I am thinking about installing larger battery or adding a second one to my GS. I am planning to ride for as long as there is no ice on the roads but the only problem is that starting GS500 in a winter is really hard.

Point in case:
- in the morning bike started on first turn of motor (garage kept overnight)
- in the afternoon it had to turn 5 times before it started (bike sat outside for 7 hours and it was 38 degrees today = not cold)

I don't have problem with 5 turns but I know that when temperature drops even more I will probably not get those 5 turns from battery.

So, I want to replace the battery with bigger one so it has more cranking power, or optionally add a second one to increase the total amount of juice it can hold. (11 Ah * 2 = 22 Ah)

MY QUESTION: has anybody replaced their battery with larger one? Or added second battery? If yes what larger battery can be used? Maybe from other bigger bike?

I have K&N lunchbox so there is little extra room for bigger battery. I can modify the battery basket to accommodate bigger battery.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
KML

increasing your amp hours isn't really going to help with cranking. It's your coldcranking amps(CCA) that you need to increase. Also, keep in mind most normal batteries are temp sensitive, so they don't have the strength in the cold.


If I were you, I'd switch to an 8 cell (or 12 if you really really want to, although it's totally overkill) LiFePO4 battery pack. They aren't temp sensitive, and you get all the CCA you could need.

Or you could just rejet, after a stage 1 I never even had to use choke again. It was the most cold-natured bike in the world before. Maybe I just got lucky with it though.

I bought one of those TruGel batteries and my bike cranks right up and starts in somewhat cold temps.  It had a hard time cranking with the previous battery which was a brand new "standard maintenance free" type.  My temps are in the mid 30's F.  sometimes gets below freezing. I think it was around $70 when I bought it.

Quote from: redhenracing2 on December 03, 2010, 08:59:18 PM
Or you could just rejet, after a stage 1 I never even had to use choke again. It was the most cold-natured bike in the world before. Maybe I just got lucky with it though.

You think I would be running lunchbox without rejet?

Quote from: saxman on December 03, 2010, 08:55:30 PM
increasing your amp hours isn't really going to help with cranking. It's your coldcranking amps(CCA) that you need to increase. Also, keep in mind most normal batteries are temp sensitive, so they don't have the strength in the cold.

If I were you, I'd switch to an 8 cell (or 12 if you really really want to, although it's totally overkill) LiFePO4 battery pack. They aren't temp sensitive, and you get all the CCA you could need.

Could you point me to some online retailer that sells those things?

Quote from: ramennoodles on December 03, 2010, 09:06:43 PM
I bought one of those TruGel batteries and my bike cranks right up and starts in somewhat cold temps.  It had a hard time cranking with the previous battery which was a brand new "standard maintenance free" type.  My temps are in the mid 30's F.  sometimes gets below freezing. I think it was around $70 when I bought it.

For the peace of mind that my bike starts after I am done with work or school I am willing to spend even more than $70. Do you know how many CCA your battery have?

thanks

I just ran quick search on Google on those LiFePO4 battery packs and I don't think I am willing to spend about $300 - $500 on a battery...

EDIT: I will have to measure tomorrow how much room exactly I have to work with.

Right now I am looking at those:
http://www.batteryprice.com/powersonic-YHD-12-12vleadacidmotorcyclebattery.aspx

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=motorcycle+battery&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=12195025252612613092&ei=Wsr5TJWWA8H88AaQyvG1Cw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CHIQ8wIwAQ#

http://cgi.ebay.com/A123-batter-4s2p-13-2V4-6AH-motorcycle-starting-power-/190465884875?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item2c58a6c2cb

There's one for $90


Or you can fab one up yourself. I bought 10 of the cells needed for $60. I'm planning on only running a 4 cell battery on my bike.

I'm going into my 27th winter now riding my bikes year around here in NE Ohio.  I'm out for a ride whenever the streets/roads are free of ice and snow and temps are above 20F.  Had 97 then 02 GS500/E's for the past 11 years and put over 160k miles on them.  The GSs have been parked in a unheated garage without electricity.   They started most of the time all winter except for a couple maybe a few days depending how severe the season is and I'd have to jump them from the car.  The garage is across the street behind another apt bldg so I'd have to walk back to get the car for a jump.

