BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Any recommendations for sources on Westco and Odyssey batteries ?

Got mine on Ebay. I think they are about $90 delivered.

How long should a 2004 gel battery last? Is it common for the battery to go flat after 2 weeks not riding? Does very cold weather have any affect on batteries losing juice?

The BMW lead-acid battery in my 2003 lasted until about a month ago. I confess I've never checked the water level in it, but it has always been plugged into a Battery Tender Plus. My bike was actually asembled in 2002, so I assume the battery was at least that old. My bike has about 20k on it now, with 13k of that accumulating in the first year when it was driven daily on a 90 mile commute. Hope this helps.

acejones wrote:Any recommendations for sources on Westco and Odyssey batteries ?

A Panasonic from Amazon was about $50 delivered. I have heard that the Westco is really a Panasonic that costs more, but not sure.

I just ordered the Odyssey PC680 from Portable Power Systems (http://www.portablepower.com) for $76.95 plus about $10 for shipping. I ordered it on Monday and it arrived today. They also had those copper connectors that some people are making out of copper pipe for $5 -- so I bought those.

Hopefully, I'll get it installed tonight or tomorrow and be back on the road!

Put any new battery on a slow charger for several hours or even better, overnite before you use it to start the bike and it will have a long, full power service life. The first charge, before use, is the most important one.

Vineyard wrote:I just ordered the Odyssey PC680 from Portable Power Systems (http://www.portablepower.com) for $76.95 plus about $10 for shipping. I ordered it on Monday and it arrived today.

+1 on Portable Power Systems. I replaced my old PC680 a few weeks ago with a new one from PPS. It arrived quickly, 100% charged and ready to go. I would most definitely order from them again.

tmacty wrote:How long should a 2004 gel battery last? Is it common for the battery to go flat after 2 weeks not riding? Does very cold weather have any affect on batteries losing juice?

My '04 battery has begun to hate cold weather. Had to jump start it yesterday AM (25F). I don't use a tender, but I ride everyday, including a round trip to/from NY the day before. Might be time for a new one?

Deano wrote:
My '04 battery has begun to hate cold weather. Had to jump start it yesterday AM (25F). I don't use a tender, but I ride everyday, including a round trip to/from NY the day before. Might be time for a new one?

Yes it's showing the first sign that it's on the way out. Replace it ASAP. Sure beats being stranded.

The original battery in my 2002 R1150R lasted 3.5 years. I got a generic "gel" battery made in China for $40 and it only lasted 1.5 years. I guess you get what you pay for.

What do you guys recommend as the best battery? I rather pay a lot more initially and have it last a few years.

A Panasonic will be about $50.00.Send for their huge catalog-they make batteries for every application.

Here's a TON of expert info on all the questions you could possibly ask about batteries. Scroll down one screen to the CONTENTS section in this link and click away!:
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq.htm