Hitchcocks Forum

I am considering a battery upgrade to Li-on technology. However looking at the charging requirements, careful regulation, pulse charging,bulk charging, recovery mode etc. How compatible is a standard Bullets spikey, semi-rectified system to the health and welfare of these expensive and potentially fragile batteries?

You will need battery charger for Li-on, a normal one won't do.

Never quite grasped why you need a special charger yet the bikes charging system is still the same??

There are many different types of lithium batteries, the bike specific battery will be absolutely fine, no special charger needed. Now of course we will have yet another pointless battery/charger argument.

Revband I was going to fit a Li-on battery to my Enfield BUT after consulting with the battery manufacturer a special battery charger IS necessary so I did not buy a Li-on battery.
I also consulted with Optimate and they stated the Optimate 3 charger I have is NOT suitable for a Li-on battery
Long technical explanation:-

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/arti ... _batteries

I went and read all that at the battery university!

They are on about camera batteries and the suck like. the only mention of transport is for electric vehicles (500V plus) which says, 'Exceptions are electric vehicles and satellites that avoid full charge to achieve long service life.


All, written 7 years ago. I have had lithion ion batteries in all my RE's, Currently Kevin the Meteor Minor, and Tornado which has been in for three years. used an old charger (probably from china) 3 times. Unless you leave the bike on, the battery will not discharge for years, so a charger is not really that important.



Now here's the odd bit... The manufactures make them to fit motorcycles. even odder, they rely on the motorcycle's charging system to keep them topped up... Now, which type charging system do motorcycles use? Well it ain't £80 of souped up optimate with a pretty label on it. That is, if we actually believe that the battery manufactures made motorcycles batteries to actually go into motorcycles.

The plot thickens...

[center]I forgot to add... I have a USB chargin system on Tornado, for when I am away from electric. Just spent 4 days in a field and needed helmet cam and mobile phone charged, so the battery gets long periods of slow drain. I have never had any battery problems with any of my re's lith batts.

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Seems to be tinypic's day off today? Try again...










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REOC 15084

Tabellarius de verbis. Ostensor gaudium[/center]

Very true Scalyback, mostly any 12v charger charger can be used if required, but should be disconnected after charging a de-sulfation pulse charger is not advisable. As I said there are many different types of lithium battery and it does cause confusion.

OK, I can resist no longer and have to ask 'Why?'. Lead acid batteries have always worked for me, gel ones less so. Why go to the trouble of changing something, when it works?