Battery Suggestions

[JamesC]

A little over 3 years ago I bought the GMan Odyssey Battery modified for the 1400 Intruder. The first two years it worked great, kicked my baby over no matter how cold it was (I ride all winter here in New Jersey). This winter, I had to start using a trickle charger, but no big deal. But yesterday it just died on me. I tested all possible loose connections for terminals, ground, starter relay motor, starter, etc. My friend who is a motorcycle mechanic for Indian came over and checked out my system. He said everything was fine but the battery was shot, after he load tested it. What I would like to know is if there is another good battery for the 1400 Intruder that is not as expensive as the GMan Odyssey. I thought I heard you guys mention a "Motobat" on here several times. So, any suggestions on a good battery for my baby? If you can, provide a link, also. Thanks guys.

[WintrSol]

I put a MotoBatt in my VS800, and it was still going strong when I sold it more than 3 years later.

When you say 'trickle charger', do you actually mean a battery tender, and not a standard automotive trickle charger? Trickle chargers cook motorcycle batteries, as they don't shut down when full charge is reached, and often provide more charge current than the battery can handle.

[JamesC]

Yeah, it says "Battery Tender" right on the thing. It's a Deltran that I bought from AutoZone, 12V 1.25A As for the Mottobat, I found an AGM type on Amazon and eBay for $105,00. One review said it is difficult to hook up, that you have to really bend your cables, and it does look like it would be. Do you have a link for the model you bought? Thanks.

[WintrSol]

I got mine on eBay, from a sales point operated by motobatteries.com, and the search was 'motobatt YTX16BS1'. Pretty sure the actual part number is MBTX16U, but that was nearly 11 years ago. The site motobatteries.com is no longer active, apparently.

I also just found out I actually bought it in August, 2009, and it was still working when I sold the bike in May, 2015, so 6 years and still pumping. I did put the tender on it from time to time during the winter, just to make sure it stayed up. Never took longer than about 20 seconds to go green.

EDIT: they changed from .com to .us; details on the battery are here: https://www.motobatt.us/MBTX16U-Motobatt-12V-Battery

[PrinceMo]

What is the warranty on the battery?

[PrinceMo]

The battery has a 2 year warranty.
However you putting a trickle charger on it may have fucked it up.

From the G,man website
Designed to handle high amperage charge inputs, but don't play well with low powered 'battery tender' type chargers. Chargers for Odyssey batteries should be 6amp minimum input, designed for This Plate Technology, Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries and approved by Odyssey per their website.

You need at least a 6 amp charger.
Try to charge it at 10 amps.
Perhaps you can revive it.

[navigator]

The Motobatt comes with the proper hardware for your cables....hookup is a breeze.

[WintrSol]

The battery has a 2 year warranty.
However you putting a trickle charger on it may have fucked it up.

From the G,man website
Designed to handle high amperage charge inputs, but don't play well with low powered 'battery tender' type chargers. Chargers for Odyssey batteries should be 6amp minimum input, designed for This Plate Technology, Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries and approved by Odyssey per their website.

You need at least a 6 amp charger.
Try to charge it at 10 amps.
Perhaps you can revive it.

Note that applies to charging the battery; if it is near full charge, a maintainer just keeps it at the top, as you don't need full charge current. Their smart charger can dump more current in, if it determines the battery needs charging, but the current tapers off as it approaches full. If enough short trips were taken, leaving the battery in a lower state of charge, this certainly applies, and you need an actual AGM charger.

[PrinceMo]

Maybe you are right.
However my g man batteries lasted at least 5 or 6 years..

I suggest you contact Gary at G man to be sure.

[JamesC]

Thanks for the help, guys.