[gofastlarry]

Well my batteries plus battery is getting tired. I will be replacing it with a Shorai - LFX18A1-BS12 - Lithium Iron Extreme-Rate Battery 42-3810 (150$ on ebay). My question is, do I need to use a shorai charger or will a regular trickle charger work?

 

[Agr0]

Well my batteries plus battery is getting tired. I will be replacing it with a Shorai - LFX18A1-BS12 - Lithium Iron Extreme-Rate Battery 42-3810 (150$ on ebay). My question is, do I need to use a shorai charger or will a regular trickle charger work?

Your not supposed to use a regular charger. It is a multi-cell lithium based battery. You are supposed to use the Shorai one as it will balance the voltage between the cells. You dont want to have one cell over charged while the others are undercharged. However, you could probably just get it straight from your reseller, and ride it like you stole it. If you know someone who may have the Shorai (I do) balancer you can borrow it once or twice a year for an evening just to be a bit maintenance minded and it'll ensure cells are balanced.

 

[Andrew848]

A couple threads on this but the jury is still out.

I love the Shorai and have not had a problem in almost a year. Starts the bike quickly and I plan to buy the charger soon but keep forgetting.

 

[bstar360]

It says on the side of the battery, quote, " standard lead/acid chargers may be used. However chargers with a high-voltage disulphation mode may not be used under any circumstances" end quote.
I have read that trickle chargers are no good for the battery but I don't know that so it's probably bullshit also. I have been charging mine off the solar panel on the roof of my garage. Fuck me the battery chargers off the bikes electrics so I don't see why it needs a special charger????
I have also read that you should not let the battery voltage go under a certain voltage or it will be rooted. I ran mine flat by mistake and charged it up and all seems good so far. Maybe long term I have damaged the battery only time will tell.
I think some of the shit that gets talked about charging these types of batteries gets into the realm of black magic.
Now I bet I hear from all the techo's telling me how much shit I'm talking and maybe they are right but I can only go by my own experience and observations.
One thing I do know is my battery does not like starting in cold weather but I have heard others have no problem with that.
Good luck with it.

 

[[email protected]]

A standard trickle charger will work but for optimal life and battery voltage, tossing the Shorai's on the dedicated charger to balance all cells is a good idea every once in a while. I've had mine for 2yrs and toss it on once a month just for balancing. Also do it once a month when not riding the bike. It never has taken more than 45mins to properly balance the battery.

 

[NY_1098R]

Bottom line is, you paid $150 for a "lithium" battery, nice price BTW so paying $80 for the charger might seems expensive.

HOWEVER, you run the risk of damaging the battery and worst case causing it to catch on fire with a lithium battery. Therefore, think of it as investment in a long lasting battery and not having your bike burn to the ground!

BTW I have 2 Shorai batteries, one for my 1098R and S4RS so the Shorai charger seems like a good investment.

 

[pat1098]

I am in the same boat as NY. I have Shorais on two bikes, so it's worth having the correct charger. Remember that if you have a problem down the track with the battery, you can then say to the manufacturer/distributor that you used the dedicated charger only to charge/balance it.

The Shorais are good for the first 12 months, with regular riding, but as [email protected] says, they need the odd freshen up after that.

I have had no problems with either of mine, and the one on the Ducati is almost two years old I reckon. It has only been on the (Shorai) charger about three times over that period.

As to the down side of trickle charging conventional batteries with 'normal' chargers? The weakness with some cheaper models of trickle charger is that they can fail to cut off, which may then cause them to kill the battery.

Not worth leaving them connected for weeks at a time for this reason if you're using a basic 'cheapie'.

 

[crashi]

FWIW I've had the Shorai 18-cell since they came out (2-3 yrs?) and have used a Battery Tender during the winters w/o any problems. Still cranks like new. It's a track bike tho so doesn't see cold starts.

cheers

 

[Mary#17]

BTW I have 2 Shorai batteries, one for my 1098R and S4RS so the Shorai charger seems like a good investment.

I have a 1098 and my husband has an S4RS. We seem to go through batteries every two years (if lucky). Local Ducati dealership said he doesn't recommend the Shorai for the 1098 as they are not getting good life expectancy out of them. Heat issue?
They also don't know why we go through batteries so quickly. All electrical was checked out last service with no issues. How long have you had the Shorai's installed and are you happy with it?

Mary

 

[NY_1098R]

I have had Shorai batteries in my 1098R and S4RS for over two years with no problems. It sounds like your dealer might be bias towards OEM batteries. Your regulator is going to go before lithium battery due to heat.

 

[[email protected]]

Shorai's been in bike now for 2yrs. No problems but as I mentioned above, I toss the Shorai charger on once a month just to balance. Wife's had one in her bike now for a yr and do the same with it. I have the Shorai battery leads and 1 charger so easy to maintain both bikes.

 

[Mary#17]

Thanks for the info. We may need to switch to the Shorai next time around.

 

[gofastlarry]

question..... how often do you plug in your shorai tender?

 

[[email protected]]

I toss it on once a month. Takes about 45mins and it's balanced for another month.

 

[pat1098]

I have only had the Shorai battery from my Ducati on the (Shorai) charger about three times during the last two years.
If it sounds slightly weak, or you haven't ridden your bike for a month or more, I would plug it in.
I can add that the 14 Ah Shorai on my other bike (Elefant with 2-valve Ducati 750 engine) has not needed a charge in almost a year.
So about once a year if you ride year-round, or more often if you don't.
But I highly recommend the Shorais - so light, and so much cranking power.

 

[Tractionless]

All,

The Shorai instructions say the bike must be ridden a minimum of 2 hrs. a month or you need to place it on a charger. Letting it sit 2 mos. and expecting it to be in perfect operating order is lunacy.

I have a 21ah on my 1098 and use a Battery Tender Jr. just as Webbikeworld.com did in their long term test without adverse effects.

I have a 1098 and my husband has an S4RS. We seem to go through batteries every two years (if lucky). Local Ducati dealership said he doesn't recommend the Shorai for the 1098 as they are not getting good life expectancy out of them. Heat issue?
They also don't know why we go through batteries so quickly. All electrical was checked out last service with no issues. How long have you had the Shorai's installed and are you happy with it?

Mary

21ah, you're dealer is most likely installing 14ah or 18ah's which won't get the job done.