Which battery is the best?

[MattKas]

Which battery is the best?

WestCo Sealed AGM
PC680 ODYSSEY Drycell Battery
BMW Gel Battery

I need to buy a battery very soon...

Thanks in advance

[messenger13]

I would shop price. Unless, you want to throw your local dealer a bone and buy from them. That's what I did.

[astuber]

I purchased the Panasonic AGM battery from Digikey.

[jackd]

I bought an ODYSSEY this season. I usually get a lot of years out of a battery because I always put the battery on a tender and checked the liquid at least every two months.

This ODYSSEY battery impressed me. It came fully charged... checked it with a voltmeter and it was way above the recommended standby recharge voltage and it had a manufacture date of 6 months prior to the install date. :thumb:

I was able to use my old battery tender so that was a plus. I needed to get the copper post kit for the LT and that was like adding a extra power strip. I have yet to attach the tender and I have let it sit for at least three weeks without starting while I was out of town. Turned over better than my original wet cell coming off the charger.

[RiderRay]

I bought my battery from www.ebatteriestogo.com. Great price (around $75 and free shipping). Has been really good.

[JPSpen]

Some think the Odyssey is the best battery, But who really knows..

I just got (last year) a generic AGM from the local warehouse for 40 bucks and plan to replace it every two or three years.. I won't wait for it to get crappy before I replace it. I'll just move it to the riding mower and it'll probably last until the next one comes along. Then I'll just recycle the oldest one.

Good luck with your decision. Whatever you choose I'm sure will be OK!


John

[dshealey]

I bought an ODYSSEY this season. ----------------------------------------I needed to get the copper post kit for the LT -------------------------------------

You do not need any kind of adapter if you just bend the negative cable end straight as most of us have done when using the Odyssey.

My vote for best is Osyssey AGM. I would stay away from any Gel battery, they are not nearly as good as AGM in my opinion. They don't hold charge over long periods as the AGM does, and require a different Battery Tender if one likes to use them. I never put a charger on the AGM batteries I used.

I took an Odyssey out of my LT once that I just decided to replace with a new one, and it sat on my garage floor for over a year. I got a riding tractor from my neighbor when he moved, and shortly afterward the battery died. I measured the voltage on the old Odyssey and it was still good! Put it in the tractor and was amazed that it spun the engine over like it was new! When I moved a couple years later, that tractor still started great, and it sat for weeks at a time, never charged the old Odyssey.

[ATFLT]

I got an Odyssey battery from a battery shop about a mile from my house. It only cost me about $75.00 then but it has been about 3 years now, so the prices may be more now.

[ibbones]

I bought a PC680 two months ago to replace the one that was in there. It is the only battery I have used so I cannot compare it to the others but I do like it.

[Newf]

I tend to agree that Gel cell batteries are not as good when it comes to temperature extremes as lead acid ones.

[munson]

I bought a PC680 two months ago to replace the one that was in there. It is the only battery I have used so I cannot compare it to the others but I do like it.
And I'm using your old PC680! It sat in the parking lot at TTA without a battery tender from Monday morning to Saturday morning when it started the motor easily. Why did you replace it anyway?

[MattKas]

You do not need any kind of adapter if you just bend the negative cable end straight as most of us have done when using the Odyssey.

My vote for best is Osyssey AGM. I would stay away from any Gel battery, they are not nearly as good as AGM in my opinion. They don't hold charge over long periods as the AGM does, and require a different Battery Tender if one likes to use them. I never put a charger on the AGM batteries I used.

I took an Odyssey out of my LT once that I just decided to replace with a new one, and it sat on my garage floor for over a year. I got a riding tractor from my neighbor when he moved, and shortly afterward the battery died. I measured the voltage on the old Odyssey and it was still good! Put it in the tractor and was amazed that it spun the engine over like it was new! When I moved a couple years later, that tractor still started great, and it sat for weeks at a time, never charged the old Odyssey.
I have just purchased and installed Odyssey PC680. ($100) Worked like a charm. It came with terminal set which looks like BMW battery terminals. So, I did not have to bend any leads at all. It is almost like drop in replacement.
Thank you very much for your feedbacks.

