GEL BATTERY

[Moinks]

Where is the best place to purchase a new Gel battery for my R

The dealer wants $257 + Tax here in Victoria, BC Canada. That seems like alot of money for a battery.

Can anyone recommend any other plact to buy a new battery for less then about $300 Cdn. Or should I just suck it up and buy it from the dealer because that is what it costs everywhere for a new gel battery....

[drummer]

It's not a gell, but I really like the Westco batteries. They are advertized in BMW MOA mag and are glass packed (I believe is the term). They are completely acceptable substitue for the gel and mine was right around $97 with shipping.

[challey]

The price from your dealer seems a bit high but the tank does have to be removed to install a new battery, so you are being charged for a healthy slug of labor. It appears that the dealers stock only the gel type - I'd guess it has a BMW part number.

If it were me, I get an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) type as Drummer suggests instead of the gel. The can be shipped fully charged since there is no fluid to leak. My understanding is that performance and service life for the AGM and gel are similar (3-7 yrs) which is a substantial improvement over conventional lead-acid.

Here are some sources for AGM:
Westco 12V20 (supposedly avail at BMW dealers)
Panasonic (I think also makes for Westco) LCX1220P online.
Hawker/Odyssey PC680 online.
Power Source WP20 12i

[geothepencil]

LCX1220P

http://www.gotbatteries.com/items.asp?p ... 5/34L105S6

I put one of these in my Roadster last year. So far, So Good. Cheap ! Very slight cable mod needed on one wire. Can be restored to stock easily.


geo

[B52G]

Bought a genuine honest to pete ,right from the dealer, BMW gel this spring for my R1150R. $95.00. I installed it in 15 min. New to me bike , so there was some fumbling. Didn't remove tank. Disconnected hoses and elect. connector and proped rear of tank up with a peice of wood , a
little tight but it worked

[hotzuk]

Hey B,

I went with the Odyssey PC-680 about a year and a half ago via Ebay. I was able to snag a brand spanking new one for about $72 delivered to my door. I am pretty sure that the prices are a little higher now.

I have had no problems at all with the battery and I use the conventional battery tender with no issues at all. I don't want to start another "which tender to use" thread.

Two reasons for using the PC-680

1) Millitary spec battery that can sit on the shelf for 3 -5 years ? and not lose charge
2) Being that our batteries require a little effort to get to for service, I wanted a battery that I could "set it and forget it"

[toner87]

Went to crank up the Rockster this morning. Nothing. 3 years and 15000 miles and it's time for a new battery, I guess... Before I order it, what are the other things I should check for? Kill switch has been checked. My battery tender doesn't even show the barest glimmer of light... If I go for the Odyssey do I have to get the terminal adapters?
T.

[beemerphile]

The gel battery is pretty lame technology. It can't take much abuse. The Odyssey battery can take anything you throw at it from deep discharge to total neglect. Since I put Odysseys on my R, I have never had to hook up a charger. I did have a Panasonic (same as WestCo) battery fail in a crazy way on my Airhead. It was spiking the voltage over 18 volts, which would probably be fatal to the electronics of a more modern bike. Never seen a battery fail that way before. Gels just go harmlessly dead if you look at them wrong. Every Odyssey battery I have ever bought (including the one on the old Airhead) is still in service.

[mcollect]

Toner, I used pieces of copper pipe flattened and bent 90 degrees and drilled. Simple and effective.

[toner87]

Thanks, mcollect and beemerphile! I like the moniker "military grade". If indeed the battery's dead, I'm going with an Oddysey. It's been on the charger 24 hours, so we'll see what's up this morning.
I have looked hither and yon for instructions on removing the tank, but have found nothing... Anyone have that link?
T.

[beemerphile]

Thanks, mcollect and beemerphile! I have looked hither and yon for instructions on removing the tank, but have found nothing... Anyone have that link?
T.

