New LiFePo4 battery for my VF500F

Well, just when I thought I was done fixing things for a bit, my battery crapped out. I don't seem to have good luck with Lead Acid batteries in vehicles that don't get driving at least every couple of days, even keeping them on battery tenders.

I decided to try a SSTX12Q-FP Scorpion Stinger LiFePo4, mostly due to the 2 year replacement warranty then pro-rated the 3rd year. If it lasts thought the warranty period, it will still be cost effective over replacing with the standard FLA.

 

I recently purchased a used 85 vf500f and it was equipped with a battery tender brand lithium battery. Not at home ATM so I don't know the model number but the battery is tiny. Shocked at how small it is. Don't know much about proper care but I am planning on picking up a battery tender for this type of chemistry, my next two bikes I will wind up installing this type of battery. I know the advantages in the RC and tool world and I figure there has to be similar pros on my bike. One thing I do know about lithium though, under any circumstances do not overly discharge it, you will kill it.

 

Post your experiences - I'm tired of paying for Pb batts. Is it just me, or have they gotten to be really expensive recently? Lithium seems a better choice even if it is a little bit more expensive. Prices on Li-ion seem to be falling.

 

The present state of our country is partly why lead batteries are expensive. I work in the electric motor field and for the last ten-ish years copper has been insane. I imagine lithium is coming down in price because it is more or less common now days.

 

I know this is off-topic, but I've noted all industrial metals have gotten to be pricey. Unfortunately that's not reflected at my local scrapyard. I was figuring it had something to do with currency manipulation.

I love the web - ten minutes of research will answer mostly any question. Lithium is cheaper to refine than lead. I'm told it's a refined salt produced from underground brine pools or geothermal "produced water" from a few inhospitable places like the Atacama. Battery grade lithium carbonate is currently selling for about $5K/metric ton...approx. $3/pound. I'm not sure how much pure lithium is in a pound of lithium carbonate...but even a 10% yield would work out to $30/pound. Given that a Ballistic 8-cell weighs less than two pounds complete, the raw lithium ends up costing less than half of the retail price. You also need a lot less of it per battery, and it's probably cheaper to work. I'd bet it's just a rolled sheet metal in both spiral-wound or pocket cells. Casting & cooking lead into sponge plates isn't a very economical process in comparison, let alone how toxic Pb industrial processes are.

Despite how much we now know about the dangers of lead...to be totally honest...I really miss the sweet smell of leaded gasoline 'way back in the groovy 70s. We used to roll down the windows just to catch a whiff of it. And don't even get me started on those poisonous old oil-based lead & aluminum paints...they flowed & covered like nothing else. They were also far superior in terms of weather resistance. You just didn't want to use them in tight spaces.

 

The battery arrived on Thursday, 3 business days after order. Price was $117 with shipping included. The battery is a little thinner and shorter than the OEM and much lighter. There are stick on foam pads included to allow it to fit snugly with terminal posts in the same spot as the original so all cabling fit well. This particular battery has 4 posts so it will fit multiple bikes. Insulating caps came on both the positive terminals, which I moved the cover the terminals on the rear of battery when I installed it. The integrated tester is on the top, but towards the rear when mounted in the VF500F.

The battery arrived with a voltage of 13.15 volts and instructions indicating it should be charged if less than 12.8 volts. My bike cranked over much stronger than I ever remember and fired up immediately even with the choke off. Initial impression is very good, time will tell if it holds up.

Chocula

 

Sweet! Glad to hear it's good, thanks for posting an update.

I've heard that conventional battery chargers will still work, but do they have any instructions/warnings about high-amp boosters or float chargers? I've also heard that these batteries don't work well when they're really cold. In that case, just turn the key on and wait a bit to start it. The current used by the headlight will internally heat the battery and it will push more amps. A little counter-intuitive but it makes sense.

 

I took the bike for about a 2 hour ride today, after letting it sit for a couple of hours, the resting voltage was 13.85 volts. Lots of "umph" when I restarted the bike after a brief stop during my ride.

Chocula

 

The LiFePo4 battery has been in my bike for a few months now and has performed beyond my expectations. I no longer need to keep the bike on a battery tender and even after a few weeks, the bike cranks super strong and starts almost instantly.

Chocula

 

Sweet! Thanks for the updates. I'll be considering one myself when my current battery bites the dust.

 

My shoie battery is doing ok after a whole winter, these battery charge better and are much lighter, I also think they are better on the charging system because they just seem to charge faster-repeat. But the weight saving is huge-go for the biggest one you can find-it will still be small. the power out put is more than the stock battery by like 20% .