As most of you probably know, HD is actively promoting their version of a 7AH / 600 amp cranking-current Lithium battery as a very low weight and very fast engine starting battery that weighs about 10 lb less than the HD OEM AGM battery with its 280 cold cranking amp rating.

But, there is a Vietnamese-made 7AH / 600 cranking-current Lithium battery manufactured by Noco that has the same cranking current, but weighs even less, has a sophisticated BMS (battery management system) that protects the battery and extends its life, matches the OEM battery size EXACTLY, has a FIVE year warranty, and costs a lot less on top of all that.

I just bought one via Amazon Canada for $273 Canadian, but Amazon US has it also for $180 US.

I could not believe the super high quality packaging it comes in, as well as all the high quality "extras". Amazon shipped it with the following:
- One large extenal cardboard box
- One internal cardboard box
- One bright yellow, shrink wrapped box inside the internal cardboard box
- Gold color plated terminals
- Each terminal has THREE pre-drilled and tapped threaded holes to choose for you to use: 1 on top of each terminal and 2 on 2 differetn sides of the temrinal
- Plastic (not foam) spacers that enable you to match EXACTLY the dimensions of the OEM battery being replaced
- Foam spacers to accommodate fitting for other applications
- 2 Battery-wire-to-Terminal buttonhead screws that have a recessed hex
- A hex wrench to tighten those buttonhead screws
- The proper torque setting to use for the screws (which matches the HD torque setting)
- Clear instructions on how to use the plastic and foam spacers
- Clear instructions on how the battery's BMS system protects the battery, how the battery should not be used to start a motorcycle below Minus 10 C = 14F (as if anyone in their right mind would ride in temperatures that cold and with ice around)
- Clear instructions on how to pre-warm the battery in very cold weather by turning on the lights or a heated vest in advance of starting the engine

This is by far the most well featured and equipped, and just plain elegant, battery that I have ever bought.

I didn't buy ti for the much faster cranking, although that is nice of course. I bought it to save about 11 lb of weight (3.7 lb actual versus 14.9 lb OEM), again not for "performance" reasons, but because it takes 11 lb of weight from just under the seat, making the bike just that much easier for me to balance reliably when walking it forward or reverse into and out of the garage, past the scrtach-free car and garage door jamb, neither of which I want to accidentally hit.

At the price this battery is being offered at, it's a steal.

Jim G

 

I've ridden in 18F weather before, yes, most everyone I know says I'm not right, but I wear that with pride as it makes me not one of the cookie-cutter riders, besides, it was for a PGR mission, and I having been in the USN and Israeli Army know what hardships military people go through, and the deceased vet deserves all the respect and their families deserve all the respect and support I can show them. I *would* ride to a buddy's place whenever it hit me I wanted to party, and that meant in winter too (since the bike is all the transportation I use), and I sometimes would regularly ride there, 80 miles away, if it was 30F, 24F, whatever. I used newspaper at that time to help 'insulate' my jacket, heh.

Anyway, as for this new kind of battery, IMHO, so far just because it shaves a whole 10+/- pounds from the weight (something I honestly don't believe will make *that* much difference in how much more easily it may balance, or able to be pushed around), and has to be treated with kid gloves when it's cold, yes, 99% of the time no one will be riding at 14F, but if I want to start my bike for whatever reason and it's 5F, I don't want to have to drag out my heated jacket liner (and if one has all LED lighting - every single bulb ob the bike!) that won't 'warm' anything up, is *not* good enough reason to buy/use it. It seems if I remember reading too, that it has to have a special kind of charger...more money as I imagine it will be higher priced than plain normal battery chargers (just guessing). The only time I can see the weight being a Good Thing, is for drag bikes. As I said, this is just my opinion, and not anything near enough to convince me I'd somehow be better off with this kind of battery, and even moreso after reading about the guy here on the forum who's house damn near burnt down because of one of these batteries. All-in-all I think I'll pass. It *is* nice though how much info you put up for those who *do* want this battery or are thinking about it, that was pretty cool of you to do.

