battery with generator

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nmaineron
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battery with generator

#1

Post by nmaineron »

What's the word with the Ion and dry, non acid batteries with a generator system? I plan on using a model 51, 6 volt or a 65, 12 volt, running just the bare minimum lights and horn and a mag for ignition.
flat38
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Re: battery with generator

#2

Post by flat38 »

I have been using this battery in my UL with a Cycle Electric generator for more than 10 years without problems. http://www.alienmotion.com/am4.html
It is a Lithium Iron battery and does require a special charger. I have had mine hold a full charge for more than 3 years during extended maintenance downtime. Last week I happened to be on the HD web site and saw that all the new batteries that the Moco is now selling are LiFe batteries.
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Re: battery with generator

#3

Post by nmaineron »

Thanks flat38, Have you used it at all with a stock generator? Which regulator or relay?
flat38
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Re: battery with generator

#4

Post by flat38 »

I have only used it with the CE generator/regulator but the specs for the battery have a minimum charging voltage, so as long as a generating system maintains that voltage, there should be no problem.
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Re: battery with generator

#5

Post by Mongrel505558 »

I'm using a 12V dry cell computer UPS battery that fits in my panhead's horseshoe oil tank with a lot of room to spare. I have a CE generator with the end-mounted low output solid-state regulator. Since the bike is kick-only I don't need much amperage to get her started and then the trusty CE takes over. I've been doing it this way for years with no failures and a bright headlight at night. The battery is less than 20 bucks and I usually get two or three seasons out of one. I don't even know the part number. I go to a place called "Batteries and Bulbs" and pick something off the shelf that's the right dimensions and 12V. This bike is a mutt, so I use whatever I find works best.
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Re: battery with generator

#6

Post by RooDog »

My question about the Lithium Iron batteries is if they require a special charger to bench charge one of them, how is it the that the conventional charging system on a motorcycle works with one?
....RooDog.....
And I did mean Lithium Iron, not Lithium Ion....
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Re: battery with generator

#7

Post by Mongrel505558 »

RooDog wrote: Fri Feb 18, 2022 9:43 pm My question about the Lithium Iron batteries is if they require a special charger to bench charge one of them, how is it the that the conventional charging system on a motorcycle works with one?
....RooDog.....
And I did mean Lithium Iron, not Lithium Ion....
Amperes, or Amps, is just the rate of flow of charge, or current. There are no special kinds of amps, and you don't determine how much current flows through a device - the device takes what current it needs. So as long as a charger isn't so big that it can deliver too much current (give the battery the charge it's calling for too fast, creating heat and cooking the battery chemicals), any charger or generator of the right voltage limits (up to about 14.6 volts) will do.
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Re: battery with generator

#8

Post by RooDog »

Jim....
In my mind this question was raised, but at the time I was talking with a sales rep for Antigravity Li batteries, I smelled "snake oil" and moved on down the line to the next vendor's booth. This was at a Easyriders MC Dealers' Expo in Cincinnati, maybe ten years ago. The batteries are compact and light weight, but the cost is a big issue for something new, at the time, to the MC market.....
....RooDog....
https://antigravitybatteries.com/produc ... utomotive/
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Re: battery with generator

#9

Post by flat38 »

According the Alien Motion Batteries, their charger is more of a cell balancer which enhances the life of the battery.
http://www.alienmotion.com/chargers.html
I don't know if it's BS or not, but I've had this battery a long time and it still works just fine.
Here is a link to an explanation of the differences between lithium ion and lithium iron battery technology:
https://goenergylink.com/blog/key-diffe ... batteries/
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Re: battery with generator

#10

Post by panhead_kicker »

Knock on wood; since beginning to use Deltran brand battery maintainers religiously, I've gotten 7+ years of life on several "glass mat" batteries. And the batteries are still providing good service today. 65 Servi stock, 64 Duo 12v electronic voltage regulator, 69 Electra glide stock, 97 FLHP stock
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Re: battery with generator

#11

Post by doc9339 »

For kick only, I use those batteries you see in security lights for b/u power: Small, AGM, 12v, can mount in any position. I had one last tens of thouands of miles in a rigid. About 2 years ago they were about $40
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