Another funny - Batteries Plus sorter sucks - it continually recommends wrong battery sizes. It's done so for both the bike and my tractor. It won't let you past their incorrect selector tool, you gotta go to the search bar and type in the class of batteries you're interested in (AGM, Flooded, Li).

That's how I got off to a bad start looking at too big a size, fyi.

Anyway, the Yuaza 20L AGM sale went away, so back to MoCo AGM pricing.
Now considering X2, but that has changed also in recent years. Maybe I'll just try it.

History: Northstar Battery made their own AGM and also X2 brand. Then Odyssey AGM maker Enersys bought Northstar/X2. Then Enersys discontinued Northstar, and does not list X2 on their brands page anymore. X2 website does not list any information, no 'about us'. My guess is they sold them to some Chinese outfit and only make LiFePo.
Corporate buyouts are great.

 

Well, crap. I guess I'll need another C-Tek 5.0 amp smart charger/maintainer and have to splice the HD quick connect fitting on it. Might help explain why our AGM's don't last that long if the HD charger is too stupid.

As I said before, Odyssey AGM (I have one in my truck) is very picky which chargers the approve. C-Tek is one such, NOCO is not. No mention of HD, either. Odyssey makes bike batts, but don't know anyone that buys them, they're more expensive than Yuasa and HD.

 

It's not the maintenance charger that has the issue. It's the bikes regulator when the bike is ridden.

 

Sorry, missed that.

LiFePo battery maker sites say they can be damaged by overvoltage charging as in desulphonating phase charging over 17VDC or so. Doubtful onboard regulator has any smart higher voltage phase, so maybe LiFePo would last longer in a bike? They didn't say anything about overcharging by time, as I recall.

In softail 20L size (relative price may apply to 30L touring size):
LiFePo 20L Batteries:
X2Power $194.99
HD $299.95
Shorai $349.95 Japanese Company, made in China
Antigravity $354.99
EarthX $369.95 USA Company made in USA

 

Technically when you charge a lead/acid battery to 14.4 volts (bulk) and leave it there for some time (absorb), maybe an hour. If you hold it there too long, you'll over charge the battery converting the water to hydrogen and oxygen.. In that case of flooded batteries you just add water.. In the case of AGM batteries, you dry them out.. The problem is that once the battery is fully charge, typically the voltage supplied to the battery should drop to a float voltage. On AGM, the voltage is typically 13.2 to 13.8. I don't think the regulators on HDs are that smart so the smaller batteries tend to not last as long.

 

@Max Headflow Can I interpret this to mean that the more I ride the shorter the battery life? Here in the West, at least for me, I ride 200-300 miles at freeway speeds quite frequently, and put on around 15k +/- miles per year. Until recently, I rarely had my SG on a tender. So, these 2 factors could be why I'm on my second battery in under 5 years? If this is correct, then a lithium battery may be a better choice? Or is my logic flawed......

 

Well, If you look at what I wrote. The battery needs to go through a specific recharge function based on how low the AGM (lead) battery was drained before starting. WIth that in mind, the battery need to go through a bulk charge cycle, absorb cycle then drop to a float. Both bulk and absorb cycle very.. So.. Assuming a minimal discharge from sitting and starting the motor after 3 revolutions, the motorcycle need to be run for about 37.5 minutes to reach full charge to optimize battery life on .. 56.25 minutes if it's a bagger..

Just kidding..

I would think that your bikes AGM battery life depends on the battery chosen and what the peak voltage is that the battery sees after full charge.

As far as LI batteries go, I really don't know but suspect that it can sit at 14 volts with no ill effects.. I'm not a LI expert.. I pretty much assume that LI setting on the chargers do the right thing. I've personally had good life out of 2 LI batteries in 2 bigger motor bikes. 116 tc and 131 tc. Both lasted over 4 years where AGMs were only lasting 2. One battery died due to a faulty regulator (116). The other started getting a little tire on cold starts (131). There were both 20L formfactor.

30L AGM have always last long 5/6 years in a 02 rk, 07egc, except my 17 RK OEM only lasted about 3.5 years. I don't normally use maintenance chargers unless the bike sits for longer than a month and pretty much always put over 30 miles on the bike whenever riding. The RK will see short rides if I have to pick up something in town.

 

I'm pointing more & more to LiFePo, as you guys discuss onboard charging. LiFePo tech manuals say don't hit them with more than 15 volts, with nothing about over charging and needing to float. And there's no water to cook out. Since these don't have as many Ah, maybe the charge rate matches the charge need better?

Not sure you guys with 30L AGM on touring models need a LiFePo as much as me, since 30L has significantly more CCA and Ah than my little Softail 20 AGM. For the same motors (107 / 114)

Also, maybe somebody's come up with a better on board voltage regulator that has float? If so you could stay with your cheaper AGM.

 

You had me there for a minute. I read your first paragraph 3x trying to figure out what language you were speaking, then I read the rest of it. Ha!

I think my amps contribute to the death of my 30L batts also. I dunno. But I'm smarter today about this stuff than when I started this thread, so thanks for your input.

 

The 2 year old factory AGM in my 22 Heritage 114 is holding up just fine, but it's always been on a tender because it doesn't see the miles my SGS does. But it does have 20k miles on it. Like I said before, yours is probably just getting weak.