1 OEM Battery vs. Aftermarket Fri Apr 29, 2016 6:46 am
kdiv2011
active member
Hello K100 Forum,
It's been sometime since I have posted a question, and I am feeling good about having one to ask....meaning it's a legit question (for me) and not a 'I would like to know something just so I can join in on the conversation' question.
I believe my battery is needing to be changed out. The bike turns over at the start of the 1st crank and then drops off almost immediately and sounds like a 'dead battery' crank. Any further cranks all sound like a dead battery turn over. With a multimeter on the battery it has 12.30+ resting volts and drops down to 2.3ish when attempting a crank. It returns to 12.20+ volts with only the slight drop noticed. I know this really isn't a 'load test' but is it telling me what I think?
I have called around and I can only get a OEM "61 21 1 459 650" battery without ordering/waiting. The parts guy wasn't able to tell me anything about the battery other than, "I have one in stock." I don't know the AmpHr or the CCA. Searching on Google I found a BMW Battery with the same part number and it's listed as 12V 25A 130A, I assume it's the same battery and also that the 130A is the Cold Cranking Amps??
I have also found a battery that appears almost too good to be true.
https://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/lithium-iron-batteries/sstx30q-fp.html
It has a whopping 530 CCA, more than enough to ensure the starter cranks the engine in the cooler mornings. It does warn that, "LiFePo4 Batteries are sensitive to heat. If the battery will be sitting directly on top of the engine and/or surrounded by the oil pan, we do NOT recommend using any Lithium Battery." I don't believe this is a concern on my K100LT.
Of course I am certain that there will be a price difference, I didn't ask what the price was for the OEM battery although I am sure it'll be around the $100 - 150 mark. The LiFePo4 will likely be $310 + s/h & duty, so closer to $400 which is a bit more than what I want to spend on a battery. But if it would give me 4 years of excellent cranking than it would be worth it.
So, the question. As my bike is getting older everyday, is the high cranking amps good or bad. Are the 130 CCA's of the OEM enough for the bike, does anyone have any experience (good or bad) with LiFePo4 batteries? I know the answer is dependent on lot of variables, how old is the bike (1990 with 154,000+ km), the riding (fair weather), some extra electronics/electrics, bank account balance (heavy bold red font).
I am leaning toward the OEM just purely for cost, it's available now without waiting, and there won't be any surprises. But the lower CCA's cause me concern.
Cheers!
Todd
It's been sometime since I have posted a question, and I am feeling good about having one to ask....meaning it's a legit question (for me) and not a 'I would like to know something just so I can join in on the conversation' question.
I believe my battery is needing to be changed out. The bike turns over at the start of the 1st crank and then drops off almost immediately and sounds like a 'dead battery' crank. Any further cranks all sound like a dead battery turn over. With a multimeter on the battery it has 12.30+ resting volts and drops down to 2.3ish when attempting a crank. It returns to 12.20+ volts with only the slight drop noticed. I know this really isn't a 'load test' but is it telling me what I think?
I have called around and I can only get a OEM "61 21 1 459 650" battery without ordering/waiting. The parts guy wasn't able to tell me anything about the battery other than, "I have one in stock." I don't know the AmpHr or the CCA. Searching on Google I found a BMW Battery with the same part number and it's listed as 12V 25A 130A, I assume it's the same battery and also that the 130A is the Cold Cranking Amps??
I have also found a battery that appears almost too good to be true.
https://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/lithium-iron-batteries/sstx30q-fp.html
It has a whopping 530 CCA, more than enough to ensure the starter cranks the engine in the cooler mornings. It does warn that, "LiFePo4 Batteries are sensitive to heat. If the battery will be sitting directly on top of the engine and/or surrounded by the oil pan, we do NOT recommend using any Lithium Battery." I don't believe this is a concern on my K100LT.
Of course I am certain that there will be a price difference, I didn't ask what the price was for the OEM battery although I am sure it'll be around the $100 - 150 mark. The LiFePo4 will likely be $310 + s/h & duty, so closer to $400 which is a bit more than what I want to spend on a battery. But if it would give me 4 years of excellent cranking than it would be worth it.
So, the question. As my bike is getting older everyday, is the high cranking amps good or bad. Are the 130 CCA's of the OEM enough for the bike, does anyone have any experience (good or bad) with LiFePo4 batteries? I know the answer is dependent on lot of variables, how old is the bike (1990 with 154,000+ km), the riding (fair weather), some extra electronics/electrics, bank account balance (heavy bold red font).
I am leaning toward the OEM just purely for cost, it's available now without waiting, and there won't be any surprises. But the lower CCA's cause me concern.
Cheers!
Todd
__________________________________________________
www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html says
Data for vehicle identification number: WB1050607L0178661
Model: K100LT |Market: Europa | Type: 0506 | E-Code: K589
Engine: 4-ZYL - 1,00l (66kW) | Body Color: Rot Metallic (654)
Production date: 17.01.1990