baldy110 wrote: I will have to disagree with 650ed on that. I have used lead acid batteries for 35 years on all my bikes. I have never gotten more than two years out of one. And I did everything right to preserve them during down time. Took them off hook them up to a battery tender, checked fluid levels during the winter and I still only got 2 years max out of any of them. I too HATE lead acid batteries. When the AGM batteries came out I started using them. They are fantastic, I install and ignore them. I bought one for my KZ650 about 5 years ago and I have not looked at since. It fires up every time I need it to and does not drain during downtime, It's still in my bike. My favorite battery is the Lithium Ion ones. I bought a Ballistic one for my ELR clone and those last a very long time, expensive but worth it if you are looking for light weight, high amps and long lasting.
If weight is nota n issue then got with an AGM replacement like MottoBat.
That's interesting! I've owned my bike for 38 years and have always used lead acid batteries and I have never gotten less than 4 years use out of a battery; usually more like 6 years. When I get a new battery I charge it with a very low amperage (1 amp) trickle charger to bring it up to the correct initial voltage. After that I never use a battery tender or anything else on them. In the Winter I run my bike for about 15-20 minutes once every 7-10 days to keep the battery charged and oil on the cylinder walls. I have sometimes been negligent (shame on me) and let the fluid level get pretty low, and that may account for one battery lasting only 4 years.
My KZ650-C1 came stock with an ON/OFF switch for the headlight. When I park the bike I shut off the light, so when I start the bike the light is already off. Bountyhunter's experience makes me wonder if other folks who have experienced premature battery failure have the ON all the time headlight. Other causes of short battery life can be attributed to faulty voltage regulators, letting the fluid run very low, or using chargers that charge at more than 2 amps or jumping from a running vehicle. I suppose if an off-brand battery is used it may not have a long life.
None of the above means I have a negative attitude against batteries that use newer and possibly better technology, because I don't. It simply describes my experience and my understanding of what can shorten a battery's life. I have always used what has worked satisfactorily for me, but I may switch to different technology at some point. Ed