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Just a shout out to Motobatt. I was working on the GPz today and wondered how old the battery was. Checked my maintenance notes and turns out I bought it in August 2013 so still going strong after 7 1/2 years.
Every other bike I own has gone thru two or more batteries in the same time frame. Not bad at all...

Thank You
That seals it. I'm gonna order a Motobatt in the next few weeks. The last 3 years I've had 2 lead acid batteries from Canadian Tire (made in Vietnam) each of which lasted about 50 weeks and the most recent one was Yuasa which I installed in June 2020 and removed at Halloween when I put the bike away for Winter. About 10 days later I put the Yuasa on charger and the best it went was 12.5V fully charged. Well on its way out.
There was a time when a lead acid battery would last 5 years. Sad to say that quality has declined

I've never got more than 2 riding season out of a regular led acid wet cell. I only buy AGM batteries (Deka Big Crank is my battery of choice) which I can usually get at least 7 years out of.

Are the AGM and Motobatt lead acid? Do you need to upgrade the regulator/rectifier?

Thx

JL

Polish wrote: Are the AGM and Motobatt lead acid? Do you need to upgrade the regulator/rectifier?

Thx

JL

Absorbant Glass Mat (AGM) battery. Basically lead acid but the acid is absorbed and the case is sealed. Charge voltage is 14.5 VDC. Get a SH775 Series type R/R if you want to optimize your charging system.

batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/absorbent_glass_mat_agm

I fitted a Motobatt in my Z. It lasted a couple of months,I think, then died as I was trying to start the bike. When I went to pull it out it was VERY warm. Almost hot! That got me worried so I replaced it with a Yuasa. No problems since.
Saying that,Ive also had a Motobatt in my 600 Bandit for years. Never had a problem with it and its still going strong.
Thats my tuppence worth.

davido wrote: I fitted a Motobatt in my Z. It lasted a couple of months,I think, then died as I was trying to start the bike. When I went to pull it out it was VERY warm. Almost hot! That got me worried so I replaced it with a Yuasa. No problems since..

If a battery is getting hot, it's often a problem with the charging system. Have you checked your voltage at higher revs and with the headlight on to make sure it's not overcharging?

In my experience, lower voltage (~14V) tends to keep the battery in better condition long term. I got around 13 years and over 350,000km from an AC Delco battery in a daewoo - it used to charge at bang-on 14V.