Bike Master True Jel battery

87kawzl

87kawzl

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Replacing my battery with the exact brand and model that it has been running. Bike Master true jel MG14L-A2 for the ZL1000. It has been in the bike for more years than I can remember, no kidding, I think it is at least 10 years old and probably older! It still turns it over but is getting weak. I am amazed at the life of this thing. At the beginning of each season it would get topped off with an old 2amp charger, no trickle charger on constantly over the winter.

Prices are all over the place with them but can easily be found in the $85 range.

I wish I would have used it in my Yamaha project instead of the cheapo that was used because I figured it was going to be sold down the road when it was done.
 
Interesting. I've never heard of those. I'm going to have to see about getting one next time around. If anybody finds a good deal on them I hope they'll post it up.

Regarding batteries, I believe I'm on my 4th season on my Advance Auto battery which is a bit amazing to me. I used to have to buy a batt every other year like clockwork. So is this a magic battery or something? I'm thinking it's not. At least it looks like a normal battery. What is keeping this baby working IMO is not using a trickle charge any longer. Over the winter it gassed away enough electrolyte to uncover the cells inside. As some of you may know if any of your plates get exposed that part of the plate will cease to work even if you top it off later.

Actually I don't know why I ever put a trickle charger on it in the first place. Well I take that back, the reason was to prolong my battery life. I never would have dreamed it had the opposite effect. Now I simply put a trickle charger on it overnight once or twice while it's sitting. Once it's fully charged it'll maintain it pretty much just fine over the cold months. I just top it off for the hell of it and it never takes more than a few minutes before the meter goes down to near zero.

I know some people swear by battery tenders, but unless you are going to store a vehicle for a very long time you probably don't need to trickle charge it. Better yet, take it out and bring it inside. Especially if you store your machine in an unheated garage.

Just my experience, but I wasted a lot of money on batteries before I realized that the trickle charger wasn't promoting longevity, but seemingly causing a premature demise.
 
Different types of batteries take different float charges. If you're not sure what the exact float charge is, it's best to not leave it on longer than it takes to charge. A cheap 2A charger left on for a few hours is better than leaving a battery on float charge for weeks if the voltage is wrong for the battery.

Also, a float charger that doesn't measure ambient temperature might cook a battery at room temperature but in an unheated garage, it might not charge so only use a charger that compensates for temperature if you intend to leave it connected long term.
 
:hello: From my experience it's just the opposite. I have 7 chargers of different brands. All my bikes are on a charger at all times. But here in centeral FL it never gets below freezing all that much. The heat will lessen battery life before the cold will. Back in 1976 I had a Sears Die Hard battery in my 1973 Dodge Dart Sport 340 for 12 years. One time on my 2003 Yamaha YFM 350 XC Warrior sport quad My son Jared jumped it one to many times with my 200 amp booster. It fried the CDI/ECU and the generator. It cost me over $400 to replace them. :pain10:. :banghead:. I had a Bike Master battery in my 2007 Yamaha 350 Grizzle. At about 6 months it shorted. The batteries case swelled and split. I had to pry it from the quads battery box.
 
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Charging isn't necessarily what determines the longevity of short-lived batteries. How deeply, how long and how many times it's discharged will kill a battery quicker. I get about 10 years out my batteries. I know my batteries get a little on the low side but I avoid starting until they they're charged at a relatively low rate overnight.
 
I only drive my truck once every 1-2 months, always long trips and never charged the battery for 10 years. The wife drives her car every day, less than a mile each way and her battery lasted 7 years.
 
My new optima trickle charger has a conditioning cycle and shows the amps out, usually zero on my newer generic agm battery. It also cycles thru an analysis mode when it first gets hooked up.

SVS Power sports is where I bought my new one from Wally world listed a similar price.
 
:hello: All my chargers are called smart chargers. The one ($150) runs a self diagnostics test when its first pluged in. I'll post up pics of all my chargers when I get a chance. Three of my bikes are at my friends place being stored.
 
The only bike that needs charge regularly is my ZL600. All my other bikes were late models that used MF batteries which are said to be good for 3 months before needing charge compared to 1 month for the old refillable type. All the charging for my MF batteries is done by riding alone unless there's no break in the weather during the winter season. They only go on the charger if I have to wait more than 2 months between rides which is rare.
 
Guess I never fully considered how the bike is stored and the area of the country you live in effects battery life. Doesn't it make the most sense though if you don't intend to ride for a few weeks or more to just pull the battery and keep an eye on it? It is so fast and easy. Seems like a no brainer to me. I used to leave my tractor battery in all winter too in case I wanted to hook up the trailer to move firewood. Now I bring it inside and just like with the bike battery I'm experiencing an incredible life span out of what is now likely a 5 year old battery. Either I'm getting smarter or the batteries are getting better!
 
You must be getting old.....LOL So am I, but I can still pop that battery out right quick. Two screws, pull the hose and out it comes. 2 minutes. I generally use a hook pick on one terminal to get the batt high enough to get my hands around it. I also have the nuts wedged in with small sections of rubber tube so that speeds things up too. You can't check the electrolyte level with the batt installed and I have to take out regularly for that anyhow.
 
I will never use a non sealed battery again.

Maybe RJ starts the project by cracking open a yuengling, which I fully understand;)
 
:hello: You left out at least 10 steps. 1. Open the garage. 2. Turn on lights. 3. Figure out which tool box to open. 4. Get out tools. 5. Move 3 or 4 other bikes out. 6. Get a stool to sit on. 7. Remove seat. 8. Remove side cover. 9. Drop hardware 10. Pick up hardware. My way 1 step. Plug in the connector.
 
While on the subject, doesn't anyone else check their electrolyte level? Maybe it's just a 600 thing but I find it irritating that I can't see the levels with the battery installed. My last bike, a KZ650 I could see the level with the batt in place. My bike seems to be thirsty, I've yet to check the levels to not find it needing a bit of water. Was a lot worse with the trickle charger.

Not to start an argument, but doesn't it stand to reason that every time you trickle, eg: excite the battery, it's going to fume off a bit of electrolyte? A good battery, especially if kept warm should not lose very much charge in the 4-5 months that most of us Northerners let them sit annually. Since I stopped with the trickle stuff and started actually checking and recharging as required I'm losing a lot less fluid and the battery seems to be lasting at least twice as long. Coincidence? I do think trickle chargers serve a purpose, but with bikes maybe it just promotes laziness. Out of sight out of mind, eh?

I could be wrong and your mileage may vary, but seems to me all this trickling is just asking for trouble. BTW I love this gel cell idea. Where can I get one of these without it cutting too deeply into my beer budget? Loss of electrolyte without a doubt is my biggest concern and a gel cell would completely eliminate that worry.
 
SVS Power sports or Walmart both show the bike master in the $85 range
 
:hello: Did you all see that Discount Auto parts brought back the Die Hard battery. I wonder if they will be of good quality as they where when Sears sold them.
 
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