DON'T Buy A Motorcycle Battery Before You Watch This 

and like Ex Girlfriends, lithium batteries might burn your house down. Stick with the standard issue.

So many people, myself included leave batteries connected to battery tenders when the vehicle is not in use, with no issues whatsoever. Many years ago we had electric forklifts at work. The maintenance crew would check the acid in the cells and test the charge levels meticulously. A lot of those vehicles never had failed batteries because of great battery maintenance!

I only live 5 miles from my work and as long as it doesn’t snow or ice I ride year round. I always leave 1/2 hour early so I can go for a bit of a ride before work. Keeps my battery strong.

I've watched a lot of videos on batteries and yours is by far the most helpful so far. Thanks!

My first Yuasa battery lasted over 5 yrs w/o additional charge in hot/cold environment which is a good life for that. Now being more informed on them my new one is on a trickle/conditioner charger when not being ridden and 3 yrs already wlo issue. Really good vid my friend.

I am a PWC, ATV and small engine mechanic and Yausa is the only brand of small battery I will buy. Yuasa last longer than any other brand I have seen. I did notice that Sulfate Stop use to be printed on the batteries and now its not. My original battery in my 1999 Kawasaki jet ski lasted over 10 years with some TLC every winter.

Honestly, there's really some solid advice in this video that folks really need to see. Great job!

Hi, thanks for the video. I've been on motorcycles for two years and had no idea that there are AGM batteries that can't be charged with a standard charger. That's why I also destroyed the YUASA motorcycle battery, the voltage after charging was fine, but the battery didn't work, later I found out that it had a low starting current. I bought a good quality Ctek charger and a new battery. When I winterized the motorcycles, I took the batteries out and recharged them, and once a month I measure them with a multimeter to make sure they don't have a little voltage.

I’m a dirt biker lithium nerd. I expected to come here and find the typical nonsense on many motorcycle battery posts. Not only was your presentation accurate, I learned a bit about charging a lead acid. I certainly didn’t expect that. Great advice!

The OEM (Yuasa) battery on my good-old Ducati Multistrada 1000 lasted for an incredible 13 years. In all that period I spent one year away from home and the bike connected to a trickle charger.

I like this guy! No blah- blah, just brief info. Also, it is true what he says, "You get what you pay for". Good channel to follow.

Thank you. Ive been looking for this info.

I ran the same battery in my 2012 Goldwing for 13yrs, kept it on. Tender over winters

My yuasa battery lasted 12 years in my st1100 Honda in California. Commuted 100 miles round trip then always hooked to a battery tender when parked at home. Always purchase a yuasa.

Good info. I never knew about those first steps with a new battery. Well done. Subscribed.

My 04 r1 battery lasted 14 years. Battery Tender. When not riding, plug it in. 😊

So to the point and only key points. Enjoyed listening vs getting bord. Ty

Just watched your video and I do have a Z900RS that I bought new in Dec/19. It was on a trickle charger because I don't ride too much. Went to start it yesterday and it just clicked. Took the battery out and it had a sticker on it from Dec/17 . So it died after 6 yrs. It's a totally sealed battery so acid is already in it from the factory. Great info on the upkeep side of things... THANKS !!

Great information, I’ll checkout your other videos also. Thanks 🎉

Thanks for making this informative and helpful video 👍🏻

Good advice! I'll have to check out some of your other videos. 👍

From streetrodracer on the 1130cc forum: "Adri - the other items to add on for battery life extension are - 1) Don't use a vented Lead Acid battery in a M/C unless you're just flat outta money. Certainly not in a V Rod, EVER. 2) Disconnect the battery when the M/C is in longer term storage or top charge before battery voltage gets low. 3) Remove the battery from the M/C in extreme cold or hot garage storage conditions, take it in the better environment of the house in A/C or Heat & charge once every couple weeks inside. No need for a constant battery tender. 4) Pull the system fuse ( if easily removed ) when the M/C is in short term storage to prevent parasitic drain. 5) If you have a Lithium battery and the M/C is in regular daily service there's no real problem, unless you have a large constant parasitic drain, or the M/C sits for a week or more. In that case have your pigtail to the battery in a convenient place to plug in for 5 minutes while you get ready to ride and check tire pressures, etc. and top charge the battery. This will greatly extend the battery life, and give you a topped off battery at the beginning of every ride." Source: www.1130cc.com/threads/how-to-get-8-years-from-your-battery.446667/post-4793682

Thanks for all the help!! New motorcycle owner and mechanic

Great video thank you for the info

I bought a brand new battery before one winter. I let the bike sit for 6+ months without taking care of the battery, by the end of the winter the battery was dead! Save your money, pull your battery and treat it right! Thanks for the video! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I don’t have a motorcycle anymore but I still have atvs, I bought a gel mat battery for my Artic Cat in 2013 from Battery Sharks, it’s still in it, performs flawlessly no issues. It even survived the Vermont flood in July 2023. I just bought another battery for my other ATV, just thought I’d pass it along.