 

The weight reduction IS real. I weighed it on a precision scale and it does weigh 3.7 lb.

You are welcome of course to ride in gfreezing weather - it's your right - BUT NO motorcycle tire is desgined to actually have acceptable traction in winter weather simply because there is no market for winter weather motorcycle tires. You ARE taking your life in your hands. If a cager or an animal runs in front of you, and you try to either brake or swerve, you will likely crash because of that missing traction.

As for the guy's house burning down, you apparently did not read the follow-up threads in which it was disclosed that a cheap toy radio control battery caused that fire. This motorcycle battery I described is a completely safe LiFePO4 chemsitry battery, NOT like the cheap Chinese toy batteries, I have used these Lithium batteries for years in multiple motorcycles and have never had either a perofrmance or safety issue.

Most MODERN (not cheap old technology) battery chargers have a switch setting for either lead / AGM or Lithium batteries. HD itself offers multiple models with increasing charge rates (to make charging faster if you need/want faster charging). Their least costly one costs $55 here in Canada, so likely less in The U.S. I think they may not even offer for sale anymore the older tech chargers, because they are basically obsolete now.

Jim G

 

I’m still kinda baffled by the compatibility of a motorcycle charging system and a Lifepo4 battery. Same with an automotive charging system.

It seems to me that the charging system could be overloaded and even burned out. Particularly if the battery was run down from say a long crank over of the engine. Various Lifepo4 manufacturers/vendors give warning of this happening if an alternator charging system is used with these batteries.

I understand that many Lifepo4 batteries have circuitry inside the battery that should regulate this. But then the various Lifepo4 battery makers/vendors still insist on the need of specialized chargers, in spite of that onboard battery circuitry.

I don’t know of any motorcycle charging systems that can differentiate between a lead acid battery or a Lifepo4 battery. Nor do I understand why it would make no difference, in light of the charger/maintainer differences and the various warnings about charging or maintaining a Lifepo4 battery with an alternator.

 

Like I said, I have been using these batteries in multiple motorcycles for several years. No issues ever so far. Mind you, I DO read the user manuals, and I DO use a suitable modern battery charger capable of handling Lithium batteries as well as lead / AGM.

Jim G

 

Current stops flowing into the battery once it's fully charged at system voltage. A lithium will be fine as long as the charging system voltage is below the safe limit for the battery.

Battery chargers like my grandfather used were just transformers and a rectifier in a box. There was no voltage regulation. The open circuit voltage was around 15 volts but the current drawn by a discharged battery would make the voltage sag a few volts. These chargers will overcharge the battery if you leave them unattended. As the battery charges it draws less current from the charger and the voltage keeps creeping up. Leave it on too long and the acid will start to boil in a lead acid battery. You can actually hear it boiling.

Now we have smart chargers. They are regulated and won't ruin the batteries they're designed for. These can have a desulfation feature for lead acid batteries. It uses a higher than normal voltage pulses that will damage a lithium battery. It's easier for the manufacturer to say buy the special charger than try to educate everyone.

I wouldn't put a lithium in something that doesn't start reliably. I also have concerns about a low battery killing the stator or the stator killing the low battery.

 

I plug the bike's Lithium battery into the dual mode battery charger (set to Lithium of course) whenever I am not riding it. The charger and the battery between them seem to always adjust to each other. Been doing it successfully for years. Enngine starts take under a second.

Jim G

 

Now that you've shed 11 pounds by going to lithium, it just about offsets the 12 pound engine guard you ordered.​

 

interesting
I'm curious if you notice a difference when your gas tank is full or half full?
That would be 15 ponds or so




..L.T.A.

 

I see folks commented on the external battery charger. But the motorcycle regulator system is still the same for all batteries. My colt meter on the 2019 FLHTP shows 14.2. Have not measured actual charge voltage at battery.

I'd like to think that folks designing batteries for motorcycles would take into account the current charging system voltages.