Kelvin
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 posted on 16/1/03 at 01:07 PM |
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Motorcycle batteries to suit X/Flow
Hi All,
Has anyone used a motorcycle battery for a standard 1600 X/Flow lump?
What sort of type, prices etc are you using?
Cheers,
Kelvin
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zetec
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| posted on 16/1/03 at 05:36 PM |
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I got a small Nissan fit battery. It's about 2/3 size of normal small car battery. I paid £20 at local Cosco warehouse. I suspect a bike battery may
struggle with a X/Flow if cold and probably more than £20. Worth taking a trip to local battery suppliers and see what they have to offer. Let me know
if you want size etc.
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 16/1/03 at 09:35 PM |
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as zetec says, the starting with a motorcycle battery might be a problem.
An average car battery is rated at 40 amps. An average alternator is rated at 80 or more amps. So, under normal runnign conditions, the battery dont
do much - it helps when engine revs are low.
However, when a engine is started, you need a lot of amps - typically 250 - 400 or more. The size of the battery depends on its ability to supply this
high current for a short time at the highest voltage possible.
Plus, the colder a battery is, the less current it can produce, and the less able the engine is to start cos its cold - a double whammy. Perhaps you
dont wanna start your car in the cold.
However, if you dont choose a battery of sufficient starter current, you may not get the engine turning over to start. A motorcycle has a small
starter motor - a crossflow dont!
I suggest you take a look in Halfords at their batteries. Look for the one thats from the original car and note its starting current - this will be
listed as something like how many seconds it can maintain a voltage at a given current. Then look at all the other sizes they have and see how the
rating varies.
Then take a look at a bike battery - its likely to be small!
I have a cologne v6 2.4 litre. I didnt have the room for the normal battery, so I bought a small battery from halfords for a smaller car - summat like
65% of the power. Starts nice and strongly but its still about 3 - 4 times bigger than a bike battery!
atb
steve
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Viper
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| posted on 16/1/03 at 10:27 PM |
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Bike battery won't cut it.
If you want something small, the battery we use on our race car is the same size as an average bike battery and cranks a 4.5 V8 without any probs, bit
more expensive than a standard car battery but gel filled so you can use it upside down if you want to...thats what i am using coz i can hide it
away
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Wadders
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| posted on 16/1/03 at 11:30 PM |
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where do you buy those from? and what sort of price are they?. From bitter experience most bike batteries are worse than shite and tend to last about
10 minutes i'd rather pay a bit more for a good one.
Al
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Viper
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| posted on 16/1/03 at 11:45 PM |
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Most race suppliers should keep them (we get ours from the TVR factory) i know Demon Tweeks do this type of battery but they are known to be a tad
overpriced on a lot of things..ours are around the £80 mark..
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rayward
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| posted on 17/1/03 at 12:00 AM |
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batttery for a suzuki sj410 jeep is physically small but has reasonable power, might be cheaper
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Kelvin
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| posted on 17/1/03 at 08:18 AM |
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Hi All,
Many thanks for all the excellent replies.
I shal be visiting Halfrauds (oh goody!) at the weekend.
kelvin
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jollygreengiant
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| posted on 17/1/03 at 04:16 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Kelvin
Hi All,
Many thanks for all the excellent replies.
I shal be visiting Halfrauds (oh goody!) at the weekend.
kelvin
Why not price up a bosch battery from some of the good motorfactors down your way. (halfords batteries look suspiciuosly similar [allegedly]). You
might get a pleasant surprise. If they ask you if your trade just say yes I'm form locost-motors, down here for the week, and don't forget to ask
for trade price. You still get a guarantee!
Enjoy.
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Kelvin
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| posted on 17/1/03 at 04:22 PM |
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Oooh, sneaky!!! I like it!!
Kelvin
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 17/1/03 at 07:42 PM |
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btw
i am not saying BUY anything from Halfords.....
just take a good look at the batteries and their data books, then buy it best price from wherever. My local one has batteries in the open and you can
put a tape measure to em. Some factors have em tucked away so you have no idea of what you are dealing with.
atb
steve
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Jasper
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| posted on 17/1/03 at 07:43 PM |
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Wadders - check out Red Top batteries from Rally Design amongst others, fully sealed racing batteries from around £60. Lightweight and used by a lot
of BEC chaps as we only need the small one
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scutter
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| posted on 17/1/03 at 10:37 PM |
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I'm sure there's a joke there somewhere jasper
Take care Dan.
P.S. how was San Fran?
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Findlay234
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| posted on 22/1/03 at 03:59 PM |
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what about a Mini battery??
cheers
fin
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Jasper
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| posted on 22/1/03 at 04:44 PM |
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What is it with you boys and planes!!!
As for the Mini battery I would be careful as you need one rated to the engine size.
And Dan, California was fantastic thanks, warm and sunny all the way down the coast, only good thing about coming back was my 'baby' in the garage.
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scutter
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| posted on 22/1/03 at 05:31 PM |
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Jasper, It's the only way to get through the day
Anyway there might be a war on so I'm off to the Falklands.
Take care Dan.
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Jasper
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| posted on 23/1/03 at 11:11 AM |
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Good idea - get as far away as possible!!
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