Good video, great info 👍, thank you 💯

Very helpful - Thank you !

Hi Thanks a lot, your tips really came in handy, l have used them, though when l went to the website to say something, asking for more advice, for some reason it would not let me submit my question or some other problem, l have forgotten now its been quite a while. Hope this has been resolved. Please do a a video on the Z900RS SE, maybe compare it to the 2018 or so model if it is the new one or vice versa if it is the old one. l would also like to see what the differences are between the standard and SE versions and whether it makes any sense at all to choose one over the other. Unfortunately where l am they only have the standard one so l am curious to hear what wee are missing.

I been using Yuasa battery's for over 45 years always had good luck with them and always put on a battery tender when not riding or in winter storage

In 2007 i bought a ZRX1200R brand new (2006 model) the stock Yuasa battery first died on me in the spring of 2021, now thats actually pretty wild since i never did any thing to take care of it, just put the bike away in fall and put a charger on it in spring when it was time to ride again 👍

I love your video. Very informative

I'm still running a Yuasa battery that was made in July 2004. It goes on a Yuasa smart shot .900ma charger about once a month in the off season.

Great useable info. Additionally, unlike lead acid which thrives being topped off through a trickle charge, lithium batteries sustain damage being charged after be charged to the max. So it’s important to remove a charger once the have been fully charged. Another option is a charger like the Tecmate Optimate dedicated lithium charger. Lithium battery charge rates are the opposite of lead acid batteries. Charge rates on new batteries. Lithium batteries start off with a slow trickle charge and then reach high voltage the closer they get to be in topped off. The Optimate charger uses this procedure which produces the maximum storage charge in a lithium battery. once the battery reaches maximum charge, the Optimate goes in to essentially what would be a sleep mode and then every 24 hours checks to see if there’s a voltage drop if none it won’t charge if it does find a drop it charges. This works great on bikes. That may have a parasitic draw. This enables the user to leave the battery connected and not worry about overcharging the motorcycle battery.

Thank you my good sir was stranded in Vegas the other dead even when bump starting it my bike wasn’t staying on but starts up for about 5 seconds then dies put a battery jumper to it and it turns on but once I disconnect it it turns off did my multimeter test and was reading at 10.9 now I’m charging it but going to check my other components rn after I watch your other vids thanks my g

2017 Street Glide with the factory battery still working just fine. When parked for a long time or stored for the winter, it's on my battery maintainer. Fingers crossed... Almost 7 years old.

Hmm my 2005 Suzuki at 69,000 I believe just put in my 3rd one. The problem in Minnesota is the non ride 6 months a year, my buddy takes his out of the bike and puts his in the basement. I leave mine in the bike (in a shed) float charger on. My batteries last the same if not longer than his. But to each his own your info is solid , I should have watched it earlier as just set up a new battery!

I bought a brand new 1980 Mazda glc wagon and it had a yousa battery. It was the old type that you had to add water to. It lasted for 13 years. I gave the car to my sister and her husband and they did short runs so that was probably what finally killed it. The last three batteries I have bought for my car have been junk. The longest lasting one was 3 years. I owned 27 different motorcycles in my life and almost all had yousa batteries and they held up very good.

I own a 2010 Suzuki Bandit 1250 I owned it from 12 months old still got the original battery on just keep it on and optimizer

My yuasa battery in my 2016 Honda pcx 150 is still working like new after 8 years but I use a trickle charger when not riding often. It might quit tomorrow but it’s great right now.

I have had excellent luck with EarthX and AntiGravity lithium batteries. Had one that finally gave up after 10 years with no trickle charging.

