Gel battery

[persempre907]

Since my battery is dying (I use my bike too little), I would put a Gel battery on my 907.
In fact, I know it's better than stock acid battery.
But, my friend mechanic told me I couldn't use it because I could have some regulator issue :ugh: :ugh: .
This stuff seems to me a little bit strange .
Someone tried to upgrade the battery? Any issue?
Ciao

[jcslocum]

I'm using a Deka AGM battery in my 750. Works just fine and has plenty of power.

[persempre907]

I'm using a Deka AGM battery in my 750. Works just fine and has plenty of power.

I don't know the brands of the gel batteries.
What are the best?
Ciao

[Finnpaso]

You have to be carefull with GEL batteries, cause those need little different charging voltage !!!!(that "regulator issue" ) Normally GEL batteries are more high priced and seems to me, that also normal 907 battery cost ALOT compared to 750 battery, so life is not so simple, as You think.... :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: GEL have also good points: If bike fall down, no acid is leaking to swingarm, like many 907 have done...Look carefully swing and You see, is that bike fallen to sideways.... Btw, near every 907...

Greetings from " Eletrician Ductor" to everybody around world! :laugh: "sekakäyttäjä" some days still..... :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny:

[persempre907]

You have to be carefull with GEL batteries, cause those need little different charging voltage !!!!(that "regulator issue" )

So, could I put it????

I've also read that the gel batteries have longer life, and hold out more than acid ones, above all, when the bike isn't often used (my case).

Ciao

[Finnpaso]

I think, You can put such, BUT ONLY with Your OWN risk, I dont qarantee such, cause i dont sell those, i only read from battery book things:

Normal battery: Charching VOLTAGE is: 2,23V / one element, what makes 13,38V / hole "12V" battery

Gel battery: Charching VOLTAGE is: 2,26V / one element, what makes 13,6V / hole "12V" battery

SIMPLY(at least to elecrician, like me): GEL battery need little higher chaching voltage, than normal battery !!!! But as you can see, "difference" is not so big. All depends, how much Voltage Your system pulls out. Ducati regulators(and also Electrex, what is better) gives normally something about 12-13 Voltage in IDLE(1200-1300RPMs) and when about 2000RPMs and over. It start to push current to battery, about 13,5(what is somekind lowest charching voltage...) to 14,7Voltage(what is somekind highest Voltage). If over that value, like 15 Volts, then something is broken and normally that is regulator, OR bad connections in that circuit....

If bike is driven in low rpms, in towns and short distances, I wouldnt put GEL battery to my bike, caused by low charching voltages in those conditions, but if You drive long distances with higher RPMs, then GEL is suitable surely. ALL batteries need to discharge and surely after that charge it again. That is good for battery and wise to do that sometimes,like every second month in that season, when cant drive bike. I put normally one H4 bulb to poles and let battery come down and immediatelly charge it fully with LOW Current, what is best to battery, NOT with high current car charger!!!!

About charching current(can be measured easily with multimeter DC A range):

Example: If You have 14Ah battery, then MAX current / time is: 1.4A and 10 hours. But surely MUCH better to battery, is 700mA and 20-30 hours. That max charching current is easy to remember: You only "divide" Ah's BY 10 and that is MAX charching current. If You charge with higher current, than 1.4A such battery, ist all out of batterys life !!!!!

They say, that "14.0V" charching voltage is very good for normal battery, so If regulator gives such in "normal driving", its then very good for NORMAL battery life!

About battery life: Ducatis have quite alot vibrations in frames, caused by V2 engine, so batteries are not "so" long living things. I can drive normally about 3, or maximum 4 years with normal battery and i take very good care of my batteries, cause i know electrical things. Earlier i use Varta batteries, but now i am testing YUASA brand, cause quite many have told, that those are better, than Varta. I dont know yet that, cause my Yuasa have been in my 907 only 7 months now and she is driven quite low kms, most i drive with ST4S, whitch have now cheap GEL battery first summer also.

