Big single and a weedy battery......? Get a big 'un!

[redland_doug]

Hi,

I've not had a look under the seat yet to see what they had to do, but from the invoice the part they fitted is a Varta YT12-B4 12v 12Ah unit. Varta site says its 151 x 70 x 131. Anyway, it obviously fits the Baggy OK - they did not mention having to hack around anything. I just love the eager way it fires up now!

Cheers,

Doug

[MSW]

Ah. I see it now. So, assuming that the terminals are on the same sides, the only issue would be the width. And as long as there's an extra 5/8" to play with in the battery tray, that R1 battery should drop right in.

Excellent!

Thanks again for the info.

[maxgain]

Fitted battery suggested by Linegeist. Went straight in Ok. Just need a little tweaking to re-fit the seat, but no major problem. The bike turns over much more ferociously now. Didn’t realise how poorly the old one was performing. Well chuffed !!

Also did a bit of maintenance, cleaned plug, bled front brake and for the first time attempted to adjust the valves. Couldn’t bleed the rear as the bleed nipple was on so tight I managed to round it off. Going to have to remove the brake line so I can get a socket on the nipple. Also sealed leaking exhaust where it joins the manifold.

Bike starts and runs really well now.

[Linegeist]

Fitted battery suggested by Linegeist. Went straight in Ok. Just need a little tweaking to re-fit the seat, but no major problem.

Thank goodness somebody else managed to do what I did...... I was starting to think I was hallucinating or had overdosed on fairy mushrooms. Nice one Max' - thanks for posting that.

FWIW, went out to the Skorp' last night (haven't been able to ride it for weeks, due to workload and lousy weather) with the intention of getting it started and some fresh petrol in the carb....... Hit the starter, and the bigger battery immediately made itself felt. The motor spun over with great gusto, and the engine fired within a few seconds - something that, hitherto, had always taken several 5-second attempts after a prolonged stand in the workshop.

As mods go, this has to be one of the most cost effective I've made to a bike in a long time. It'll be interesting what effect it'll have on the lights as the darker evenings close in (and if we get any dry ones in which to ride - at my age, wet biking is best left to people with wtaerproof skin).

[DAVID THOMPSON]

BIGGER IS BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO BATTERY'S

had a BMW R90S for 28 years it had an extra battery in the saddle bag for cranking
from late sept to mid may every year ran bike from main battery and cranked with the extra one
2 years had a wet cell nickel cad 10cell from a helicopter it was ok but you had to tune the voltage reg
to get it charged correct....
dave

wishful thinking is that they will put one in that will do the job
saw a HONDA ELEMENT suv the other day the battery in it was so small it was a joke

i have a HAM RADIO RIG i run in MY truck and van and i would have to put in more battery
its 100 watts single sideband (SSB) and on the Nissan truck i run 2 battery's to keep from stalling the motor at idle
if i talk on the radio 13 volts at 20 amp peak

[CasterTroy]

FYI for those of us on THIS side of the pond...


The Odessy PC310 is an exact match to the Hawker SBS-8 and made by the same company.

The SBS8 battery was originally designed for the electronics groups and Hawker makes much bigger batteries for many other applications.
This battery can be found, but is a little difficult at times. It is a little pricey as it is an AGM battery.

The Hawker battery is originally out of Europe like France and the UK. Now the battery is made or distributed by Energy Systems (enersysinc.com), but the interesting part is they also make the Odyssey battery (Hawker Odyssey) and the PC310 is the exact replacement for the SBS8 Hawker just under the Odyssey name. The size, weight and stats are the same even the color. The PC310 is more on our side of the pond. The Odyssey battery is a military spec battery designed for it's ruggedness and vibration resistants and long user life. They are widely used in aircraft because of these features. Price is around the $120-$145 mark, but readily available in the US and Canada

Here is an online source: http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/m ... PC310.html

[djsbriscoe]

Hi,
Will the Odysey PC310 battery fit in a Skorpion Travellers battery bay? My present battery measures 140mm High by 135mm (+12mm for vent) Long by 70mm wide. The Odysey's dimensions are 137.5 Long by 86mm Wide by 101mm High according to knightbatteries.
Does anyone actually have on of these batteries fitted to their Skorpion?
Please let me know.

Thanks,

David.

[ajwebonly]

David,
Yes I have the PC310 fitted. One of the first things I did. It costs a bit more but the performance is great. Its cranking ability is noticeably improved over a fully charged std battery. Since fitting it, jan 2008, starting has been completely trouble free, even after the bike stood for a couple of months without an optimate this winter. Size wise it is slightly smaller and fits easily but isn't so small that it rattles around. Highly recommended.

Cheers
Alan

[djsbriscoe]

Hi,
Thanks for the info.
Before I order one where did you buy yours from and did you have to change/adapt the terminals in any way?

David.

[ajwebonly]

David,
I brought mine from Knight Batteries ... http://www.knightbatteries.com/popup.cf ... p_i=298012

I didn't have to alter the bike wiring at all as the battery came with variety of fittings. So I simply used the screw in ones.
There is a photo of the battery in situ on my web site http://alanj.me.uk/html/mz_battery.html ( I've only just started it so please excuse the unfinished look )

Cheers
Alan

[irishnutjars]

Hi Folks (Doug in particular!)

Just getting my baggie back on the road now my Tdm is gone & am very intrigued with the fitting of a bigger battery.

I compared an R1 battery with my original side by side & It does look like it will fit ok; its a bit wider length & width but the same on height. The only problem I see is the terminals are the wrong way round!

Doug- is there any chance you could look under the seat & see if the wires have been adapted or if there was enough 'slack in the system' just to change them round?

Many thanks

Justin