Battery

I finally got back to work on my '550. had to take a two year hiatus because of a bout with "C". So the carbs are clean, it starts right up. I am having a heck of a time finding the OEM battery. I would like to use the OEM size if I can but most battery listings don't even list any 550s from Kawasaki. I need the battery number or if possible the dimensions. Thanks.

Take a look at Page 7 at www.kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/Kz400500550_79to83.pdf

According to it the KZ550 takes a Furukawa FB12A-A battery. Now do a Google search for Furukawa FB12A-A and you will find replacement batteries such as the one in the link below. Ed

www.wholesalebatteriesdirect.com/kawasak...acement-battery.html

What KZ550 is it? year & model. Partzilla should have the battery part number in the diagrams for your bike.
Yuasa has a battery lookup page & they usually give the dimensions. some of their powersports batteries are made in USA.
I got a scorpion agm from batterystuff.com & it has been an excellent battery. I didn't see a yuasa agm listed for my bike.

As Martin suggests, an AGM is a significant improvement over the old lead-acid batteries.

www.impactbattery.com/yuasa-yb12a-a-agm-...ure-power-ut12c.html

martin_csr wrote: What KZ550 is it? year & model. Partzilla should have the battery part number in the diagrams for your bike.
Yuasa has a battery lookup page & they usually give the dimensions. some of their powersports batteries are made in USA.
I got a scorpion agm from batterystuff.com & it has been an excellent battery. I didn't see a yuasa agm listed for my bike.

Yup, check the parts fishe for the proper battery size/configuration info. The '83 550 LTD for example takes a YB12A-A. You gotta realize that YB = Yuasa, but you don't strictly need a Yuasa, just a battery of the same size and configuration. The FB12A-A as Ed noted is basically identical, just made by a different manufacturer

I'm partial to Motobatt, but there are various AMG options that are equivalent... www.amazon.com/MotoBatt-MB12U-Factory-Ac...adFlex/dp/B003YMSDJQ

Nessism - thank you for teaching me something I didn't know. I never realized that the the first letter of the battery number specified in the manuals stands for the battery maker. F = Furukawa; Y= Yuasa, etc. Ed

The 10, 12, 14, etc in the number represents the group size: similar to car batteries. Which typically indicate a general size and power of the battery. So generally if you get something in the same group size as the current battery then it should fit and be sufficient to power the bike no matter whether it is traditional lead-acid, sealed or AGM. The other thing you need to watch out for is terminal type and polarity, which side the positive and negative terminals are located. For example YB12A-A has the positive on the left, YB12AL-A has the negative on the left.

Here are some informative links to help decode battery numbers:
- What the numbers and letters on a battery mean: www.whitedogbatteries.com/wdblg/battery-part-no/
- What do motorcycle battery model names stand for?: blog.batterysharks.com/what-do-motorcycl...del-names-stand-for/
- Motorcycle battery terminals and codes: www.batteriesdirect.com.au/files/products/HVT21260400006_2.pdf
- 12V Conventional Battery sizes and specs - really useful for getting size and CCA of factory spec'd batter when looking to move to something else: www.whitedogbikes.com/shop/content/64-12v-battery-sizes/

I agree, That is what the listing says but it needs the block terminal not the blade terminal.