[dshealey]

I have just purchased and installed Odyssey PC680. ($100) Worked like a charm. It came with terminal set which looks like BMW battery terminals. So, I did not have to bend any leads at all. It is almost like drop in replacement.
Thank you very much for your feedbacks.

Do you think that is something that is furnished with the PC680 now, or something supplied by the vendor you bought it from? It would be nice to know that Odyssey is supplying the adapters now, since the PC680 is used more in BMW motorcycles than anything else.

[MattKas]

Do you think that is something that is furnished with the PC680 now, or something supplied by the vendor you bought it from? It would be nice to know that Odyssey is supplying the adapters now, since the PC680 is used more in BMW motorcycles than anything else.
Seems me that is something that is furnished with the PC680 now. I purchased from Odyssey dealer in Scottsdale Arizona, not from the BMW dealer.

Sunbelt Battery Company
602 N. Hayden Rd.
Scottsdale, Arizona 85257
Toll Free 1-800-350-8068
(480) 968-8068
(480) 968-9868 Fax

[dshealey]

Seems me that is something that is furnished with the PC680 now. I purchased from Odyssey dealer in Scottsdale Arizona, not from the BMW dealer.

Sunbelt Battery Company
602 N. Hayden Rd.
Scottsdale, Arizona 85257
Toll Free 1-800-350-8068
(480) 968-8068
(480) 968-9868 Fax

That is good news for BMW owners! If it is supplied by Odyssey, it will probably be some time before all the previous stock is cleared from all suppliers, and the adapters will be considered "standard" from any source.

[deputy5211]

And I'm using your old PC680! It sat in the parking lot at TTA without a battery tender from Monday morning to Saturday morning when it started the motor easily. Why did you replace it anyway?

Uh-Oh, almost afraid to ask . . . Did the one I brought by fail you? :eek:

[ibbones]

And I'm using your old PC680! It sat in the parking lot at TTA without a battery tender from Monday morning to Saturday morning when it started the motor easily. Why did you replace it anyway?John, I hope that it will last you six more years.
I was installing (OK, not really me but a friend) an Autocom unit and after all was said and done, the bike would not start. I tried everything I could think of and posted on here my tale of woe. The replies I got were kill switch, reverse, key not on... I had everything but a green neutral light and even the gear indicator would work. Messed with ALL the fuses, lit a candle, fresh chicken on the full moon, battery tender, you name it. Finally one day I moved the barrel connectors under the rear seat and volia. Everything was good and I had already put the new battery in so I took the less than two year old battery to Grif because I knew somebody could use it.

[simoncharles]

Fresh chicken ?.

That`s where you went wrong.

Needs to be at least 5 days old to work.

[munson]

John, I hope that it will last you six more years.
I was installing (OK, not really me but a friend) an Autocom unit and after all was said and done, the bike would not start. I tried everything I could think of and posted on here my tale of woe. The replies I got were kill switch, reverse, key not on... I had everything but a green neutral light and even the gear indicator would work. Messed with ALL the fuses, lit a candle, fresh chicken on the full moon, battery tender, you name it. Finally one day I moved the barrel connectors under the rear seat and volia. Everything was good and I had already put the new battery in so I took the less than two year old battery to Grif because I knew somebody could use it.
Well, it all goes around and comes around, don't it? Thanks man!

[munson]

Fresh chicken ?.

That`s where you went wrong.

Needs to be at least 5 days old to work.

5 day old chicken? That's really foul! :p

[ibbones]

Fresh chicken ?.

That`s where you went wrong.

Needs to be at least 5 days old to work.Opps, my bad. I used the special dagger to kill it so it was fresh.

[ibbones]

Well, it all goes around and comes around, don't it? Thanks man!May it last you many years.

[MarkG]

Lots of INFO (http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Major%20Battery%20Types)