Battery

flornz

flornz

XS400 Enthusiast
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I have a Yuasa YB12A-A Battery on my 83 Maxim. I plan on getting it filled with the proper amount of distilled water plus recharging it.

This is the battery:
http://www.amazon.com/Yuasa-YUAM221...r=1983|1983&carId=002&n=15684181&s=automotive

And this is my charger:
http://www.geniuschargers.com/G3500

Questions:
(1) Is this a good idea or this will be all for nothing? What can go wrong here?

(2) I saw somebody using Antifreeze/Coolant instead of distilled water. Is that the better option?

(3) If I get a new battery, what would you recommend?

Thanks.
 
1) Can't hurt to try.
2) Distilled water only! Anything else will contaminate the battery.
3) A brand name battery. Avoid store brands as they are usually crap (Canadian Tire is a good example of crap). AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries last longer, are maintenance free, and provide more power, but cost more. Walmart carries AGM batteries and if I remember correctly, they are around $90CDN as compared to about $50 for a regular battery.
 
Use distilled water only. A gallon of it will last a long time:thumbsup: AGM batteries are best.
 
I'm on my second one of these exact same batteries that I bought from my local Yamaha dealer.....

1) The Yamaha dealer filled it with electrolyte and charged it up for me.

For some reason 2 of the cell's in my first battery got toasted (normal cell's are blackish and toasted cell's were clear) and both me and the dealer are a bit baffled as to why.

I only used the first battery for about 15 to 20 minutes to do some trouble shooting. Then removed from the bike and trickle charged for a couple of hour's then stored (not on the charger). When I finally got back to re-starting the bike, would NOT turn over, dim lights etc. Tested at 9 amps I think. Tried charging nada.

Took back to the dealer and he had the same issue on his HIGH end charger. The dealer is a great guy and gave me a new battery, filled, charged to 12.81 Amps.

The bike's been turning over fine since with the new battery!!!!!!

2) The manual for the battery say's to use a 1 to 1.5 AMP Hour charger. I have a 2 Amp Hour charger which my dealer tell's me SHOULD be OK but it's pretty cheap one from Canadian Tire so I when and if I need to use it again I'm going to double check both the manual for the charger and battery and keep an eye on the battery.
 
I had the same issues with a battery from them:shrug: I did get a summer out of it but that was it. It cost a lot from the dealership:doh: The last battery it had was a walmart cheap-o battery that I got 8 years out of:wtf: Should have went back for the same one.
 
My battery is from Canadian tire. Think I paid around $85 for it. They do have different grades. On my third year and going strong. Did have to put some distilled water in this spring though.
 
filterx said:
... The manual for the battery say's to use a 1 to 1.5 AMP Hour charger. I have a 2 Amp Hour charger which my dealer tell's me SHOULD be OK but it's pretty cheap one from Canadian Tire ...
Click to expand...
If you have that 2 amp orange one, be careful. I had one of those and it failed to be "automatic" and boiled my battery dry last summer. It would charge a low battery no problem, but I learned not to just leave it attached for more than an hour or 2.
flornz said:
I have a Yuasa YB12A-A Battery on my 83 Maxim ... And this is my charger: http://www.geniuschargers.com/G3500 ...
Click to expand...
Canadian Tire and Walmart batteries are made in a factory in Taiwan - probably the same one that makes the Yuasa. Walmart was about $10 cheaper at the time I was looking, but I'm not sure if they give any replacement warranty. Most of the guys in the CVMG that I talk to simply buy the cheapest of this type (some of them have 5 bikes) and they swear that, overall, their cost per year is far less even if the other battery types are technically or theoretically better.
You probably have 3 or 4 more good years left in your Yuasa - unless your bike's charging system is faulty. If not, just keep milking it. If in doubt, park at the top of the incline and you can always get home ... :wink2:
 
Here Western Wisconsin, our Fleetfarm sold me a battery for $35, the local motorcycle place wanted $45 for AGM. If I wasn't cashed strapped, I would have jumped for the AGM there. I charged my new fleetfarm battery for about 30 to 45 minutes, and I checked the voltage, It was reporting over 12 volts. enough for me to plug it and go somewhere. ((With a 2amp or 6amp charger))
 
Thanks for all the input guys.

