SF3 battery

govig

govig

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Descartes Indre et Loire
I've just spent some time reading through the battery topics on here and I'm now more confused than ever. The SF3 has the Odyssey from my Commando at the moment which works well but its obviously not the correct shape. I want to put the Odyssey back in the Norton and buy the correct battery for the SF3 but not sure what 'correct' is.

Can anyone with a SF3 (or other SFs if they are the same) recommend a battery that 1) fits and 2) lasts. I'm fed up with replacing cheap batteries after a couple of years and would rather a battery be over-specified than struggling to do the job. I much prefer the fully sealed type too. What is the largest physical size battery that would fit?
 
Ho ho  :D and then search though all the battery sizes, CCAs and A-hr and guess what might be best..... It would be great if someone could help a newcomer to Laverdas and who bought a non-runner without a battery and say what works best out of experience and what doesn't. Still we all need a bit of humour in our lives as well as the best battery.
 
my SF2, SeFFie, has been running a Deka ETX16L for a couple of years.  & fits ok through the frame.
http://www.batterymart.com.au/dispdet.php?idw=0912040841358142
and i've also been using them in my triples for a few years.
i reckon they're ok, if they're maintained with plenty of volts, and not left idle 1/2 drained of volts.
cheers,  Mark
 
Hi govig

Welcome to Laverda ownership. Some say it's a mental illness. I prefer to think of it as a passion.

I don't think Cosi's suggestion was meant as a joke. His sense of humour isn't that good (that was a joke  :D)

Pretty much any reasonable sized modern sealed AGM (absorbed glass mat) or gel motorcycle battery will have more than enough CCA to start your bike. If you want it to be a snug fit in the battery tray, then taking measurements is your best option. Most battery suppliers publish selection charts giving battery specs including dimensions. However, you're unlikely to find one that's exactly the same size and shape as the battery compartment, which was designed for a big old wet cell battery. For that reason, some suppliers provide spacers with their batteries (eg. Motobatt). It still may be necessary to fit packing material around the battery, such as wooden or foam rubber blocks.

The other thing to consider is that AGM batteries can be mounted in any orientation, so if it's not a good fit sitting upright, it might fit better lying on its side or standing on its end. Also select one with the + and - terminals in the right place for your preferred mounting option. Deka have right and left versions of most of their batteries, Motobatts are both left and right - they have 2 pos and 2 neg terminals.

I suspect the reason that battery topics on here are confusing is because everyone has their preferred brand of battery and battery technology (AGM, LiPo, whatever) as well as their own mounting solution. For example, on my Jota, the battery sits snugly across one end of the battery tray and occupies about half of the tray. I made an aluminium box to fit in the other half in which I carry a small multimeter, gas soldering iron, spare nuts and bolts, cleaning rags, etc.

As for brand, I usually choose Motobatt or Deka. They're every bit as good as Odyssey and generally a bit lower priced.

Cheers,
Cam
 
govig,

The stock Laverda batteries are overkill for the task on hand.  They can normally be substituted for something considerably smaller and lighter.  750s and triples had either 27 or 30 Ah batteries, huge heavy lumps that were a pita to wrestle into the frame on most models.  A modern 18 or 20Ah gel/AGM battery for a modernish Beemer or similar fits just about all Laverda battery trays, slides in easily and leaves a little room for a small tool roll or spare gloves.  Just needs something to position it firmly so it doesn't wander around when the beast vibrates.

The choice is yours.

piet
 
Piet has said it all.
If you're using your bike regularly, a cheap lead/acid is fine.
If not in regular use, a fancier more expensive battery will keep it's charge longer.
750s start very easily with very little volts as long as you're not using an electronic ignition.

Paul
 
I went to go for a ride on Friday. Tried starting the Benelli Sei, engine cranked over a few times then the battery gave up. So I thought I'd try the Guzzi LeMans, all I got was a click from the starter relay and idiot lights going dim. Not enough volts to crank the engine at all. The Jota fired up OK but my busted wrist is still a bit too weak for the Laverda clutch. By that time I was getting too late for the meeting time with my mates so I spat the dummy and gave up.

Both of the bikes with dead batteries have sealed AGM type, and they were both on float chargers. Admittedly it's been a few months since I've started either of them, but they were OK last time I rode them. I tried to charge them with a proper (higher amp rating) charger, but neither of them would hold charge. Seems both batteries have died while on float charge. Makes me wonder whether float chargers (AKA battery keepers) are of any use.
 
Cam, I have not charged my Odyssey from external means in 4 years and it starts on the button.
I run the bike at least every 3 weeks to charge her up.

Just wondering if that might be the way forward (or I am just lucky?), rather than these fancy chargers/conditioners?

Of course there will be the big day when it fails, but hopefully that will not be for a few years.

As for what battery? Well if it's 12Volts, is rectangular, has a positive and negative terminal and fits in the tray then jobs a goodun!!!
 
Dellortoman said:
I went to go for a ride on Friday. Tried starting the Benelli Sei, engine cranked over a few times then the battery gave up. So I thought I'd try the Guzzi LeMans, all I got was a click from the starter relay and idiot lights going dim. Not enough volts to crank the engine at all. The Jota fired up OK but my busted wrist is still a bit too weak for the Laverda clutch. By that time I was getting too late for the meeting time with my mates so I spat the dummy and gave up.

Both of the bikes with dead batteries have sealed AGM type, and they were both on float chargers. Admittedly it's been a few months since I've started either of them, but they were OK last time I rode them. I tried to charge them with a proper (higher amp rating) charger, but neither of them would hold charge. Seems both batteries have died while on float charge. Makes me wonder whether float chargers (AKA battery keepers) are of any use.
Click to expand...

One person's experience. My experience of several bikes in the garage with Odyssey and Motobatt (AGM) batteries, pretty much left alone with Optimate's plugged into them is,............no failures, no issues in 10 years or so.

I keep hearing about people having issues with battery keepers. But I don't have them and I know many people who are perfectly happy. There must be some factor which fails for some people. Temperature or something?

Or maybe their bikes have hammered the battery in some way and they subsequently fail on charge?

I'd be interested to know.

(Oh, didn't mean to hijack the thread. I have two Laverdas running Motobatt M18s - no problems. In fact, great starting performance.)
 
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