Changed battery

[KDIMD]

My bike was running ragged, wouldnt idle well, etc. Boost would come on and off at wrong rpms. I thought it was the Dynatek CDI or the jet kit that I had installed and was going to replace it with stock. But my battery died on me so had to find a new one, replaced it with a yuasa 20amp that we have locally. Anyway, now the bike runs great and have no issues with the cdi unit or carbs. I had read that these units need a good voltage to run well, and am a believer now.

 

[alorio1]

Make sure you have a healthy charging system to keep that new battery on top of your electronics.........

 

[KDIMD]

First thing we checked was the charging system. Was good.

 

[Born2Ride]

Isn't the stock battery 14 or 16 ah? Is it ok to put one with 20 ah?

 

[alorio1]

Usually bigger batteries have more cranking power, I have a 20APH battery in my old 85. Works good for the hot start issue.......

 

[Born2Ride]

as long as there is no chance of potential problems on other components, I will remember that next time I need a new one.

 

[Hellboy]

Isn't the stock battery 14 or 16 ah? Is it ok to put one with 20 ah?

Batteries don't put out amps, they allow them to be drawn from. You could put a 100amp battery in it if it would fit. The larger amperage would allow you to run additional accessories as in phone chargers and such and still have heaps left to start the bike. lets say a starter motor needed 6 or 8 amps to crank over and you had a 14 amp battery in bad shape. If it had been sitting awhile without running (charging), It would be right on the edge of being able to deliver what is being called for. If your bike doesn't start right away you will deplete the available amps and run the battery flat pretty quickly. With the extra amps you can crank it much longer, If your charging system is charging properly, of course. They do put out voltage so this is critical. All electric motors (starter motor) turn a given RPM per volt. Therefore a week or poorly charged battery (low volts) will not crank the starter motor as fast (harder to start) and low amps cause it not to crank as long.


Matt

 

[Traumahawk]

I have a cross referenced Panasonic LCX1220P battery. Its 20 AH. Havent had any issues. Been in the bike 2 years now.

 

[Fire-medic]

Lots of threads about battery choices. I don't think many people use straight, simple construction lead/acid batteries any more, at least something like AGM absorbent glass mat construction to better-resist the vibration, or Li-ion lithium ion batteries for power & light weight. I've used all of those in my 21 years of VMax ownership and currently sport a Li-ion.

Don't forget Sean's large battery mod, it requires cutting the battery box but you can get a higher-amp battery for a Gold Wing in there, a cheap, easy upgrade. http://www.morleysmuscle.com/how-tos/large-vmax-battery/
I see he's upgraded the how-to, easier to follow, thanks, Sean.

 

[Bill Seward]

I've been running a Gold Wing battery in my '85 for a few years now.. Simple mod, and in most places, a Wing battery is actually cheaper to replace than a stock VMax battery..

 

[aceannihilator]

I've been running a Gold Wing battery in my '85 for a few years now.. Simple mod, and in most places, a Wing battery is actually cheaper to replace than a stock VMax battery..

Does it mess with the charging at all

 

[Fire-medic]

Does it mess with the charging at all

No, not if it's (your charging system) working properly.

 

[MaxMidnight]

The main function of a battery is to provide power when demand exceed alternator output and for starting.
Within reason the capacity of the battery doesn't matter although too small and there may not be sufficient reserve and too large just carrying excess weight.

 

[apsolus]

ive learned over the years that batteries can fail in all sorts of ways and cause all sorts of problems!

 

[2017VMax]

I wander if it was the battery at all. Sounds a bit like resetting the brain in a car to me. Don't own a 1rst gen, but it's worth considering.

 

[Sidecarjohn]

Our Vmax is somewhat off centre. Sidecar attached, plus panniers and top box. Clearly crazy, but we love it.
However, issues with starting and running the extras that our requirements dictate justified a different approach. On top of this had a battery issue away from the home base that prompted a rethink.
The chance of using an available power starter to get the bike started highlighted a problem. Two ignition coils preventing access to the battery. So, now we have an AGM battery, spec as per Goldwing, in one of the panniers. Convenient for connecting to a battery charger, plus, just in case it's required, a power starter.

 

[Incider]

Our Vmax is somewhat off centre. Sidecar attached, plus panniers and top box. Clearly crazy, but we love it.































































































































However, issues with starting and running the extras that our requirements dictate justified a different approach. On top of this had a battery issue away from the home base that prompted a rethink.































































































































The chance of using an available power starter to get the bike started highlighted a problem. Two ignition coils preventing access to the battery. So, now we have an AGM battery, spec as per Goldwing, in one of the panniers. Convenient for connecting to a battery charger, plus, just in case it's required, a power start.































Our Vmax is somewhat off centre. Sidecar attached, plus panniers and top box. Clearly crazy, but we love it.















However, issues with starting and running the extras that our requirements dictate justified a different approach. On top of this had a battery issue away from the home base that prompted a rethink.















The chance of using an available power starter to get the bike started highlighted a problem. Two ignition coils preventing access to the battery. So, now we have an AGM battery, spec as per Goldwing, in one of the panniers. Convenient for connecting to a battery charger, plus, ju case it's required, a power starter.







Our Vmax is somewhat off centre. Sidecar attached, plus panniers and top box. Clearly crazy, but we love it.



However, issues with starting and running the extras that our requirements dictate justified a different approach. On top of this had a battery issue away from the home base that prompted a rethink.



The chance of using an available power starter to get the bike started highlighted a problem. Two ignition coils preventing access to the battery. So, now we Ivehave an AGM battery, spec as per Goldwing, in one of the panniers. Convenient for connecting to a battery charger, plus, just in case it's required, a power starter.



Our Vmax is somewhat off centre. Sidecar attached, plus panniers and top box. Clearly crazy, but we love it.

However, issues with starting and running the extras that our requirements dictate justified a different approach. On top of this had a battery issue away from the home base that prompted a rethink.

The chance of using an available power starter to get the bike started highlighted a problem. Two ignition coils preventing access to the battery. So, now we have an AGM battery, spec as per Goldwing, in one of the panniers. Convenient for connecting to a battery charger, plus, just in case it's required, a power starter.

I run with a truck battery in the boot of the st2, no problems starting her now

 

[Redrum]

Lots of threads about battery choices. I don't think many people use straight, simple construction lead/acid batteries any more, at least something like AGM absorbent glass mat construction to better-resist the vibration, or Li-ion lithium ion batteries for power & light weight. I've used all of those in my 21 years of VMax ownership and currently sport a Li-ion.

Don't forget Sean's large battery mod, it requires cutting the battery box but you can get a higher-amp battery for a Gold Wing in there, a cheap, easy upgrade. http://www.morleysmuscle.com/how-tos/large-vmax-battery/
I see he's upgraded the how-to, easier to follow, thanks, Sean.

I'm ready for a new battery and remembered this Gold Wing upgrade and wanted to take a look. Seems like http://www.morleysmuscle.com/how-tos/large-vmax-battery/ or for that fact http://www.morleysmuscle.com is not a thing anymore. Anyone have a link to this information or how to do the upgrade?

 

[Fire-medic]

Go to Sean Morley's Facebook pages.

A Li-iron battery will be less weight, more-powerful and a smaller size. Something to consider.

 

[Redrum]

Thanks, Facebook, sure, all is facebook.

Thanks but I'll stick with heavier, safer and cheaper lead. Rather like my MX not on fire

https://web.archive.org/web/20190405064719/http://www.morleysmuscle.com/how-to/large-vmax-battery