So to summarize, I'll try recharging my Yuasa battery for now, while making sure I have enough distilled water in there. When it's time to buy, I'll go a more reliable name (ie: AGM) as oppose to getting the the cheapest batteries I could find.
 
Hey guys my name is Michael, I'm an avid reader on the forum but don't comment often. I'm in the market for a new battery, I have a Yuasa battery that's gone bad. Would this battery fit a 1981 Yamaha XS400 Special II?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/YTX20CH-...e-Free-Sealed-AGM-Motorcycle-Battery/35451182

I'm not really sure what to get since everyone has ups and downs with different models and brands. I'm running an electric start as well as kick so it would need to have plenty of CCA and I'm looking for the regular stock size, not a cafe racer size.

Thanks!
 
Fishwwc said:
Hey guys my name is Michael, I'm an avid reader on the forum but don't comment often. I'm in the market for a new battery, I have a Yuasa battery that's gone bad. Would this battery fit a 1981 Yamaha XS400 Special II?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/YTX20CH-...e-Free-Sealed-AGM-Motorcycle-Battery/35451182

I'm not really sure what to get since everyone has ups and downs with different models and brands. I'm running an electric start as well as kick so it would need to have plenty of CCA and I'm looking for the regular stock size, not a cafe racer size.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Looking at the dimensions it might be a little big........

My stock battery is 5 1/4 wide x 6 3/8 tall x 3 1/8 thick or ? I purchased a sealed one off amazon for my latest project that is the exact size and works great but of course there all gone now.......tried to get a link. I hate the non sealed batteries. I also run an electric start and kick also and has worked great so far.
 
spectra said:
Looking at the dimensions it might be a little big........

My stock battery is 5 1/4 wide x 6 3/8 tall x 3 1/8 thick or ? I purchased a sealed one off amazon for my latest project that is the exact size and works great but of course there all gone now.......tried to get a link. I hate the non sealed batteries. I also run an electric start and kick also and has worked great so far.
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for the help, do you recall what brand or model it is, maybe I can look elsewhere.
 
spectra said:
Looking at the dimensions it might be a little big........

My stock battery is 5 1/4 wide x 6 3/8 tall x 3 1/8 thick or ? I purchased a sealed one off amazon for my latest project that is the exact size and works great but of course there all gone now.......tried to get a link. I hate the non sealed batteries. I also run an electric start and kick also and has worked great so far.
Click to expand...
I found this one on amazon it's an AGM and I think it's sealed. https://www.amazon.com/CALTRIC-BATT...&sr=8-7&keywords=yamaha+xs400+special+battery
 
My local walmart does not stock the agm style to fit the sohc xs400. I went with the oem style and had very good luck with them. Take your old one with you as most need a core deposit or will charge you more. Also it will insure you get the right one. With lead acid batteries just remember to keep them full, keep them charged all year and keep them warm. I had one last for 8+ years. It still kept a charge but the cranking amps where too low for the bike to use the e-start. I was not going to kick it every time!!!! I got my use out of it. Time for a new one.
 
The last two lead acid battery I bought has screw on with rubber seal compartment tops on them. They never leak a bit. If the vent hose is where it should be (oem style from fatory) it will vent out and nothing gets on the bike. AGM is the way to go but if I have to modify the bike to make it work or spend $100+ dollars for a good one, I will stick with what I know works.
 
xschris said:
The last two lead acid battery I bought has screw on with rubber seal compartment tops on them. They never leak a bit. If the vent hose is where it should be (oem style from fatory) it will vent out and nothing gets on the bike. AGM is the way to go but if I have to modify the bike to make it work or spend $100+ dollars for a good one, I will stick with what I know works.
Click to expand...
xschris said:
My local walmart does not stock the agm style to fit the sohc xs400. I went with the oem style and had very good luck with them. Take your old one with you as most need a core deposit or will charge you more. Also it will insure you get the right one. With lead acid batteries just remember to keep them full, keep them charged all year and keep them warm. I had one last for 8+ years. It still kept a charge but the cranking amps where too low for the bike to use the e-start. I was not going to kick it every time!!!! I got my use out of it. Time for a new one.
Click to expand...

Wow thanks for the advice and knowledge. My e-start stopped working last winter (probably because the battery couldn't produce enough crank amps) because I left the battery outside, disconnected from the bike for two weeks while I went home for Xmas.
 

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