2 Minute Moto - Should I Buy A Lithium Battery?

2 Min Lesson - Should I Buy A Lithium Battery?

Is a lithium battery the right choice for you? It’s a common question, so Lemmy’s here to give his thoughts on who should consider using a lithium battery, and what kind of application might be right for one. Don’t toss your lead acid or AGM battery just yet. Take a couple minutes and get caught up on the great battery debate.

[HotRodTypewriter]

I used to only ride 1000cc superbikes. I had to. Then I lost 160 pounds. I went from 350 to 190. Best thing you can do if you are a motorcyclist is lose weight. Now when I ride I can feel how even adding 5 pounds changes my bikes feel. I have a 250cc dual sport weight savings help. Don’t underestimate power/weight ratios. Try it. Every 10 pounds you lose your bike will feel that much more alive, so will you.

[FT]

Buys a light lithium battery. Installs it using heavy steel cage into the bike.

[andyblack]

Some people say their lithium battery won't crank the starter or cranks slow when it's cold, but if you just turn the ignition on and let the headlight shine for about 30 seconds, it will wake up the lithium battery and it will then crank the starter as normal.

[FFS]

After having to replace my stock HD AGM battery under warranty 3 times in 2 years I decided to switch to Lithium and haven't looked back since.

[ManWrenching]

I went with Lithium on my Indian Scout because it offered double the cranking amps. Solved my problematic hot restart problems.

[TwoWheels]

This video is 4 years old. A lot of change in BMS and chip technology. Get lithium and forget about it.

[lostinpa-dadenduro]

It’s the most cost effective way to reduce weight on a dirt bike. Especially of the battery is located under the seat and high up. Ditching a big chunk of weight sitting high up on the bike improves bike feel.

[chaasayadsawapah]

Well I am now using an Antigravity in my Aprilia Rsv4 factory track bike. On the track the battery is fine. Seldom do I take her on the street. However, when I do. I am having to pull over because the battery has kicked off because of heat. I also have a Shorai which never had that issue. I can tell the difference with the weight. I will probably just stay off the street. But for those that ride on a regular basis. Be mindful of this.

[TheGizmoGarage]

6 years after this video, I bought a bike in late 2024 with an antigravity lithium battery installed in early 2018. Voltage is measured at a healthy 13.8v with a mostly parked bike... As time has proven, it's obviously best to have a lithium battery, which can last up to 10+ years, while an OEM AGM is at most 2-3 years at 50% of the cost. It's a no-brainer.

[Moonfleet]

Hey Lemmy, Thank you so much for including my clip in the video here, it was an honour to be involved with RevZilla... Take care and ride safe. Del.

[Junk]

Lithium battery works great on my Harley. Great cranking power! Super light. Expensive. But worth it if you can afford it.

[Peter-]

What about touring bikes that have a lot of add on accessories? Would Lithium be a better choice?

[Gteknik]

I was hoping you talked about the weight savings. I’ll just Google it, I guess.

[seguetonowhere]

I see a lot about cold climates, but how do lithiums handle hot weather? Tucson gets ridiculous in the summer, would it still.make sense?

[JoshuaSaundersAtLarge]

I had an AGM battery cracking the crappy battery tray on an aluminum frame dual sport. I reinforced the tray and swapped in an antigravity. It's been across the country and back, on the TAT, and everything from freezing to 110 degree dessert. I problems. I did put in a complete cutoff switch to eliminate parasitic drain. Not good for hard starting carbed bikes on that first start of the year, but mine's still going after 4 years.

[riduck]

LiFePO4 is smaller, so we can keep the essential set of booster cables in the batt box. 👍

[MarcEasen]

I was thinking didn’t Delboy use a lithium battery for his street fighter bike and he appears (@ 1:37)!

[Elevated]

I really don’t know which one to get for my Ninja 650. I am going to be hooking up some underglow to it, I dunno if that makes a difference.

[sebrofc]

So tired of replacing lead acid batteries in my bike, paid well over $100 and get one season out of it complete waste of money. Used a tender and ran it once in a while during off season and still died and no recharge. Just bought a lithium and will give it a try, right off the bat the weight difference is astounding and all in a smaller package. Hope it works out in the long haul. Cant say as I agree with his relability statements regarding SLA AGM batteries.

[Firestorm]

Lithium is great if you store your bike during the winter. No trickle charger needed as they Lose charge very little over months. Whereas most old school batteries become very weak as they near time to be charged, lithium’s have full cranking power as it nears it time to charge. So one will start your bike vs the other just slow crank and die. Lithium is more recyclable and less toxic to the environment. They should out last old school lead batteries, in theory. If you have to replace your battery, pay the extra and go with the lithium. Battery and tires are important on a bike so do not sell yourself short. Just a few years ago around $400 now almost as competitive as old school. Car lithium batteries still too expensive as a much larger lithium battery needed but they will come down on price