Lithium Ion Replacement battery

[Smittydc]

Has anyone tried Lithium Ion replacement batteries. They are supposed to hold a charge better in cold weather, and weigh a lot less.

However, I've had trouble with them holding a charge. I know they are more finicky about the charging voltage, and I'm wondering if the alternator on the buddy isn't getting the job done?

I'll probably just go back to sealed lead acid, but thought I'd ask if other have had a similar experience.

[avescoots1134]

The biggest upside to Lithium batteries are the weight savings and a longer duty life. Sounds good.. but..

Lithium batteries in motorcycles have more downsides than upsides. Especially in the cheaper variety, lithium batteries have less cranking amps than their lead acid cousins. Also, some operate at a higher voltage so the battery isn't actually charging until you reach cruising speeds. This brings us to the main issue with Lithium batteries

Once it goes dead, the cells become damaged and it will not recharge. Also you should be using a Lithium charger to charge the battery.

Lithium is a great technology which is getting cheaper and cheaper by the day. I dabble in radio controlled cars and the power and capacity available from these tiny and lightweight batteries are nothing short of amazing. Using this as an example, the "computer" or speed controller in a modern radio-controlled car built for Lipo batteries has a low voltage cutoff. Back in the day you'd run until the car ground to a hault from a dead battery. Like I said before, this would permanently damage a Lithium battery. Also in a RC car you can easily leave the battery unplugged while in storage to prevent anything from discharging the battery.

TL:DR - Lithium batteries are for race bikes. Otherwise get a high quality SLA.

[sc00ter]

If its cold out and you go to start the scoot and get no or weak start with a lith, its not a weak battery. You have to get them warm before they release their full power by having something come on first (like headlights) to get the voltage moving. Lith batteries work great on my SYM because when you turn the key the headlights come on and the scooter does a quick systems check, worked not so good on the Buddy 125 because the led brake light was not enough draw to wake it up, so I had to kickstart it. Went back to a old school battery for that. Mind you, this was in 40 down to 15 degree weather. I dont use battery maintainers as I ride year round and rotate out the scoots on a regular basis, besides, I dont have the special battery tender that is required for a lith battery yet.

[djp4059]

One thing you'll need to do, is to find out how many volts the charging system on your bike puts out. You can damage a lithium battery if your bike puts out more than 14.6 volts. Most bikes put out over 15 volts at higher rpm's.

[GregsBuddy]

I use Shorai batteries in three bikes. No issues. There is much misinformation out here.
14-15 volts is the correct output of a healthy scoot voltage regulator and exactly what Shorai suggests.
No outgassing mess in the battery department.
Lead-acid batteries loose 1 volt per month of non-use. LiFe loses 0.1 volt per month. Storage is no issue.
DO use the Shorai charger to extend the life of the battery. It has two modes; Store and Charge. Store levels the battery at a lower voltage for storage.

[babblefish]

In a pinch, I've used a 3-cell LiPo battery (12.6v, 6aH) from my RC car in my scooter when the lead battery died. I only left it in there for a few days until I could get a regular lead battery, but I may figure a way to go permanently with the LiPo because the engine cranks over so much faster. The voltage of the LiPo doesn't sag very much under load like a regular lead battery does. Plus if I ever store the scooter for more than a month (rare to never), the LiPo won't go flat. In order to permanently use LiPo, I'll probably have to modify the charging system in order to prevent overcharging the battery. A low voltage alarm would probably be a good idea too.