Battery Info?

[wacko]

Ok, I need to purchase a new battery and know nothing about them. I am just looking for the cheapest replacement for the stock battery. It will be on my bobber which is pretty stripped down but at this point I still want to be able to use the starter. Other than the started I simply have the headlight and tail light. I was thinking of purchasing one from wal-mart or somewhere. What numbers do I need to know cca (cold cranking amps??) How many ah? (not sure what ah stands for) What about maintenance free??

Thanks in advance. Any info appreciated

 

[poorman9]

As far as I know, Ah is what you really want to check. In general the more Ah or Amp Hours, the bigger the battery and the longer it can put out energy. I think the stock battery is around 15ah. I'm running a setup that's kick only using this 5ah battery that I got for $20 at a local motorcycle shop, it's probably 5"x4"2.5"

You can do some math to calcualte exact amp useage, like this post from Pamcopete. I've asked a smilar question as you a few months ago, read more here. That should get you started.

Good luck

 

[xjwmx]

I was thinking of purchasing one from wal-mart or somewhere.

I've had bad luck with walmart batteries, both bike and auto. Their charge drains off quickly just sitting, after they have a little age on them. Walmart products in general are dumbed down; nothing present that prevents lowest price. There's a famous story of a respected lawnmower mfgr who was told by walmart to cheapen his mower if he wanted walmart to carry it. I've had two bike batteries from Autozone that did well.

 

[jamesgs4]

Do not buy a walmart battery!! They are junk, and the assholes wont honor the warranty without a fight when it dies. The fuckers try to say since you filled it with acid, it isnt returnable. Fuck them, how else are you supposed to use it? The one I bought in a pinch only lasted a week, never again.

 

[wacko]

Good to know. Thanks for the info

 

[grepper]

With Electric Start I don't think you can go much lower than 14 Ah, Maybe 12 Ah. Without electric start, some guys have gone down as low as 3 Ah. I have a 5 Ah in my kick-only bobber. Got it from the local electronics store, like a radio shack. It's usually used for car alarms I think, not much bigger than a large coffee cup, the 3 Ah are about the size of a pack of smokes.
As for my stock bike, I have a 14 Ah battery I got from the local auto parts store, paid $40 or $50 for it.

 

[5twins]

I'm making the switch to sealed batteries on all my bikes as the wet ones die. They cost more initially but last 2 to 3 times as long so end up actually being cheaper in the long run.

 

[grepper]

I'm with 5Twins here. My stock bike does have a wet battery, but that's only because I wanted a new battery that day. My 5Ah battery in my bobber is the sealed AGM type. I'm on my 3rd season with it. Each spring, after sitting several months in my unheated garage it's lost almost no charge what so ever.