Model Number: WPS HJTZ14S (affiliate link:https://goo.gl/HPYZdP)
Almost every forum you visit will have a thread asking which lithium battery to buy, is it worth it, it is going to blow up and do you need a special charger for it. After doing considerable research, here's my verdict. Please correct and update this thread should you find new information or wrong information.
1) Do you need a special charger?
If your lithium battery has an onboard monitoring system that will balance the cells automatically, you do not need a special charger. Many of the older brands of lithium battery, like Shorai, does not have a BMS and therefore requires a special charger.
Do not use a charger with de-sulfanation mode (ie. Sends high voltage pulses to de-sulfate lead plates). Over voltage and under voltage is a number one killer of lithium cells AND lead acid, but lithium is just more sensitive.
2) Is it worth it?
PROS
-More cranking amps.
For our big twin motors, the 2x cranking amps offered by lithium batteries at start up reliefs a lot of stress on the starter and sprague assembly. Also reduces a lot of mental stress if you're like me and cringe at hearing the weak lead acid struggling to start the bike.
-Less weight
Performance speaking-wise I honestly can't tell a difference while riding the bike, but holding the lead acid battery compared to the lithium, the difference is phenomenal. Perhaps I just need to hit the gym more.
-Holds charge for longer time
Lithium loses charge a lot slower than lead acid, making it ideal for motorcycles which get used less often than cars (for most peopl)
-Price
A year ago, lithium batteries are still significantly more expensive than lead acid. Nowadays, many brands of lithium batteries are better and also similarly priced as a lead acid making them a worth investment.
CONS
-Less capacity
Most lithium batteries available in the market has significantly less capacity than lead acid. If you forget to turn off your headlights, you can likely say good bye to your investment.
-Requires more attention than lead acid
Lithium hates the heat, hates the cold, hates over and under voltage, and basically everything else that lead acids hate but reacts to it with even more drama. They are like that high maintenance but sexy motorcycle sitting in your garage. But you still bought it, right? If you live in frigid cold winters like me, make sure you take the battery inside your house to avoid shortening its lifespan. If your voltage regulator is failing on your motorcycle, now is a good time to change it before throwing in your brand new lithium battery in there.
[/b] 3) Will it blow up? [/b]
I've analyzed a bunch of incidents with lithium batteries reported by owners across forums and followed up with numerous reports. The majority of these incidents occurred because they either owned a custom bike - in which improper wiring fried the battery, they subjected the battery to extreme heat in stop & go traffic or cold winter/winter startups (rare), faulty voltage regulators (most), or simply improper installation (such as heavily corroded terminals). My conclusion is that if you just swapped a lithium battery into a perfectly stock bike, none of those incident may occur.
Now that OEM manufacturers such as Honda and Ducati have began installing lithium batteries into their flagship model bikes (such as the 1299 superleggera), I am even more assured that the newer generation of lithium batteries are "nearly" fool-proof.
4) Installing onto the 1098S
The 2008 1098S saw the move down to a smaller battery. Extra padding below and behind the battery was used to make up for the size reduction. I removed those rubber pieces and replaced it with a couple rubber cabinet foot pads for a snug fit. All of that only took a few minutes and is completely reversible.
I also went in there and cleaned up everything, including the copper terminals as well (Which were surprisingly quite clean still!)
5) Which brand to buy?
I am willing to bet if you ask any forums, the large majority will (and have) said SHORAI, dating all the way back to early 2010 or older. However, I disagree for several reason. 1) No new or significant updates since their first model 2) Price is still amongst the most expensive, probably now because they have established a name for themselves. 3) Requires a dedicated charger. 4) OEM companies, including Ducati, did not use Shorai.
So which company did Ducati and Honda use? I dug a bit deeper and it turns out Ducati partnered up with a Chinese company called SkyRich batteries, one of the largest lithium manufacturers in the world. SkyRich batteries come equipped with onboard BMS that ensures all cells remain healthy, otherwise cutoff. However, unless you buy from a Ducati dealership and pay sky high price, Skyrich batteries appear to be unavailable. As it turns out, however, Skyrich's mother company HangZhou HaiJu battery also owns Deltran Battery, WPS (north america), Shido (UK), Magnetti Mareli (ITALY). They all look the same but with different colors. They even have the same battery level indicator on the top.
So for 2017/2018 I think the best battery to buy is WPS (north america) for the following reason:
1) Significantly cheaper than Shorai at almost the same price as Lead Acid
2) Battery indicator gauge is a cool gadget
3) On board BMS means you don't have to invest on an additional dedicated charger
4) Possibly the same company used by OEM Ducati and Honda, for that added assurance.
So there you have it. A summary of my research on buying my first lithium battery. Check out the video my friend made summarizing everything I discussed above and installation onto my 1098S.
The model I bought was HJTZ14S-FP-IL with 310 CCA. The cheapest place that sold it was on ebay after shipping and Canadian duty, especially now with the ebay bucks program, for us Canadian folks.
Model Number: WPS HJTZ14S (affiliate link:https://goo.gl/HPYZdP)
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