Hi Folks,
Got my first bike, '00 GS500E last summer after taking the MSF course. Been perusing your superior forum rather anonymously since then and want to go public for help.
I believe the battery that came with the bike was on its way out. It's never held much of a charge. I'd like to revive the bike for the spring with a new sealed battery. I've read all the threads regarding the Walmart special you can slip in sideways by rerouting the negative cable. I'm hoping for thoughts on an alternative...
ETX15L
http://www.bigcrank.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=32
Length and width should be no problem for the stock battery box, but the height may be too much at 6 9/16". Do you think there's anyway to get it to fit in there? Maybe if I shave or remove that rectangular pad under the seat that rests on top of the battery? Or, would that be a bad idea?
Any constructive thoughts appreciated.
Thanks...
Rather than trying to stuff an ETX15L in the battery box, why not go for one of the other Big Crank batteries? Say, the ETX12 or the ETX14? They are closer in size to the OEM battery.
Yuasa ------------- Big Crank --------- Everstart
Model YB10L-B2 ETX12 ETX14 ETX15 ETX15L ES12BS
Length 5 5/16 5 7/8 5 7/8 5 1/4 5 1/4 6
Width 3 9/16 3 7/16 3 7/16 3 1/2 3 1/2 3 1/2
Height 5 3/4 5 1/8 5 3/4 6 9/16* 6 9/16* 5 1/8
Weight (lbs) 11 10 12 11 11 ?
Amp Hours 11? 10 12 14 14 ?
Cold Crank. Amps ? 180 200 190 190 ?
Price ? $49.95 $53.95 $49.95 $49.95 ?
To check this info out for yourself follow these URLs:
Yuasa YB10L-B2 (Stock) (http://www.yuasabattery.com/battery.asp?bID=B39&vID=4099)
Big Crank Motorcycle Batteries (http://www.bigcrank.com/default.php?cPath=22)
Everstart Motorcycle Batteries (http://www.everstart-batteries.com/products/use/motorcycle.asp)
BTW, the stock Yuasa replacement is only $53.99 at Chaparral Motorsports (http://www.chaparral-racing.com) (part #358-1065), but it's not a sealed battery so it would be shipped dry -- you would have to buy the electrolyte locally and charge it yourself.
Kerry,
Thanks much for the reply with the comparison. I've really tried to do an exhaustive search for potential sealed battery replacements, including the others you listed; however, I've measured that battery box and measured again, and I don't see anyway to put a battery over about 5.5" in length in there (i.e. 5 7/8" just won't fit) without rotating it to its side, provided that placement is within dimensional limits as well.
I'm kind of stubborn and haven't given up on that tall 15L yet. So, unless somebody knows it really can't fit, I may try to cut a block of wood to scale and put it in there to see if I can still clear the tank's backside and get the seat to latch.
Maybe I'm too picky not being happy with tipping the 12BS Everstart on its side. If I were to go back with a stock size conventional battery, would this cheaper alternative to the Yuasa be an acceptable choice?...
http://www.batterydepotonline.com/battery/battery_detail.asp?id=MOT1000&id2=CB10LB2
-heent
That's pretty much what I did. Not the exact same battery, but the same idea. I bought an "Economy" battery (part # 378-1065 at Chaparral (http://www.chaparral-racing.com)) for about the same price. It's currently $23.99.
I bought a container of electrolyte at my local Checker auto parts store for about $3, poured it in, and charged the battery with my Battery Tender.
It's working great so far.
***** Hey, this is my 1000th post! *****
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
**********************************
PS - You know, maybe it IS the exact same battery. It certainly has the same number (CB10L-B2). I'll have to take a look when I get home....
A less "ideal" way of doing it is to take the battery cage out.
I have a battery in my GS that is about 1.5" taller than standard, and after removing the battery cage it fits snugly with the seat on.
You'll need to rig up some other way of keeping the battery from moving forward and back (I stuffed a soft kitchen sponge behind mine), and find another way to secure the blinker module (which is usually attached to the right side of the battery cage), but tie-wraps, duct tape, and bailing wire can do wonders....
this is probably not a suzuki-aproved method, but it certainly works for me. I haven't had any problems with my new battery at all, and it won't go dead as fast since it's bigger and (one would suppose) has a higher capacity.
If, however, you really want a good alternative, you could look into an Ultima sealed battery. they are the highest quality, last the longest, most reliable, and I have heard rumors that one can find them to fit in a motorcycle. Unfortuntately, they are also more expensive.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide on and how well it works!
