[tinWren]

Hi Everyone, I'm new here on this forum, hoping to get helped, and to contribute.
First, my "specs": 2018 CB1000R, bought new in early 2019 from a dealer store, with only 2000 miles on it so far. Maintenance done as required. Never fallen down, never over-spinned. Quick-shift added, but not used that much. Except for that, all parts are stock ones, including the battery.
The story starts here: I left my key in "on" position when came to work recently, and that was 8:30 in the morning. I discovered that at lunch time, 12:00. The battery was drained completely, meaning to the ground. Honestly, I was a bit surprised, as I expected the LED headlight to be less consuming. But anyways - there was no sign of any lights on the monitor at all. To make long story short, I finally got it running with the help of my colleagues, and due to some landscape features down there. My work is about 4 miles from home, which is not enough for a good charge, so I took it for a spin on a freeway, 10 miles there and back at about 80 mph. Next day, the bike did start, but not exactly that easily, as it used to.. And this continued through days, into being a new normal, so I started worrying. I went on Amazon and got myself a battery charger, the NOCO Genius5. It was said to be fully automatic and supposed to take care of the battery. I used it, it was blinking green for an hour or so, then went solid green. Next day - same picture: starting, but after some extra turnovers.. So I went googling, and found some useful threads here, on this forum. Mostly, people were blaming the battery. And that seemed pretty natural to me either, as my battery has been drained, though I didn't think one-time draining would affect it that badly - after all, the battery was still pretty fresh, and I got it cured all right! So I did the simplest thing I could: I got my bike's battery hooked to my car's one, And - guess what? The bike started like a charm! I tried many times - all good. Then I disconnected it from the car - and it went back to struggling..
Obvious conclusion from all above: when getting fully drained, a battery gets hurt A LOT. I have to accept it, and act accordingly (never putting gloves above a key).
Now, I finally come to my question: what kind of battery should I buy? I'm not exactly a perfectionist in everything, but here I would like to be one. What battery would be the best? And even more difficult question: can one put a Lithium battery in place of a regular one? Is it okay with charging? Is the battery controller (if any) inside the bike suitable for a Lithium one?
Thanks.

 

[Lightring]

Another Yuasa as a first choice.

Since no one had a Yuasa in stock near me, I bought a comparable battery at Batteries Plus for my Africa Twin a month ago.

AT battery:

 

[DELuth]

Yep, totally draining a battery like that causes irreversible sulfation of the lead. Keeping them charged is more important than what brand you use. I suspect your battery was already partially sulfated from sitting around at the dealer for a year. They don't usually do a very good job of charging them on a regular basis and only worry about it once the bike no longer starts.

The led light isn't the only power hog. The ecm, meter, and throttle are sucking a decent amount of juice, too.

Yuasa are great, but expensive. I have been using batteries from Batteries+Bulbs for years in my bikes with great results. 4-5 year life. I do keep mine on a maintenance charger when not in use.

Lithiums are great if it isn't extremely cold out. They struggle in deep cold as the chemical reaction slows to a crawl. They are also expensive, but are coming down.

The charge controllers are built into the top of the lithium battery, not the bike.

 

[COLVERT]

It was your battery causing your problems, definitely. You don't have to buy the dearest battery out there either. A lot of the time you are just paying for name on the label.---You should be able to pick up a good battery for no more than £50,00--( I'm in England hence the £££££ sign. )

 

[Bevo]

If you go Lithium like Shorai, some can struggle in cold weather starts, plus if you use a charger it has to be specific for Lithium batteries.

From Shoraipower:

If your headlight comes on at key-ON, it is good for the batteries to flow some current before cranking in cold weather. The suggested headlight-on time before cranking depends on the temperature. If starting at 40F/5C, 30 seconds will help wake the battery and increase cranking performance. If at 0F/-17C, leave the lights on for 4~5 minutes before cranking. The result will be a better first crank, and longer battery life. If the engine fails to start on first crank, that first crank has warmed the battery, and the second attempt will be much stronger. Other accessories that can be turned on before cranking can also be used for this purpose, such as heated gear, radio, etc... Insuring that the battery is fully charged after storage also improves first-start performance in cold weather.

Frequently Asked Questions

shoraipower.com

 

[DELuth]

No need for a maintenance charger with lithium. Simply unhook the negative terminal for the winter and the battery will not lose charge for months. That's one of the big advantages of lithium.

Also, they can be charged with a standard charger so long as it does not have a de-sulfate mode or exceed the max voltage for the battery. A proper lithium charger will give you the longest life, but a standard charger can be used in a pinch. Your bike's charging system charges it just fine.

 

[Bevo]

Simply unhook the negative terminal for the winter and the battery will not lose charge for months.

So Shorai even recommends long term storage of their batteries in a refrigerator which is exactly where I have one. Though it holds a charge over extended time the battery does not stay fully charged, as my OptiMate can attest.

Your bike's charging system charges it just fine.

Only while running and it definitely doesn't test and optimize the battery like an OptiMate which is what Honda recommends for their OEM lithium-ion battery which is standard on the SC77 SP models.

 

[DELuth]

I can't tell if you are arguing or agreeing. We are saying the same thing here, Bevo.

A proper lithium charger will give you the longest life, but a standard charger can be used in a pinch.

 

[tinWren]

Thanks for your guidance guys! I decided to go with lithium at last. Winter here in SoCa is like someone's else summer, so I keep riding, less often though. I hope lithium is gonna perform well. Ordered, comes in a week. I'll see how it goes, and will update here.