Damn these YUASA batteries got expensive. Alternatives?

I put the Stelvio battery on the tender a bit too late this winter and I lost my battery which won't hold a charge.  I bought the current one in 2017 for $89.60, now it seems everyone wants $138.95 for the same battery!  (YUAM6220C - YTX20CH-BS)

Looking for an alternative.  I've run a Motobat in the GRiSO before, but they don't seem to be available in the States anymore.

The secondary market is LOADED with cheap YUASA YTX20CH-BS "equivalents" from China, but I'm reluctant to go that direction.

Ran across this Lithium jobber from Battery Tender that looks promising with a spacer to boost it's height.  Anybody have any experience with the Battery Tender / Deltran lithium batteries?  I've never tried a lithium battery before.

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How about any of these recommendations from Amazon?

Feel free to suggest another alternative that you've had good luck with.

Personally I'd swallow the extra cost & go genuine YUASA again....over 8 years (on a tender) & still working fine, what price reliability & long life ? I have no experience on alternatives beyond Motobat on my V50 & it doesn't seem as well made (only 1 year in)

Steve, you probably want somewhere between 12 and 16 AH for any LiFePO4 battery. That one pictured may start your bike but I would consider it a bit underpowered. At the end of the day, it's the CCA that really starts the engine - the more the better.

Apart from that they work fine - mines been in for close to 8 years or maybe more, I can't remember.

This Bikemaster battery has been going strong for about 6 years in my GRiSO.

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I’ve also had good results with the Firepower brand in other bikes.

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AVOID any battery Made in China. Go with the YUASA and just pay the price. You will be glad you did.

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Mine has 360 CCA. I'd recommend getting something rated at that as a minimum.

beetle wrote:

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Mine has 360 CCA. I'd recommend getting something rated at that as a minimum.

Likewise but before you do make sure there is no parasitic drain or you can kiss your expensive lithium battery goodbye real fast. If it ever gets drained below a critical voltage (which can happen surprisingly quick as the capacity of lithium is far lower than equivalent lead-acid) they usually can't be saved.

Motobat was selling direct on EBay last summer. I think they were $80 but they are a little light on cca in the GRiSO size. They shipped out of Jacksonville

I just replaced my original with one of these:

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Supposed to be identical to the US made Yuasa, which appears to be the case.

Prompt service, they also threw in a free DT830 meter (this is almost a gag gift, but still cool to throw in a backpack or give to a kid etc).

I changed my Yuasa from the factory last year (after 10 years) with an EXIDE Batterie YTX20CH-BS. It's an american company and i bought it from Power Manutention SARL from France, they sell also on ebay - good service.
After one year, there is nothing to say about it - a lot of cars and motobikes are equipped from the factory with Exide batteries.

It's ETX20CH-BS.

Not yet convinced on the lithium battery thing. If they happen to go flat they seem to toast themselves. Yeah, they’re lighter, but on a motorcycle that weighs just short of quarter of a tonne anyway, then really, what difference is there? My bike (2014) still has its original Yuasa (keep it on a trickle charger) and wouldn’t hesitate to replace it with same.

Not always is toasting the outcome. Really depends on the battery and the BMS within. A few of us use SSB PowerSports batteries with no issue. A few of these I have seen quite flat, but always come back to life with a charge.

Fair enough, but the old lead acid version seems to have reliability and longevity on its side. When you’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s 6am on a frosty shit-cold morning, and you hit the stater button, you want the prick of a thing to start.

replace the stock battery with a new Yuasa IMHO

My Lithium Batt experiences have all been frustrating, could be a false economy

don't forget to factor in the cost of a Lithium specific charger which will likely be poorly made and probably won't last long either!

You don't need a lithium specific charger. Any old non-fancy charger or 12V power supply will work. The requirement is that the charger doesn't have a desulphation circuit.

Brent S wrote:

Fair enough, but the old lead acid version seems to have reliability and longevity on its side. When you’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s 6am on a frosty shit-cold morning, and you hit the stater button, you want the prick of a thing to start.

To be fair I was worried about the infamous cold starting of lithium, but I've had 0 issues this winter with my new lithium even when it was below freezing. Sometimes I had to press the start button twice, that's it. There is also the fact that LiFePO4 batteries are used in many snowscooters.

This is becoming a tire thread.......
I have had 2 Motobatt - mbtx16 that I bought on Amazon for about $105 delivered. Like previously mentioned, comes out of Jacksonville and I think it says it’s made there. Replaced the first one after 4 years just because I’m a worrier.....was nothing wrong with it. I was an mbtx 20 for$120.

I saw an mbtx 20 for 120 today.

just put an exide on mine 50 quid instead of 100 plus for the yuasa all good so far and 3 year warranty

Exide ETX20CH is rated at 220 CCA £50/$65 18AH (Good reviews on bikes not Guzzi's)
Motobatt MBTX16U is rated at 250 CCA £80/$104 19AH (Poor reviews on some Guzzi's)
Yuasa YTX20CH is rated at 270 CCA £120/$156+ 18.5AH (Excellent reviews all bikes)

You pays yer money you takes yer chances.

I have a Exide ETX on my 1100 kept outside not on a tender but used pretty much every day

I have a spare Yuasa YTX20CH which shows 75-80% on the battery tester - kept on an optimate...

It looked old so i bought a new one to get the starting crisper - it made no difference (the 2nd startus fix made the difference).

£20 and you pick it up if anyone nearby needs one?

Btw you can see it on test before you take it away - but the test does drain some CCA