Still something: cold&dry cellar is best place to keep batteries over wintertime, but FULLY CHARGED. In warmer rooms that "selfdischarging" is much higher! So Ducati batteries are in my wine cellar at wintertime and i visit there enough often to "charge batteries and cure myself" also! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[jcslocum]

I'm using an AGM battery in my 750 Paso.


Some info about Battery types:

Wet Cell (flooded), Gel Cell, and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) are various versions of the lead acid battery. The wet cell comes in 2 styles; serviceable, and maintenance free. Both are filled with electrolyte and I prefer one that I can add water to and check the specific gravity of the electrolyte with a hydrometer. The Gel Cell and the AGM batteries are specialty batteries that typically cost twice as much as a premium wet cell. However they store very well and do not tend to sulfate or degrade as easily or as easily as wet cell. There is little chance of a hydrogen gas explosion or corrosion when using these batteries; these are the safest lead acid batteries you can use. Gel Cell and some AGM batteries may require a special charging rate. I personally feel that careful consideration should be given to the AGM battery technology for applications such as Marine, RV, Solar, Audio, Power Sports and Stand-By Power just to name a few. If you don't use or operate your equipment daily; this can lead premature battery failure; or depend on top-notch battery performance then spend the extra money. Gel Cell batteries still are being sold but the AGM batteries are replacing them in most applications. There is a little confusion about AGM batteries because different manufactures call them different names; some of the popular ones are sealed regulated valve, dry cell, non-spillable, and sealed lead acid batteries. In most cases AGM batteries will give greater life span and greater cycle life than a wet cell battery.
SPECIAL NOTE about Gel Batteries: It is very common for individuals to use the term GEL CELL when referring to sealed, maintenance free batteries, much like one would use Kleenex when referring to facial tissue or "Xerox machine" when referring to a copy machine. Be very careful when specifying a battery charger, many times we are told by customer they are requiring a charger for a Gel Cell battery and in fact the battery is not a Gel Cell.

AGM: The Absorbed Glass Matt construction allows the electrolyte to be suspended in close proximity with the plateÕs active material. In theory, this enhances both the discharge and recharge efficiency. Actually, the AGM batteries are a variant of Sealed VRLA batteries. Popular usage high performance engine starting, power sports, deep cycle, solar and storage battery. The AGM batteries we sell are typically good deep cycle batteries and they deliver best life performance if recharged before the battery drops below the 50 percent discharge rate. If these AGM batteries are discharged to a rate of 100 percent the cycle life will be 300 plus cycles and this is true of most AGM batteries rated as deep cycle batteries.

GEL: The gel cell is similar to the AGM style because the electrolyte is suspended, but different because technically the AGM battery is still considered to be a wet cell. The electrolyte in a GEL cell has a silica additive that causes it to set up or stiffen. The recharge voltages on this type of cell are lower than the other styles of lead acid battery. This is probably the most sensitive cell in terms of adverse reactions to over-voltage charging. Gel Batteries are best used in VERY DEEP cycle application and may last a bit longer in hot weather applications. If the incorrect battery charger is used on a Gel Cell battery poor performance and premature failure is certain.

[streetsurfer]

Deka AGM used here also. It was temporarily in the Duc but is now the replacement for the AGM that came in the KTM LC4. That the original in the KTM went for almost 6 years without a maintenance charger on it regularly and seldom gave me any trouble, was the reason I bought another AGM. Similar technology to the Optima batts, of which I had one last 8 years in a plow truck, so I am sold on AGM. The only time it gave me grief was when a clock was hooked up to the bike. I now pull it's fuse during long periods of non use. There will be another AGM going into the duc when I get the Regulator replaced. No more worrying about acid dripping on wheels swingarm or chain.

[persempre907]

So Ducati batteries are in my wine cellar at wintertime and i visit there enough often to "charge batteries and cure myself" also! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I prefer to store the wine in my cellar.... :lick: :lick: :lick:
:funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny:

I saw the battery below, that costs the same as medium quality battery.