Replaced my 2013 Gold Wing Yuasa with same model Yuasa just out of caution before a trip. Put the old one in my 1965 Cub Cadet lawn tractor. Both batteries still start strong. The old one is probably 12 yrs old now! Never tendered, always garaged. I used to get cheap Walmart batteries for the Cub Cadet and would be lucky to get 2 good years then have to use a tender. The Yuasa in the lawn tractor is physically smaller than the intended size so I block it off to keep it from rattling around. No parasitic drain in either application. No complaints!

Great video great channel . Intertaining and interesting. Subscribed !!

Very informative. Thxs

My 2011 BMW F800r had the original battery when I traded the bike in with 90k kms in 2019. Bike was always plugged in when not ridden. Altemate 3 did the trick.

I had a Yuasa battery on my Yamaha 400 Majesty that lasted 14 years.

Hi, great video! What would be the suggested set up if I have 2 motorcycles and 1 collectors cars? I used them once every other week, and sometimes I don't use them at all for months, i,e. during winter. Shall I get 3 devices, one for each vehicle?, or is there a one for all where I can connect them all to the same battery maintainer? And what would the top 3 devices that I should compare for buying?

Love this review Adrian and the GF part 😂 Raf, Ottawa.

This is great info!

I had a lawn tractor battery last a little over 5 years. Every fall I would take it inside. Check the water level and put it on a float charger until spring. I also have my generator battery on a float charger.

Just as a little information tip, a lot motorcycles and cars have "Alternative" battery configurations. For both the battery and the charge system. So for example, I fall under the "not typical use" pattern seen fir ky Ford Exploer. Killed 5 batteries in in 2 years. I got tired if it and started doing tons of research. I deoend heavily on ky cars electrical system. Ended up replacing my cars default battery with a slightly larger AGM. Still had the same issue if voltage slowly creeoing down over time. I turned my attention to the charge system and how it functions. Well I learned I could reconfigure it to keep the float state at a higher level and I could also increase the point of 100% charge state up to the actual bagteries saturation state. A lot of vehicles are now coming with smart charge systems that measure how much was taken out, it tries to immediately put that back and then go to a float state. All these things were reprogramable. I leanrned a lot of other things too, but thats getting too far ibto the weeds for this topic. Now im working on imolementing something similar but dedicated in my motorcycle. One of the interesting bits along the way that was key to gelping with issues was a large banknof caps right across the terminals the initial brunt of starting is taken by the caps, insteam of the battery. Lots of cool stuff out there.

LiFePO4 batteries (also called LFP) can absorb a lot of amps so that might be why they don't put the charge limit on the label. And they don't catch fire. The main negative is that they get ruined by charging them when they're below freezing. That doesn't bother me because I live in the sunbelt and don't ride during cold snaps. My OEM Yuasa lasted 7 years and the LFP replacement was $70 cheaper than a Yuasa, a quarter of the weight, and I expect it to last even longer. Also great is that the low self-discharge means than I don't have any reason to bother with a charger. Coming home after my bike has been parked for 2 months it cranks robustly and fires up straight away.

Thanks for info 😊

Great video nicely done and entertaining. What do you think about solar chargers for motorcycles ? I don't have a plug near my storage unit so solar charger sounds like a good solution for winterization but never seen any motorcycle guys talking about them.

I've gotten well over 8 years from My Everstart(Walmart) battery on my Bonneville by following basic battery maintenance similar to your regime. Lead acid batteries have the most basic of components. Very hard to screw them up.

You got a great sense of humor bro. I was cracking up about your ex!!! What’s the best way to communicate with you? Email ? Idk but I do know I need your expertise. Thanks again, appreciate your time, feliz Navidad

Good considerations. I learned a few things

Good Luck in ‘24, Adrien. John-in-Colorado. So I see the “Antigravity” brand battery in your G650GS. (As you know, I am now all about the G650GS.) Despite the brand name, is that a lithium battery? The battery options for the bike are limited. Thanks for reading. J

Great info. Thanks

When I got my Vmax it was 6 years old and the Yuasa battery would die if I didn't ride or charge it weekly. I bought an Odyssey AGM battery in 2013 and even over the 6 months of not riding over winter that you get in Canada I've never needed to put it on a charger. Yes I probably should after a decade but it's still fine

Kawasaki W650 Yuasa battery lasted 8 years for me. Amazing.

👍👍Great info, thanks!

A bike is for life, girlfriends come and go!

Respect for video👍

I loved your video! Do you have a store? Where is located? I’m having troubles with my scooter!