It's just nuts and bolts. Nothing scary. One thing to be SURE of is to make sure that both fuel quick-disconnects are clicked fully home before you try to start it. If not, the fuel pump pumps against a closed valve and it either blows the fuel hose off (inside the tank) or ruptures the fuel filter. Please don't ask me how I know because it is much too embarrassing to recall! - Lee

[toner87]

FYI:
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680.htm

$95.95 for the battery and the terminal adapters + tax and shipping.

It's on its way.

T.

[Parkblu]

I know I'm late to the party, but since my battery is on the way out too I did some legwork:

Excellent battery 411: http://home.mindspring.com/~jabrooks/
Possible replacements: http://www.ibmwr.org/otech/partsubs.html

Best prices I found today, 11 Oct 06, in US-$ (all except noted include free ground shipping):

$70 Yakia 51913 sealed AGM battery, 230 cca (cold cranking amps), 12 mos warr, @ http://motorcyclebatteriesusa.com/batte ... attery=956
$70 Panasonic LCX-1220P, 20 AH, 18 mos warr, @ http://www.batteryweb.com
$48 + shipping Panasonic LCX-1220P (sealed lead-acid), 20 AH, 18 mos warr, @ http://www.digikey.com/
$92 WestCo 12V20P Sealed AGM 275 cca - 20 AH, 12 mos warr, @ http://www.ebatteriestogo.com/
$71 UPG UB22-12N Sealed AGM 420 cca - 22 AH, 12 mos warr, @ http://www.ebatteriestogo.com/
$68 Power Source WP20-12I Sealed AGM, 325 CCA - 20 AH, 12 mos warr, @ http://www.ebatteriestogo.com/
$ ? Yuasa 51913 19 AH, no other data on Yuasa site
$84 (plus s/h, e.g. to Fort Lauderdale FL $10) Odyssey PC680, 220 cca - 16 ah, 24 mos warr, @ http://www.batterystation.com/gelcell.htm
$76 (incl. or plus s/h? asked by email today) Odyssey PC680 @ http://www.batterygiant.com/Battery-Finder/?k=PC680
$78 (pickup or plus s/h, e.g. from Leesburg FL to Fort Lauderdale FL $19) Odyssey PC680 @ http://www.batteryweb.com/odyssey-detai ... odel=PC680

for comparison:
$106 Exide BMW-OEM 19 AH

I personally haven't quite made up my mind yet which battery it'll be. The Odyssey has less AHs but the longest warranty, which in Florida's battery-killing temps sure is an issue. Batteryweb also has a warehouse in N Miami, where I can pick it up and save the s/h, but that's obviously an exception.

PS on 9 Nov 06: bought a Panasonic for $51 incl. s/h at celltimebattery.com (which actually is a FedCoBattery site).

[rdsmith3]

FWIW, I have been using the Panasonic battery since July, with no problems. In the last three months here in NJ, we have seen temps in the 90's F and in the low 40's.

I bought mine through Amazon.com. I believe it was $50 plus $10 S/H. It is a sealed battery, which is what we need for a batter that is in a difficult location for maintenance.

[toner87]

I installed my new Odyssey battery this evening in about an hour. It was a piece of cake, though I am glad I had the Clymer manual that I recently bought off of Matt Peyton, a former Rsite member who now rides a V-Strom.
I did take the fuel tank off completely and had no extra screws lying around when I was done. West Coast battery included the copper adapters with the PC680, but I still had to drill the holes larger to accommodate the bolts that they sent.
The worst thing that happened was when I took off the right side trim panel and one of the metal clips fell into the plastic seat frame. Luckily I have one of those telescoping magnets, which made retrieving the lost clip another piece of cake... I'd never used it before, but I sure am glad it's one of the things I bought with a Home Depot gift certificate a few Christmases ago...
I know replacing a battery is not a huge job, but I have an immense sense of satisfaction knowing I did it myself. Now that the bikes out of warranty I will start doing all maintenance myself.

Thanks for all the tips and help.

T.