If you want to replace the GS battery with one that's widely available, you could use the Yuasa YB10L-A2 (or equivalent). The specs for the battery are identical, with the exception being the overflow hose is on the left side instead of the right. These are widely available, and are a lot cheaper. You don't have to diddle with modifying or replacing battery posts and cables, but you will need a longer overflow hose. You will still want it to drain on the right side, so if your bike falls to the left, all of the battery fluid won't drain out. I also glued a piece of rubber on the left frame rail so the overflow pipe doesn't rest against the frame. :cheers:
Now that's the kind of news I can use! Sure enough, check out the relative prices at Chaparral (http://www.chaparral-racing.com):
YB10L-B2
Info Sheet (http://www.yuasabattery.com/battery.asp?bID=B39&vID=4099)
Chaparral part #358-1065
Price: $53.99
YB10L-A2
Info Sheet (http://www.yuasabattery.com/battery.asp?bID=B37&vID=4092)
Chaparral part #358-1066
Price: $31.99
Who'd a thunk?
=================
PS - If you order from Chaparral, toss in a length of clear, cut-to-length Battery Vent Tubing for $1. The part number is 315-0504.
EDIT: Another alternative to the possibly-too-short Battery Vent Tubing is their $5 Battery Acid Catch Can. Part number is W68-145.
I bought one of the A2 batteries (Exide/Champion brand, made in China)for less than $30.00 at a farm supply store, acid included. (I also bought a 10cc horse syringe in the vet supply section that I use to add distilled water). I think Wallyworld also sells the A2 version. It was standard on GS400s, and a number of other makes and models (Hawk 400s, KZ650s?). The B2 version only fits the GS500 and early Katana 600s. Less demand = higher price.
Remember, with the vent outlet on the left, you stand the chance of losing battery fluid if the bike falls over on the left (which is why Suz commissioned the change in vent location). If the hose is routed so it vents as far to the right as possible, you'll only lose the fluid in the hose itself, since the end will be higher than the battery in the prone position. If the bike is dumped on the right side, nothing comes out. With the stock battery, nothing comes out if the bike lays on the left, but it's possible to lose more, if not all, of the fluid if it's dumped on the right and isn't uprighted promptly. :cheers:
ive got the b2 in mine, gave 31 and change for it at the stealer. been through the cold w/o a charger, and still had the nads to start her :thumb: :dunno:
The cheaper battery is also available at walmart for ~$30. The precaution is ... dont use side stand much after putting it in. The sealed battery is already super powerful.... putting a eb12bs is bad enough, but you want to put a eb15 in.... rather severe... you might start blowing up fuses or burn out wires.
Cool.
Srinath.
why not use sidestand? 'cause the battery is in on its side or weight or what??
Quote from: BadBatzMaruwhy not use sidestand? 'cause the battery is in on its side or weight or what??
That is part of the tradeoff with using the cheaper battery. The vent pipe is on the same side as the sidestand; it's conceivable that if the bike leans over too far on that side, that fluid will drain out of the vent pipe. On my bike, with Progressive springs and stock shock with the preload jacked up, I think that possibility is a non-issue on level ground and a hard surface. I generally use the centerstand when in doubt (seeing a new Yamaha Venture laying on its side, with its sidestand buried in fresh asphalt on a hot summer day taught me that).
I don't want to have that vent pipe touching my frame, either. I shoved a spacer down that side in the battery box so it doesn't slide into the frame rail. :cheers:
QuoteThe sealed battery is already super powerful.... putting a eb12bs is bad enough, but you want to put a eb15 in.... rather severe... you might start blowing up fuses or burn out wires.
I've heard the same caution against connecting a bike to a car battery. I've worked around a pretty big battery chain (2000 Amp-hour -48v DC, about the size of a small mobile home) used to power a telephone central office. Each cell is a bit bigger than a 5 gal. pail. Now, these are big enough that even a metal folding chair will melt/explode/disappear if it shorts the bus bars. But if you tapped into the big, huge bus bars and ran thin small wires to a small 250 mA portable radio (assuming you had a radio which ran on -48v DC), nothing bad would happen. The radio will not draw any extra energy, just because the capacity of the battery is greater. Volts is just volts.
The main danger of using an overly-large battery is if you short the battery in a way that is not protected by fuses. With a bigger battery, you can melt bigger stuff (in a more explosive fashion). An unfused headlight wire, if shorted, will just become a 20A fuse and melt or vaporize. But if you short something after the GS's 20A fuse, then that fuse will pop, and there is no more harm done whether the battery has 10 or 700 cold-cranking-amps.
The walmart non sealed battery EB10LB2 or some like that has the vent on the left. So it drains more fluid if on the side stand. The sealed battery being on its side I have concluded helps the life of the battery. heck they put them on their back in the new bikes, and the 999 has it side ways.
Cool.
Srinath.
ohh.. ok cool.. I was tryin to figure out why the sealed battery would be a problem for sidestand, but now i see you're talking about the cheap stocker replacement... got it.
I just bought the Walmart ES12BS sealed battery. My bike wouldn't start and I figured it was the battery. Installation was pretty simple, just needed to bring the Negative wire up underneath the battery holder to attach to the now lying on the side battery.
The bike starts up fine :)
That additional connection to the negative... my 91 was a bit tight and ended up sporadically killing 1 cyl... :? . I had to route it under the top rail of the battery box to get a good reliable connection. My 89 was fine as is.
Cool.
Srinath.