I bought a maintenance free Yuasa for my Shovelhead, got 11 years out of it. And in 2000 I think I paid $85 for it!

I just replaced the original battery on my Suzuki Bandit at 15 years old. Kept it on a trickle charger when parked.

I have noticed that people who avoid highway speeds with their Kawasaki KLX300 have factory battery die within a short time. Mine has lasted a really long time but I’ve done highway speeds every time I ride and it is usually quite a few miles 10 or more. I never considered that it may be because my battery is getting a really good longer interval high rpm charge from the stator.

The original on my 1200 bandit lasted over 20 years, only needed to charge it during the last few months (why it was replaced). Bike was kept garaged and ridden a couple times a week unless it was icy

I worked in motorcycle shop in the 70’s and the best battery, which is still the same to day is Yuasa batteries and if you plug them in to a battery conditioner ALL THE TIME, it will last years (up to 10 years is not uncommon) as these recycle the battery charge and keeping it warm, especially in the winter. OptiMate 3 (or 4) Motorcycle Battery Charger & Tester is worth every penny for doing this job. I’ve got the small cigarette style socket on my Triumph so this is a very fast way to plug in when you get home, it takes seconds.

How are the lithium batteries in the cold? Great vid. Liked and subbed.

Year five of the OEM BMW battery in my 2018 R1200RT. Always on a tender in the winter. Having said that, I may just replace it: don’t want to be stranded lol

The girlfriend story got the INSTANT THUMBS UP!!!!

I bought a new duracell AGM from a auto parts store for my Polaris ATV. From research I had done to try to make the new battery last as long as possible, I bought a battery tender trickle charger, the atv stays in the garage where it never drops below 55F, and unfortunately, that battery completely shat the bed within a month (first trail ride). The store exchanged it, and the replacement as about 6 months on it thus far. Id like to do lithium, BUT, anti gravity costs almost 400 bucks, and i cant afford that, im looking at the NOCO, for 116.00, to me its worth the chance, if it lasts a year or a bit more id be pleased (with my previous luck with AGMs). The new battery in my atv did go down after runningmy winch for about a minute.

I put a YUASA batt in my '91 Honda CB750 nighthawk 5 years ago (May 2019). All electrics (including starter) still running strong. Knocked the bike over on its right side in garage last week after starting it. (Started strong). Very minor cosmetic damage BUT now I push the start button and the solenoid clicks, but that's it. I can bump-start the bike and it runs fine. What's the chances that the battery (always on tender when in garage) fell below the start amps just then and needs replacement? Solenoid and fuse looked OK. Only 22k miles on present starter - installed new @ 60k mi. Open for suggestions.

Good info!

I had a Yuasa Battery in my old z750 for 12 years , no problems. Don't leave the bike in the garage, ride the bike man!!!

Man speaks sense 👍🏽

If u ain't using your bike disconnect the battery. Top it up with distilled water for lead batteries. Charge it every few months over winter period when not riding. It will stay good and last. Note u can use acid tablets they do work.

The Yuasa battery on my 2008 FJR1300 still works perfectly.

Yuasa makes a good battery, but Odyssey is better. My PC680 (sealed at the factory) was air-shipped to me. Eight _years_ later, I drove my bike to storage. After sitting in cold storage for 6 months, it cranked and started my notoriously-hard-to-crank BMW 1100. Just Keep it on a battery tender and then find something else to worry about for ten years.

I have a 2012(mfg’d in 11/2011) 1700cc air cooled v-twin that’s still got the original oem yuasa AGM battery that has yet to fail starting it. I do not keep it on a maint charger 24/7 because AGM batteries aren’t flooded lead acid using a paste type electrolyte that’s a lot more sensitive yo drying out causing premature failure. But what have done since the battery & bike was new is put a maint charger on it 1-1.5 days max if/when the bike sits with no use over 1-1.5wks to top it off without overdoing it. That’s how & the now 12+ year old yuasa battery is still going strong. I do the same thing with the AGM battery in my classic car that’s still going strong at 13yrs old starting a high compression big block Chevy motor np hot or cold. But a lot of people don’t realize the majority of bikes sold in the past 10yrs or more have AGM batteries more sensitive to drying out when maint chargers in float /lower current float charge mode are still keeping the battery at 13.1 to 13.6volts on avg and sometimes kept at as high 13.-14v which on 24/7 can & will over time dry out non flooded newer Gen AGM bike batteries that use a paste type electrolyte that’s screened on the battery plates with little to no moisture/water in it like older gen lead acid fully flooded batteries use. Many aftermarket rep bike batteries are also AGM lead acid tech too. I got 11yrs out of the std old school flooded lead acid battery in my old car that sits s lot with non use at times hitting it with the charger every once in a while with little to no use. The AGM napa battery in the (nice weather use only car)Miata I bought for my wife 7 yrs ago (with battery age unknown) is also still going strong hitting it with a charger every so often showing no sign of weakening any time soon. Keep in mind todays car batteries last 3-4yrs max on avg & bike batteries are a bit less at 2-3yrs in avg when I consistently get 2x-3x more Srv’c life out of the batteries in my vehicles then the avg person does time after time the charge regime I use must be working to keep plate sulphation at a minimum extending battery life. Happy motoring.