Got a battery jumper pack about 3 years ago I keep in garage with bike and it jumps the bike with the power of a car battery as quck as I hit the starter and only takes a minute to get going.  I also use the power pack to plug in a work light and air pump as needed and it's good for all winter on one charge done by plugging it into a 110v outlet for a night.  Could carry with me in my small Givi trunk if I expected to leave the bike parked out for a long time away from home in very cold weather.

http://www.batterychargers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductName=94026903

Back in Mar of 09 I put an AGM sealed battery in my 02 GS and only had to jump the bike once all last winter when I ran the battery down going out for short trips several days in a row.  The AGM starts it much quicker cranking faster than the old lead/acid batteries did when cold.

http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/motorcycle/sYT10L-A2.html

The best solution of all for winter riding is to trade your GS in on a bike with a kick starter.  I had an old CM400A around for years with a kick starter and I could grind the electric starter until it would barely growl and not turn anymore and then give it just one kick and ride off.  

If you're willing to spend some $, maybe one of these light weight buggers SpeedCell SBK Battery

Michael

Quote from: mister on December 04, 2010, 12:20:51 AM
If you're willing to spend some $, maybe one of these light weight buggers SpeedCell SBK Battery

Michael

Same thing as the ebay link I posted.

Quote from: ramennoodles on December 03, 2010, 09:06:43 PM
I bought one of those TruGel batteries and my bike cranks right up and starts in somewhat cold temps.  It had a hard time cranking with the previous battery which was a brand new "standard maintenance free" type.  My temps are in the mid 30's F.  sometimes gets below freezing. I think it was around $70 when I bought it.

For the peace of mind that my bike starts after I am done with work or school I am willing to spend even more than $70. Do you know how many CCA your battery have?

thanks
[/quote]

according to their website it is 170cca at -18 degrees C.  This is the mg10la2 which was a direct fit battery.  Here is the link to the pdf: http://www.bikemaster.com/images/bm08/BMTruGelBattery/BMTruGelInstructions.pdf  I see other batteries they list with lots more cca with size dimensions too.  What I would do is get the direct fit battery and if it's still not enough then use your old battery as the second battery.  Could you fit two batteries in there? One would be under the gas tank right?  Also these are completely sealed and nothing to spill out so maybe you could get a bigger size and fit it in sideways

I think you guys convinced me to try AGM or Gel Battery. It seems like a good price to benefit ratio 

And like ramennoodles said if it's still not enough I will try to fit my current battery as a second one in place where air box used to be.

I will take some measurements today and see if maybe I can fit larger gel battery sideways as it was suggested.

Happy riding everyone.
Stay warm!

move to Australia.... problem solved

sure it get to 10 - 15 degs C at night in winter but you also get 20 deg C days


just watch the summer if its 38degs C outside my bedroom temp when i get home from work can get to about 45

It would be enough for me to move to Cali but I am afraid of that long overdue earthquake they're suppose to have in SF... haha

I just bough that. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TruGel-Battery-MG10L-A2-Kawasaki-KZ450-KZ650-KZ900-NEW-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem53e3491036QQitemZ360295501878QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_3055wt_940

Decided that it doesn't make too much sense to go crazy modifying current battery basket.

My battery was about 3 years old anyways, so it sooner or later would have to be replaced.

thanks for info guys!!

Merry X-Mas / Happy Holidays to everyone!

Can these gel-cell or AGM batteries be kept on a battery tender jr?  I'm not too familiar with these newer non-acid ones, so I thought it might be better to ask prior to making a purchase. 

I replaced mine with a Yusa 12a, before that I used friend's 14a for a while, both are good...and they are sealed, maintenance free.....

they have a little bigger size, since I've throw the battery case away so it doesn't really bother

I was looking into something like this a while back. What I was gonna do is get a second battery box and mount it in front of the current box. Run a second battery in the winter, then maybe just run the front one in the summer, and use the rear battery box for storage.

I park mine outside under a bike cover,starting lately has been a little slow(minus temp`) solution;
boil the kettle pour it on motor and headers,works for me.

and where am I suppose to keep that kettle while I am in school? 
It would be easier to carry jump starter in my backpack...

Your battery is not well.  A standard battery in good condition will start your bike in temperatures below freezing provided the fueling is correct. However, your ride to school should have 5-10 minutes over 5000 rpm to recover the lost charge from starting.

Yes, you can put in a bigger battery. Another thing you can do is to add a relay to turn off the headlight while the starter button is pressed.