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[papasmurf]

Then only real caveat I can find with Lithium Ion batteries is do not charge them with a charger which has a desulphation sequence, use a normal battery charger.

[jefrs]

I also have an E-bike (Specialized Turbo) with a huge lithium. Very heavy and two or three or maybe four times the size of one needed for a motorbike. It has a special charger that 'ramps' the re-charge, starts fasts and slows down to trickle finish, very fast re-charge from flat (so you can ride 40+ miles to work, re-charge it there and ride home again. You can get special lithium battery re-chargers that do this, if you ever need one, which you won't because the bike charges it and they don't lose power. The lithium will take a lot more re-charges than NiMH or NiCd, it does have a life-span but in practice forget about it. With maintenance a lead-acid can have an indefinite life-span, maintenance does mean occasionally throwing the acid out, flushing the silt (flakes of lead that short the cells) out with demin water and refilling with fresh acid, that is far too much hassle for me. Of course a lot of folk simply forget to top the lead-acid battery, think the garage service does it (they don't) and get a new one when it dies.

[papasmurf]

Jefrs, when I was at school, I not only learned to fire small arms up to and including bren guns, I was also taught battery care when I specialised in the signals part of the cadet force.
That may explain why my BMW K75S has only just had it's third battery fitted since 1991. (Even though I could get the crankshaft out quicker than the time it takes to check and top up the battery.)

[PeteF]

Papa, I too fired firearms as part of my "education" Imagine that happening today!!
Anyway, to batteries: Myself and a few friends have had great success with the adsorbant glass mat type. They are sealed so need no maintenance (except keeping contacts clean, a thing some people miss) and seem to hold charge extremely well. A friend of mine had one on his Beemer which layed up for a year without charging but started OK.

[papasmurf]

PeteF, The ball and chains, 800cc V Twin Suzuki has a sealed battery fitted shortly after she purchased it because to check the battery is impossible without taking the battery out. Also realistically you new a motorcycle lifter to be able to take out and install a battery.
Also our 2003 Toyota Yaris has only just has the sealed battery replaced.