Batteries

[LMederParticipant]

Hi all,

What are your thoughts on Interstate batteries?  68.68 vs $180 for BMW battery…..

thanks, Lauren

[PStokesParticipant]

You can get basically the BMW batteries  or good aftermarket on the internet for a nice discount.  However I would always go talk with your dealer and see if they will discount to keep the business in-house.  That being said I am not familiar with Interstate Batteries for motorcycles.   Look at the specs of all batteries you are researching, there is usually a difference. Also invest in a good battery tender.

[Bradley BurlandParticipant]

Here’s an alternative, locally sourced, and at a great price: Bulldog Battery, in Willoughby has a great substitute for the BMW battery (especially the LT). It’s a power chair battery, deep cycle, same physical size and more cranking amps than the stock unit. Good warranty, and since they’re local, superb customer service, to boot. I have had the battery in my LT for a couple of years now, and am very pleased with its performance. My recollection is that it’s about $75 or so. Give them a call. What do you have to lose?

DW

[PMitchellParticipant]

Beemerboneyard {https://www.beemerboneyard.com/}   also has batteries as well as new and “used” parts for most models.  If you use BMWMOA in the checkout box, they offer a 10% discount.

 

[PKoontzParticipant]

I have been buying all of my batteries for my GS and LT as well as all of my vehicles, tractor, mowers etc. from Interstate Battery System, 4973 Ridge Road, Wadsworth, PA. They are located on Rt 94 just north of Rt 18 between Medina and Fairlawn. The quality of the batteries are excellent and their pricing is very aggressive. I highly recommend them and they are local and their service is also excellent.

[LMederParticipant]

Thank you all for your input.  I think I’ll give the Interstate battery a try, since I have a friend willing to change it for me.  Can’t believe my 2016 R1200R battery died

thanks again, Lauren

[AViibergParticipant]

Lauren … I always use Odyssey batteries. They are not cheap, but in batteries, I believe you get what you pay for. The PC680 Odyssey for my RT is $129 on Amazon.   https://www.odysseybattery.com/ .  Mine is on it’s 6th season this year.

The secret to battery longevity is to have it on a battery maintenance charger whenever you’re not riding the bike. This is the one I would recommend ….

http://products.batterytender.com/Dion/Battery-Tender-Junior-12V-0-75A.html . Amazon has it for around $25.

No mater which battery you get, keep it on the Battery Tender.

Arp

 

 

[BSpencerParticipant]

I didn’t even know that interstate made motorcycle batteries.  I know where i work that our mechanic said

that interstate car batteries use to be the best and now they have multiple issues. Like ARP I always use

oddysey due to they last a lot longer and in the long run are a better value.  I looked at several Best motorcycle

battery sites and most of them all had these in different order as the top 10.  Heres the link:

 

10 Best Motorcycle Battery in 2019 Reviews

[GLonsberryParticipant]

I’m a motorcycle tech and many manufacturers trust Yuasa (considered Cadillac) .

 

There are 2 primary lead acid types

1. Regular Lead acid –can be “sealed” or “unsealed”. Water maintenance (with distilled water) is critical for unsealed (ones with caps)
2. AMG – Amalgamated Glass matt types – have slightly higher voltage (~0.5 V higher) which helps cranking and these are always sealed. Best type but if you shop AMG types, you can save 30%…by getting lesser brands

Not that much difference between quality manufacturers…but avoid cheap Chinese types with low quality materials).   Low voltage causes plate sulfation which covers plates and kills cranking amps.

Battery maintenance is FAR more important; keeping them charged if left for more than 6-8 weeks (with a tender and, ideally, taking them inside for the winter (with tender)…

For that reason, I strongly recommend “buying batteries dry and adding the acid yourself”.  That way they don’t suffer any abuse sitting on the shelf with a partial charge (promotes sulfation (which covers plates and kills cranking amps).   Hope this helps.

Later,  Glenn

[GLonsberryParticipant]

PS.  Shop by physical size and CCA; cold cranking amps; if spec’d.

[WGingerichParticipant]

Nice battery thread we have going here!

[WGingerichParticipant]

I have been using AGM batteries the past few years, mostly Odyssey, and have had very good experience with them. They have much better cranking capacity than conventional lead acid batteries and they hold their charge very well. On the R1100 oilheads, where the ABS start-up routine was sensitive to battery voltage, the Odyssey eliminated the ABS warning light issue completely.

One important consideration, however, is to make sure your bike and your charger provide the correct voltage to maintain an AGM battery. If your bike doesn’t charge at or near 14.7 volts your battery will lose capacity over time and will probably have a shorter life.

A little background: AGM batteries need to be charged at 14.7 volts to maintain their capacity, whereas older bikes and many chargers charge at only 14 amps. I never had a problem with this and my older (pre-2005) BMWs until my ’04 R1150GSA had a cold starting problem and I came across  this thread by “roger 04 rt”. who had the same problem. His bike (and mine) were using AGM batteries but were difficult to start when cold. It turns out the bikes were charging only at 14 volts, as were the chargers, which meant the batteries were never getting fully charged. As a result, the voltage dropped too low during starting and the voltage sensitive fuel injectors weren’t providing enough fuel for cold starts. I bought an Odyssey charger and with the battery now fully charged the bike starts just fine.

You can find out what kind of battery your bike is designed for by checking the fiche and seeing what BMW sells for it. I believe Lauren has a late model R1200R so an AGM battery would be the best choice. If your bike is a 2004 or older it almost certainly wasn’t designed to maintain an AGM battery. Bikes that came with Gel batteries may not charge at sufficient voltage to maintain an AGM battery. Next time I replace the battery in my ’04 GS I’ll probably put in a conventional battery. Same for my ’04 K1200GT. But my ’12 R1200R and ’15 F700GS are designed for AGM batteries and that’s what they’ll get.

 

 

[JRihaParticipant]

You can always put a higher output voltage regulator on the older bikes. I did that long ago on my /6. Think it was about $20 or so, and solid state instead of the original mechanical design. Wally, hoping you meant 14.7 volts, as opposed to amps.

[WGingerichParticipant]

Yea, volts. Geesh!

[WGingerichParticipant]

Yea, volts. Thanks, Jerry, I corrected it.

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