Lithium Iron battery in the MZ1000s

[Puffs]

Two examples of fine conventional lead-acid technology, one wet & one AGM; they typically weigh 11lbs = 5kg, for a battery with 240A CCA. By comparison, a typical equivalent Lithium battery will do slightly better in CCA, and weigh around 2-4lbs = 1-2kg.

A third option is surfacing: using a pack of Supercaps. For a description see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercapacitor, but the biggest difference with other technology appears to be: even lighter (typically 0.5kg for an equivalent CCA), and longer expected service life. On the down side, they discharge quicker; typically loosing 1% - 1.5% of their stored energy per day. Nevertheless, if you use it sufficiently often, that should not be a problem, as they re-charge very quickly. But if you wait too long, a quick re-charge may be required. Another possible issue is that on some charging systems the voltage might become too high.

Does anyone have any views, or experience to share on using Supercaps as a starting battery in a motorbike?

(Note that in bikes without starter motor, it is an accepted approach to replace the battery by a capacitor (typically 25mF) to stabilise the voltage. Obviously not when they need a battery for the ignition.)

Btw, this Supercap technology has been tried in a car, for instance see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3x_kYq3mHM.
For more on the technological background & future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeSvErqdmIM.

[Thorsten-aus-SO]

I`m using a 20 Ah Yuasa AGM.

It is a little tricke to install the bigger battery, but it works and bring more power.

[Puffs]

I decided not to pursue the supercap route in favour of the more conventional lithium option, and bought a CCA = 280A lithium battery. It replaces a Yuasa AGM that I used for 9 years. With some tlc that Yuasa would have done more, but I was tempted by the weight difference: 3.9kg vs 0.9kg. While the AGM has a much larger long-term power capacity (10Ah vs just 4Ah for the lithium one), the small lithium one is superior in delivery of instant current = CCA = starting power, which is more important for me (as I never need to start for a long time). The other thing that made me decide was a price cut; the lithium was just €10 more expensive than the equivalent AGM.

PLFP-14BR.jpg (28.45 KiB) Viewed 58 times

Let's see how it performs, and how long it lasts; with just 4 years I will be disappointed.

[Puffs]

Just an update: the battery shown still works fine in my Ducati, after now more than 5 years.