Lithium Iron battery in the MZ1000s

[AJJohnson]

The battery on the MZ reached the end of its lifespan last month. I decided to give a Battery Tender Lithium Iron battery a try. It is a BTL14A240C to be exact. After fighting the swollen gas tank and getting to the battery, it was surprising how much smaller & lighter the new battery is. Seems to crank the bike just fine though.

The LiFPO4 (lithium iron phosphate) battery is said to hold a charge longer and provide more cold cranking amps. We'll see how it works out. It ran about $105, so it wasn't too much more than a quality AGM battery. If I don't like how it performs in the MZ, it is small enough to serve duty in my 1972 BMW cafe racer. (It has a kick starter just in case.)

[MJ310]

AJ please keep us informed on your new battery, the MZ is a hard bike to start and needs a good strong battery, I just replaced mine with a high power yuasa so I am hoping for a good few years out of it but I will consider a LiFPO when it dies.

[boilermaker]

Once again it is down to the "COLD CRANKING AMPS" of any battery that you fit to your machine . All modern machines seem to work at marginal cranking amps.

[MJ310]

The only problem with LiFPO batteries is they don't like the cold.

[AJJohnson]

The only problem with LiFPO batteries is they don't like the cold.

Well, the Texas coast doesn't give me too many of those days to worry about.

I am quite pleased with how well the battery is holding up. I purchased a second one for a 2002 Moto Guzzi Lemans that I picked up as a project.

[AJJohnson]

Hadn't started the MZ up in about 2 months and the temp was right around 50f. There was a bit of a drag, but the bike fired up. I am pleased with the LiFe battery and have had good luck with the one on my LeMans too.

[AJ-Johnson]

Well, the Lithium Iron battery seems to be on it's last legs. I can't say that I treated it any different than any other battery. I have kept it on a battery tender at times. I got 4 years out of it, which I feel I would have got out of a good AGM battery. So, the next battery will be an AGM again.

[arny]

Lithium batteries can't be normally be used as a direct replacement for a lead-acid battery, they require different chargers.

They often survive long enough though, as in this case, but... under some circumstances they might get overcharged and protest in the form of an explosion... and when lithium batteries explode they are quite little napalm charges...

To sum it up, they can work in the place of lead-acids but they're not safe, more precisely, they can be quite dangerous!

To correctly use them in a vehicle originally equipped with lead-acid batteries, proper charge electronics should be fitted.

[Puffs]

Interesting thread. I've been considering to buy a lithium ion battery too, particularly because of the low weight, but actually I find a 4 years life span unacceptably short. Any lead-acid battery (be it AGM or normal wet) should easily make 6 years. And the risk of explosion is another thing to consider, particularly in cases where the battery is placed near the fuel tank.

But on charge electronics: aren't those included in the battery?

[AJ-Johnson]

LiFe batteries (lithium Iron) are different than Lithium Ion (notice the lack of the R) batteries. They are not an fire / explosion hazard.

Read below. I reality, I don't think a AGM would have held up any better considering how I use the bike. I ride less than 30 times a year.


https://www.bikebandit.com/blog/tough-q ... -lead-acid

[Puffs]

Once again, an interesting thread - it causes me to learn something. Thanks.

Please see for instance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery for more info on the different types of Lithium ion batteries: LiCoO2, LiFePO4, LiMn2O4, Li2MnO3, LiNiMnCoO2, LiNiCoAlO2, Li4Ti5O12, Li–S. These are all Lithium ion batteries, and the one with iron (Fe) is just one of these types. Each of these types come with their own set of advantages, disadvantages, risks & application areas, and I suspect/hope that a battery sold for a particular motorbike comes equipped with integrated electronics to be connected to the charge system of that motorbike. Furthermore, I would hope such a battery includes safety features to protect against a failure in that charge system, which might result is voltages above 14V. But I don't know for sure, hence the question.
Also, which specific Lithium-ion technology is used in a battery is often not specified. But I suspect all bike batteries are LiFePO4, which is one of the safer types, but again, I'm not sure.

While $105 (or $101 now) is a good price for a Lithium battery, 4 years still feels a bit short. Lead-acid should do longer than that. The standard battery, in my M1100 evo, has lasted 8 years now, and I think I'll get at least another year out of it (if not 2 or more). So the short service life of your BTL14A240C is a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, the lower weight of a Lithium-ion battery remains quite appealing.

[arny]

Yes, lithium-iron batteries may be somewhat different than other lithium-ion batteries, but nevertheless they do belong to the lithium-ion family.

However, all lithium-ion batteries require similar chargers, which are distinctly different than lead-acid battery chargers. Even if the lithium-ion battery type is not a fire or explosion hazard, that doesn't mean they can be charged by lead-acid chargers and stay healthy.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

be careful guys all the different types can be nasty
at times the old lead type can put off h and o and blow the hood off a car if over charging

dave

[m4panther]

this is the battery you want to replace the OEM with. MZ specified a 200CCA this battery is 240. May your 0345 code never come back. https://www.yuasabatteries.com/battery/gyz16h

[MJ310]

Or a Yuasa YTX14H-BS, cheaper but has the same 240CCA power, that's what I use.