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... &rd=1&rd=1

Now, I'm guessing it's poor quality. I put a new Yuasa battery last december and I paid it twice!!! Now it's dying....

Last question, I've an automotive charger that put out 7 Ah.

Would I have to buy another one or it's a way to use the mine?

Ciao

[streetsurfer]

I'd say no. You need to be down around 1.25 amps if I recall. Even 2 amps can over charge a motorcycle battery, I believe. I suggest a Battery Tender Plus for AGM. There are surely others that will work but that was the most readily available to me.

[Kasman]

Your friend is right - you get regulator issue's.
There are many different type's of batteries and they are all need different charging.
There are maintenance free batteries where the acid is replaced by gel.
But then you still need to charge it ones in a while.

[Finnpaso]

Last question, I've an automotive charger that put out 7 Ah.

Would I have to buy another one or it's a way to use the mine?

That 7A is surely TOO MUCH to mc battery!!! 907 have 16Ah battery and then 16 divided by 10 is 1.6 A maximum charching current !!!! Simple thing, Frankie!

Btw, those small current mc battery chargers are very cheap things and easily find such from near all mc shops. Many have such connetors, that you only connect wires to battery terminals with male/female connectors to somewhere "little hiden place" out from fairings and then You can easily put charger to that connector, no need to take saddle away, or fairings off, etc.... Pasos have easily accessible batteries, but ST4S have it in totally ugly place, so need some wires and connectors to make such system, OR charge battery via 12 Volt output socket, like i do in my ST4S I have also added to my 907 that female cigarette lighter socket, so i can charge battery that way and use also easily mobile charger, when driving bike. Mobile to tankbag and its charcing there.... Good system, when traveling!

Frankie, remeber to check Your bikes charcing voltages. I write notes in this topic earlier. Need to hook only multimeter in DC voltage range to battery, drive and make notes about voltage/rpm. But be carefull same time looking multimeter and traffic. Better do that in straight road without other traffic... Maybe You have bad regulator, cause You lost good battery soooo (too) early !!!!

[don_zielke]

WOW! This should be a sticky (or in the FAQ). You guys are awesome!

What a timely post, as I need to replace the battery in the Sport and was looking for a non-wet cell battery to do it. I'd like to do an AGM if I can find one to fit...

The battery in my bike is a YB16AL-A2, but I can't seem to find a cross-reference for an AGM replacement. Can I just look for another 16 and hope it fits the battery tray?

Where did you find your AGM bettery? Was it an exact match or did you find one that was "close" and go with that? Are all Deka batteries AGM? What about this one:

Deka ETX16L

[persempre907]

Antti is awesome, not me .

I checked my regulator at still bike, at idle and at 5000 RPM.

The top voltage I found was about 15V and at idle was about 12,5 - 13V.

In the Electrex manual I read the top voltage was about 15,4V.

So, I thought all was OK.

Also, have I to check it when the bike is running?

Ciao

[mrinflux]

great post jon!

unless u ride every day though, any battery installed in a 907 will go dead prematurely if not constantly connected to a trickle charger. this is due to a ducati design flaw. we've all heard the various explanations as to why: the clock, (the most favored theory), dirty fuel filter, on-board computer, amoung others.

further complicating matters is the rectifier issue. the stock 907 rectifier is, at best, a marginal component. they're famous for short lifespans and spotty performance. so even if ur riding every day, unless ur one of the lucky ones whose rectifer is working as designed, u may very well be draining ur battery while riding!

ducati's answer to this problem is simple: buy a trickle charger! only an italian or british bike manufacturer could get away w/ this. nobody would accept this "solution" from a german, american or japanese bike manufacturer. it's part of the joy of owning a ducati. u gotta love it!!

i'm not suggesting it doesn't pay to buy a good battery. but if u don't have a trickle charger, ur wasting money. a good battery will last longer than a mediocre one, but w/o a trickle charge, even the best battery won't last very long in a 907.

peace