What he said @AirCon ^^ A lot of R&D goes into vehicle design, and a lot of standards have to be complied with. The knock-on effects of mods (modifications, not @El Toro) are something I think more and more about as I get older and realise that my instinctive engineering talent ain't all that... HID light conversions on bikes that might get ridden at twilight on a sunny bike night evening, or a Li battery conversion on a bike ridden by a burly bloke are pretty pointless really (and in the case of HID, bloody irritating), but we like to bolt bits onto our bikes and feel like we've improved them. Rather than bolting a load of expensive carbon bits on, it seems that the most impactful modifications are lighter wheels, weight-matched suspension set up and improvements (sometimes just getting decent quality oil involved and a bit of fiddling by someone who knows what they're doing) and a lighter exhaust / matching map. Other than that, keeping off the pasties, doing a bit of cardio / stretching and taking a bit of riding instruction seem like they yield the best results. And you shouldn't catch fire either...
Mosfet Reg/Rec manufacturer, who make RR's even more robust than standard ones say that you should not use a lithium battery as it could set your bike alight, they had a picture of a Paul Smart Ducati on their web site amongst others that had done so. But hey, what would they know If your bikes electrics are designed for it then fine, if not you are risking loosing your bike and your insurance will not pay out. People still like to ignore this and pretend they know better. I don't know what the actual risk is but if you don't fit one it is zero
SEV.... I've linked back to the facts loads of times, hence this time I wrote a quick laymans guide. If you want all the other data then search Lithium and my forum name. To answer your question and tightly as possible. Yes I've seen a fire on a Ducati with a lithium battery..... the regulator caught fire. Yours.... An electronics Egg Head.
Not to inflame what is a sesnsitive issue, is anyone/has anyone considered running a total loss system ? Often wondered how long a fully charged battery would run a track bike given that spares for some of the older bikes and grey imports are getting harder or near impossible to come by. Just a thought. Andy
Don’t get your knickers in a twist. It was a serious answer (similar to a few others here about weight saving). My point is the main reason for installing a Lithium battery is weight saving, and there are plenty of other (often free) ways to save a similar amount without the risks of Lithium.
You nuked my post, that is not an answer to my question. One of the principal causes of battery failure (battery generic) is the charging system. My girlfriend boiled a lead acid battery after her rectifyer/regulator failed. An OE replacement R/R cost a lot and had to come fom Japan. What I want to know, is it practical to run a track bike without the charging system connected and charge the battery between runs ? If it is, the main cause of battery failure is eliminated and you can use what battery you like. Andy
Andy, if I nuked it it was fat thumbs on an over sensitive iPhone screen. Unfortunately not the first time for me and probably a few others (it is right on the right hand side where most of us scroll with our thumbs, and it isn’t obvious when it happens). So calm down, no nuke intended.
Presumably the Shidos integrated circuitry is a step towards answering the question marks surrounding lithium as a retrofit but is it anywhere near enough???
I ran a total loss bike once and it was a total pain. Always have to keep charging because you don’t want to get caught out, then when the battery does inevitably give up, you’ll get stranded out on track. Hardly anyone (track/race) seems to bother with it because it is just too unpredictable.
Total loss systems weren't so bad years ago when they only had to power the ignition system, on modern bikes theres too much demand with sensors and computers as well as the ignition system to power.
personally i would say the fuel pump draws the most, but a quick look at the fuse ratings would give you a clue.
