[Hashim]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Dont always blame the battery...I think your battery wasnt charging fully, leading to sulphation and premature failure. If the starter was sluggish, did you get your battery and charging system checked? Here's what I have noticed in Indian traffic conditions which may or may not apply to you:

Many two wheeler riders unknowingly keep the rear brake pedal partially depressed with the tip of their shoe. That leads to the stop light (about 21W/1.75A) being on continuously and the battery getting drained especially in low speed short runs. Then of course is the propensity of our janta to honk their way thru traffic. A horn takes about 3A of current. Stopping the engine at signals and using the starter when the light turns green makes it exponentially worse!

It all boils down to the kind of charging system on the bike and if it is able to keep up with the electrical drain and charge the battery at the same time. Most two wheelers have relatively weak charging systems.

Cheers!

Yes ofcourse first thing I did was getting my bike electricals checked (electricals are still under warranty) and there were no problems found. I checked myself the charging current of my bike using multimeter and compared with few new gladiator standing in show room. They were all same.

My town is pretty small with not much traffic so frequent braking, honking horn is not much.

What I have noticed that since the bike was bought, they battery almost rarely needed any water top up and the water level was always at Max level. Battery plates look new, no white deposits. Since other things like indicator and horn are working fine so I am still using this battery till it die fully.

[Raccoon]

^^^Same here. Neither the OEM Amco, nor the Exide needed much topping up. Mebbe less than once a year! But like I said, the Exide wasn't half as good. But then usage was very erratic.. and bike was mostly ridden in the evenings/nights (lower temperature time).

[Ravi Kashyap]

Batteries!
Well I have been using an Exide Dry Battery (the ones that are put in a UPS) in my Kinetic and Dio for the past 8 years and I believe there is nothing better for these two wheelers. When I first experimented with it the mechanic was surprised by this modification and now swears by it. He has successfully used these on a lot of two wheelers since then.
The advantages:
* No electrolite leakage so no expensive damage to paint/ chhasis/ body ect.
* No topping at all- a true maintaiance free.
* Safe even if the vehicle falls.
* Fits in so neatly that its almost impossible to steal unless a lot is opened.
* Surprisingly the life is very very long- no idea as to why.
As far as four wheelers- I think there is nothing worse than Exide.I really wonder if it "drives the Nation" as someone said. Have had very bad experience especially of electrolite leakage ( its very damaging for the vehicle).
Amaron, Panasonic & Bosch are good. Never had a problem in either of the 4 vehicles.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

It's really funny that the original post was about INVERTER batteries (which are quite different from automotive batteries) and the original poster never followed it up with another post on the subject !!

[sgiitk]

I have used SF Power Box in my Inverter. The battery lasted for about 3-1/2 years and replaced with the same. I am sure it would have lasted longer but a charging problem was initially misdiagnosed as a battery problem which led to the replacement. However, the capacity was declining.

Both Exide family (SF is part of it) and Amaron re excellent brands. I prefer the Amarons for my cars. So got for either and you should be Ok.

[Hashim]

Originally Posted by Ravi Kashyap

Batteries!
Well I have been using an Exide Dry Battery (the ones that are put in a UPS) in my Kinetic and Dio for the past 8 years and I believe there is nothing better for these two wheelers. When I first experimented with it the mechanic was surprised by this modification and now swears by it. He has successfully used these on a lot of two wheelers since then.
The advantages:
* No electrolite leakage so no expensive damage to paint/ chhasis/ body ect.
* No topping at all- a true maintaiance free.
* Safe even if the vehicle falls.
* Fits in so neatly that its almost impossible to steal unless a lot is opened.
* Surprisingly the life is very very long- no idea as to why.
As far as four wheelers- I think there is nothing worse than Exide.I really wonder if it "drives the Nation" as someone said. Have had very bad experience especially of electrolite leakage ( its very damaging for the vehicle).
Amaron, Panasonic & Bosch are good. Never had a problem in either of the 4 vehicles.

Rechargable lanters have 6v 4.5Ah battery. I used two of these batteres to make 12V and fitted it in my Puch when I was in 10th grade. These are also sealed batteries and require no water. I also tried UPS battery but it was not fitting under seat.
How about combining few of these UPS batteries in parallel to increase ampere and use in car ? According to my calculation 5 UPS batteries will be suffficient for any normal car.
Also I have tested that one ups battery was capable enough for cranking my esteem engine 3 times

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by Ravi Kashyap

Batteries!
* No electrolite leakage so no expensive damage to paint/ chhasis/ body ect.

As far as four wheelers- I think there is nothing worse than Exide.I really wonder if it "drives the Nation" as someone said. Have had very bad experience especially of electrolite leakage ( its very damaging for the vehicle).
Amaron, Panasonic & Bosch are good. Never had a problem in either of the 4 vehicles.