hi, may seem a silly question, but my bike when left a few days does slowly decrease , some time it will start my bike but alot times it wont turn the bike over so have to charge it, when i charge it literally in a few mins it says the battery in fully charged. is there a reason why its charging so quick everytime? i am using a 12v charger for my Yuasa battery, i am going to be using a trickle charger after watching this when bike isnt in use, but find it weird how my battery charges so quick? is the fluid inside due to be renewed maybe. thanks

What's not mentioned is phantom drain on a battery from electronics and computer systems on newer motorcycles with alarm systems and such. They drain your battery, so keep your battery on a trickle charger when not riding, if your bike has an alarm system on it.

What is the standard charging time for normal cahrging method and the standard charging time of quick charge for 12V motorcycle battery?

Use only lead-acid batteries that have cells with screw caps or removable rubber-plug strips. This is so that distilled water can be added to battery's cells. The sealed-for-life batteries cannot be accessed to add water to them. You need the add water at some point because the battery's chemistry will break down the water into the gases, which won't recombine back into water but will be lost. This loss of water will happen especially if you leave a battery for a long time on a trickle charger, unless you have a really expensive one, but even then I wouldn't trust it to not dry out the battery. You can rehydrate sealed-for-life batteries by drilling into the top of each cell and using a syringe to add water to them, and resealing them with stainless steel screw. However, this is a big faff trying to shine a torch light into a cell through the drilled hole to see if the acid level is above the top of the lead plates. Also, it is good to check the battery health with one of the new electronic battery analysers, like the Topdon BTMobile Pro linked to a mobile phone with its own app, rather than just a volt meter. These calculate the remaining capacity of the battery and how much life it still has left in a battery.

I bought my Suzuki vl800 in 2003 and the battery was 16 years old when I changed it even though it would still start the bike..

If I see a battery with the code YTZ10S but doesn’t say yuasa on it, but instead says kimpex,is it still manufactured by a yuasa owned company (these ones are much cheaper)? I thought the YT meant yuasa?

Good stuff!

The sealed lead acid battery on my wife's Cbf600 is the original one, 12 years old! I think the bike has no parasitic load, it barely needs to be charged over the winter

I had one that was 11 years old… the shop couldn’t believe the date on the battery.

I have one for 7 years it stills going strong.

I ran a BMW R1150 for 19 years and replaced the battery once.. The bike was always connected to an ‘Optimate’ float charger when not I use.

I have a WestCo AMG 30Ah battery that just died after 9 years. I kept it on a smart charger during the winter months.

Could you please do a video on changing the drum brake and changing the sparkplugs on the m50

My 2011 BMW battery is still working fine thanks to being kept on a trickle charger when not in use.

6+ years with a $58 delivered Scorpion battery. My ancient Deltran Battery Tender developed a broken wire (fixed now) in the cable or it would have kept going. Yuasa used to be a better battery when made in Reading PA, not anymore. Now all batteries are made in Vietnam, Thailand, etc. Largely the same quality if talking AGM type. Keep it on a Tender JR. when not in use. Even during the summer I might ride tomorrow or 5 days from now. You never know. Keeps the battery always ready.

Old style lead acid is still as reliable providing you charge it for 12 hours once per month, i have 3 lead acid batteries over 5 years old and still going strong. Gel mat batteries need the same maintenance but I've replaced lots & lots of those Yellow ones that just seem very poor..

i recently bought a 09 yw125 and it still has the oem yuasa

what about current draw? does adding things like aux lights, trackers, chargers affect battery longevity?