. Can be left for up to a year without charge. I've swapped a Shorai between my Hypermotard & Mutley for the last 7 years, sometimes neither used for months at a time. No issues whatsoever, battery still going strong. Common misconception is that they don't cope well with the cold which isn't the case - provided you use the correct starting procedure (you need to wake the battery up by switching headlight on for a minute or two before hitting the starter). If you've got the Halfords trade card I would go for a Shido and maybe pick up a Genus charger at the same time - though you probably won't need it...
I used an "Odyssey" Extreme motorbike battery on my 900SS, gives a bit more cranking power but fairly pricey. Spec is great and last longer between charges than a 'regular' battery. Originally from the USA but I think they're now available from 'Tanya' batteries in the UK (online shop).
They are Glass Matt Gel Batteries made in the USA, UK and France - but Yuasa also do a higher cranking range now too.
If we are talking using lithium batteries, is that lithium ion or lithium iron. As I understand it they are often confused & very different, certainly in terms of how much abuse they can be subjected to. One is also a lot more likely to bust into flames than the other, so I believe.
I believe, but am no expert and a Lithium Iron, by design would get hot. Do you mean Lithium Fe ? In which case that is really designed for long term very low current applications like remote monitoring or memory back up.
The Shorai batteries are described as lithium iron on the official Shorai web site. The Exide batteries are described as lithium ion on their official web site. I am no expert by any means, but from conversations I've had with various people I understand there is a difference. I spoke to a guy at MDS Battery & he told me the Shorai batteries are more forgiving than a lithium ion battery & far less likely to bust into flames if over-charged. Exide state you should not charge their lithium batteries at more than 15v, which doesn't give you much leeway from the "normal" charging voltage out of most bikes these days from what I know. They are also better at coping with vibration & cold weather, etc so I assume are more suited to motorcycle use than a lithium ion battery. I have a Shorai on my Métis purely because of space constraints where the battery fits & the need for a lot of CCA's to wack over it's big 1500cc v-twin engine. There is a lot of confusion on various forums I visit regarding these batteries & there's a lot of so called experts on the subject. However, nobody has ever really explained the difference to me in terms that I, a bit of a thicko, can understand.
Lithium Iron / Fe are NOT rechargeable... I'd suggest this is a play on words or a USA / UK spelling thing.
