I got the battery blues....

[DaveDragon]

But not for long....

I ordered a Odyessy PC680 that should fix her right up.
http://www.motorcyclebatteriesusa.com/motorcycle-batteries.asp?battery=158
Qty Item# Ship Method Unit Price Price
1 ODYSSEY PC680 battery $84.75 $84.75

Grand Total: $84.75

No Tax or Shipping and they accept CC & PayPal!

[Dick]

But not for long....

I ordered a Odyessy PC680 that should fix her right up.
http://www.motorcyclebatteriesusa.com/motorcycle-batteries.asp?battery=158
Qty Item# Ship Method Unit Price Price
1 ODYSSEY PC680 battery $84.75 $84.75

Grand Total: $84.75

No Tax or Shipping and they accept CC & PayPal!
Knowing you, I know I'm preaching to the choir, butt make sure the charge is up when you git it Dave. I have a friend who thought they came fully charged and he toasted some expensive farkles trying to git everythang on the ready. They do hold their charge a lot longer than lead-acid types, butt depends on where they've been sleeping lately.

BTW - what happened to your current (punpun) battery? OEM or? How long did it last? Heck, I'm just curious, cuz Toad's PC680 is goin' on 4 years old 'bout now.

Good luck Dave.

[mtrevelino]

I had the pc680 but just went with the Westco. I had the odyssey for close to four years, but the bike always seemed to crank slow. Just recently with the odyssey when I started the bike, it cranked extremely slow in which the abs lights kept flashing. The odyssey never let me down, and whenever I put the battery tender on it, it would be fully charged in under five minutes. I went with the Westco because of the higher CCA, which makes my bike crank faster like the original battery.

[Dick]

Hey, thanks for the note, Mike. I haven't noticed any slow-down in firing ole Toad up, butt you know, when you start talkin' 'bout these thangs, they call on old man Murphy to wake ya up!! Guess that'll be my Valentine's present to ole Toad - a new battery. Prolly underwhelmed 'bout the whole thang tho!!! :bmw:

[DaveDragon]

BTW - what happened to your current (punpun) battery? OEM or? How long did it last? Heck, I'm just curious, cuz Toad's PC680 is goin' on 4 years old 'bout now.

Good luck Dave.

I replaced the OEM battery in March of 04 with a replacement OEM.
It has been great up until last week. I made a series of short stops at various businesses, stopping and going inside for no more than 10 minuets at each location.

The last two proved a problem fro the battery.
The last stop almost had me stranded as the battery would barely turn over the engine. It took about six bumps of the starter to get her to fire up.
Last night when leaving the office the same thing happened and the LT had been parked from 7:00am until 9:00pm.

The morning starts are easy as the Tender had recovered the charge overnight.
However it seems like a surface charge that is dissipated quickly.

So I ordered the Odyssey today in hopes of putting some fire back in the Ole Girl :).

In the parking deck here at the office, the MC parking Area has a very bright Sodium lamp directly above where I park the LT.
I plugged in the Harbor Freight Solar Charger this morning when I arrived so she should fire right up. I hope!

[gulfxray]

I replaced my BMW Gel battery with a PC680 last weekend... Got it from eBay for a bit less than yours - came real quick...

I'll probably have to get me a different charger - I have the BMW gel battery charger now...

[ATFLT]

I don't know where you guys live. I got my PC680 in town. In Wichita at least 2 battery stores carry them. I traded in 7 used bike batteries and then had to pay $72. Of course I had to drive about a mile to pick it up.

[DaveDragon]

I don't know where you guys live. I got my PC680 in town. In Wichita at least 2 battery stores carry them. I traded in 7 used bike batteries and then had to pay $72. Of course I had to drive about a mile to pick it up.

I called several Battery providers in the Tampa Bay area and none indicated they had them in stock.
The local price plus tax would be more than the $85 I spent ordering it from out of state and I'll have it faster than the local stores will.

[messenger13]

Batteries . . . Hmmmn . . .

Next time I need a new one, I have half a mind to drive down to Wally World and pick out any old $40 battery with the same dimensions just to see how long they last. Of course I'll read the specs. But sometimes I wonder if we throw double the money down the drain on these silly things. Gel batteries, Odyssey, Yuasa, BMW . . . Bah! Don't they make a DieHard that fits this thang?! Hhmmmn...

[Joey]

Hummmmmmmm......

You think that is bad.....Some SOB stole my battery tender off my bike parked at home yesterday.

I had it hooked to the Rocket, and had the solar panel hooked to Dolly ( the LT ). They left the solar charger..
I missed it this morning when I went to ride the LT to work today.

Want that start your day off on the wrong foot


Joey Fletcher
Durham NC

[DaddyDukes]

Joe, I Walmart supposedly carries one for the K12, but none of them in my area had them in stock.

But I have a question guys. I just replaced my battery, stayed with a lead acid for about $79. I keep the bike on a tender when not riding, but I've got concerns. It cranks fine, but as I'm backing out of my driveway (bike in neutral) the neutral light dims when I hit the brakes.

It was fully charged when I picked it up. Did I buy an underpowered battery? Will it hurt anything?

Sure do appreciate the input.

Keith

[Bayliner2052]

I've had a lead/acid from WallyWorld in my LT for a year, works fine. A little weak when real cold, under 34 deg or so.

I've never noticed the neutral light while backing up... I'm looking in the mirrors.;)

[messenger13]

It cranks fine, but as I'm backing out of my driveway (bike in neutral) the neutral light dims when I hit the brakes.

It was fully charged when I picked it up. Did I buy an underpowered battery? Will it hurt anything?When the bike is running...most of your juice is coming from the alternator, given that the RPMs are high enough. I don't think you're hurting anything so long as the battery is kept charged while the bike is not running. And, as long as it can crank the LT. What I would suggest though is that you might want to rev the bike a little (up to 2K) instead of letting it idle for long periods, like when you're backing up. Two things to consider; 1 - What accessories are you running that you could turn OFF while backing up? ...and 2 - The Reverser uses the starter motor which is obviously electric. This could cause some lights to dim slightly, I suppose. I've never noticed it though.

[grifscoots]

I dunno, Joe, them sealed batteries are worth every penny. I ditched the original BMW battery toot sweet, what a pain adding water.

Hey Dave, you leave your 376 hooked up? You know them thangs will continue charging. Why, I bet it's milliamps!!!!!

Joey, run some current to the outside of that charger, too.

After three years of the PC80, I bought a new one and put the old one in the Kawasaki Mule. Two years later it's still running strong in the mule, so much for paranoia. I do hook it up to a solar charger, though as the mule doesn't get fired off that much, usually means work of some kind.

[DaddyDukes]

I don't use reverse coming out of my driveway, it's got a slight decline. I just don't remember every seeing any of the dash lights dim when I hit the brakes with the old battery.

Oh well, as long as the bike starts and keeps running, I suppose the battery is fine.

Joey, we met in Danville at the bike races. You let me climb on your bike to check out the j-pegs. Well, guess what the wife got me for Christmas. Thanks for the test-sit. Maybe I'll see you there again this Fall. Sorry to hear about the tender.

Keith

[retiredjj]

The original Exide in my '99 lasted until last September. Not a bunch of miles on the LT, 27,000, but it was almost always on a Sure Charge.

[hognot]

Got a good deal on mine on ebay. I have noticed during cold weather that it cranks a little slow. Also the charging proceedure is a little different. If memory serves me correctly, you charge it at a steady 20 amps for 1 hr. or 10 amps for 2hrs. I'm not sure if trickle charging is recomended.

Doc