You remind me of one more grudge I have against Exide! The damn thing is very prone to formation of a corrosive layer on the top. Also leakage. That inspite of having an appropriately attached drain tube! All this has corroded the metal bracket that holds the battery. I don't think I'll get another one now (spare parts for Suzuki Shogun not easy to get), to replace it. It even rapidly damages the rubber strap that holds the battery... so soon there is nothing to hold the battery on the metal bracket.

Exide sux!

One very important issue I have had several times with battery dealers and service centres - they invariably fill distilled water above the MAX. mark... in fact they fill the battery to capacity! In this country chock full of sloppy people, this is one more thing you have to prevent like the plague!

[Ravveendrra]

Those guys from Amar Raja batteries make great batteries under Amaron and other brand names. I bought my first one about 8 or 9 years ago and none of the batteries ever gave a problem.

Cheers

[Gurkha]

Panasonic, Yuasa, BOSCH Germany and Varta but guess what, if you have LORD OF DARKNESS LUCAS TVS alternators, no battery is good for you, it will kill the best.

[Ravi Kashyap]

Originally Posted by Hashim

How about combining few of these UPS batteries in parallel to increase ampere and use in car ? According to my calculation 5 UPS batteries will be suffficient for any normal car.
Also I have tested that one ups battery was capable enough for cranking my esteem engine 3 times

Yes Hashim. If you ever get an equivalent battery for a car please let everyone know. That would be nothing better. Larger inverter batteries are liquid electrolite type so I wonder if something like that size gel type electrolite battery exists.
I have also wondered why car & bike manufactures do not mount the lead-acid barrties on a plastic (non-corrosive) base with a drain pipe all the way down- like in a bike. I had an issue in the Indica and a Maruti where the Exide battery leaked and completely messed up the new vehicle. I then applied a thick coat of underbody spray. That worked well but had to be reviewed often to prevent further deterioation.

[Raccoon]

^^^Well its not just the spillage and all that causes corrosion. Even the gas given out will cause corrosion.

Two things to avoid like the plague:

1) E X I D E !

2) Don't let anyone fill distilled water beyond the MAX mark on the battery.


Another issue which nobody seems to bother about is the quality of water added in the batts. Since most people leave this to the service centers, it remains a big variable in the battery's life. Needless to say, most mechs just add tap water...

[Ravi Kashyap]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

2) Don't let anyone fill distilled water beyond the MAX mark on the battery.
Another issue which nobody seems to bother about is the quality of water added in the batts. Since most people leave this to the service centers, it remains a big variable in the battery's life. Needless to say, most mechs just add tap water...

So very true. I usually collect rain water sometime mid monsoon when it has rained continuously for a few days. This I use for topping up up Batteries, Wind sheild wash tank, radiator and in steam iron (for cloths). Works very well and you are sure of its purity.

[shreyas99]

Can someone throw light on the below ?

- Will the overall battery life decrease if the standard HLamps are changed to a
higher grade like 90/100 or above ?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by shreyas99

Can someone throw light on the below ?

- Will the overall battery life decrease if the standard HLamps are changed to a
higher grade like 90/100 or above ?

Your charging system and battery are sized according to the max power consumption with OE fitted electrical items.

In any vehicle it is the alternator supplies the electric power when the engine is on. If there is a deficit or when the engine is off, the battery supplies the power

Remember that any change over to high powered headlamps or audio systems will draw additional power from your alternator. Shouldnt be a problem by itself but do take care of your battery and check your charging system at regular intervals.

Instead of 100/90s which can discolour your reflector housing (due to the tremendous heat they produce) and require fitting relays, why not try the 'overdrive' +50% or +80% bulbs by Philips and Osram which consume the same power/wattage (60/55w) as OE fitted bulbs but produce significantly more light. These bulbs do not need any mods to the wiring nor do they require relays. Its simple plug and play.

Regardless of what you decide to go with, always carry 2 spares and replace both bulbs at the same time.

Rgds,

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

^^^Well its not just the spillage and all that causes corrosion. Even the gas given out will cause corrosion.

Two things to avoid like the plague:

1) E X I D E !

2) Don't let anyone fill distilled water beyond the MAX mark on the battery.


Another issue which nobody seems to bother about is the quality of water added in the batts. Since most people leave this to the service centers, it remains a big variable in the battery's life. Needless to say, most mechs just add tap water...

Point 1) - Here we go again.

Point 2) is very common. Mechanics (technicians to use the more modern equivalent) at even authorised battery dealers tend to fill batteries to the brim as if it were a water bottle and this is one of the main reasons you see deposits on the terminals and on the battery hold-down clamps. This kind of a prob is exacerbated during hot weather where the electrolyte expands even more due to the heat. Distilled water is available in sealed bottles but that's not an assurance of purity by itself.

Commuter bikes prevalent in India arent as affected by battery reliability and capacity the way cars are.

Rgds,