Shorai batteries

I got tired of battery acid dripping on the exhaust,, etc., so I purchased 2 Lithium Ion batteries for my (2) Z1's and 1 for my '76 900LTD. The one for the LTD lasted a couple of weeks before it wouldn't even turn the starter over. I measured voltage @ 13.5 volts and over 14 after I kick started it. That battery was replaced free of charge minus shipping a month or 2 ago.

Well- today, I went to start the '75 Z1 and "deja vu!" Thinking maybe the bike maybe had a short- I replaced the Shorai with the one in the '73. Same no start! Time to initiate another return to Shorai!

Any of you guys had any issues with these batteries?

I have not yet tried one although I was tempted because of the light weight. I believe they are Li Fe PO4 chemistry types (lithium iron phosphate) which is what the electric car developers used here for many years. The thing I know about Li chemistries is they are typically sensitive to being overcharged. The charging system of a bike is not precision.... it's typically about 14V +/-0.5V. I am not sure how an Li battery is going to like that?

I have been waiting to hear more reports on them before buying myself. Some reports have been good, some not.

Might the acid dripping on your exhaust from the previous battery be a clue. Typically dripping battery's are overheated batteries. Overheated from overcharging in my experience. Sounds like you may need to test your charging system. I had my regulator go bad and the bike was charging at almost 17VDC! That was enough to cook battery's and light bulbs.

I have an Alien Motion Lithium battery in my 750 twin, going on two years without a problem, started right up with no charging after the winter.

So, you have three bikes, and three bad Shorai batteries? Wow! Sure am glad I bought a cheap one rather than the Shorai.

I got my return authorization today and they said because I purchased it a year ago, the price of a new one is of 75% off RETAIL price for a new one. I had purchased the battery last August and it sat unopened until this June, so I'm hoping they relent and just send me a new one gratis!

dadgonebroke wrote: I got my return authorization today and they said because I purchased it a year ago, the price of a new one is of 75% off RETAIL price for a new one. I had purchased the battery last August and it sat unopened until this June,

Did you charge it before use? Sitting close to a year without being on a tender is not good for a battery.

Thanks to Shorai for a no charge replacement that I received yesterday! One thing I did also, was to replace the regulator and rectifier on the '73 and '75 with new style regulators from Z1parts.
I must say that most of these regulator/rectifier setups on these Kawasaki's, apparently are guilty of overcharging situations but I wasn't aware how sensitive these Lithium batteries are to the overcharging. Now, any possibility of overcharging is hopefully gone and I can finally see how good these Shorai batteries really are!

keep us posted .

i have been wondering about them.

leon

531blackbanshee wrote: keep us posted .

i have been wondering about them.

leon

I happened upon a display of Shorai batteries when at Batteries Plus looking for a coin battery for an older laptop. The Shorai batteries are impossibly small and lightweight. I would like to try one out the next time I have occasion to replace the battery on my bike. However that AGM battery is soldiering on without complaint still to this day.

I put a Shorai in my Ducati Monster and it worked really well. I had to make a bracket to hold the battery in because of the large size difference from the stock battery.

Later, Doug

testarossa wrote: Might the acid dripping on your exhaust from the previous battery be a clue. Typically dripping battery's are overheated batteries. Overheated from overcharging in my experience. Sounds like you may need to test your charging system. I had my regulator go bad and the bike was charging at almost 17VDC! That was enough to cook battery's and light bulbs.

A lot of people seemed to blow past this. It's important - battery acid coming out of the battery is a sign of over-charging. If you are seeing this consistently, you really need to get your rectifier and regulator double checked before you replace the battery again, even if you use a regular battery and don't switch to the LiFePO4 class of batteries.

Cynjut wrote:

testarossa wrote: Might the acid dripping on your exhaust from the previous battery be a clue. Typically dripping battery's are overheated batteries. Overheated from overcharging in my experience. Sounds like you may need to test your charging system. I had my regulator go bad and the bike was charging at almost 17VDC! That was enough to cook battery's and light bulbs.

A lot of people seemed to blow past this. It's important - battery acid coming out of the battery is a sign of over-charging. If you are seeing this consistently, you really need to get your rectifier and regulator double checked before you replace the battery again, even if you use a regular battery and don't switch to the LiFePO4 class of batteries.

+1 Overcharging kills batteries. Especially the Li types.