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2017 V7 III Special... recommended new battery?

lucydad

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Famiglia
Joined
Aug 27, 2012
Messages
193
Location
Downingtown, PA
Hi,

The combination of extremely hot Gulf Coast TX temperatures, not a lot of riding and a 2 year old bike seems to be suggest it is time for a new battery on my Special. Starts have been sluggish, but improve after riding maybe 20 miles. I am going to try a trickle charge to see if that helps. If I conclude it is time for a new battery, may I ask for a suggestion please?

thanks!
Lucydad
 
What is the "Restart Button" on that battery all about???
Says right in the text on the purchase page... ;)
"The RE-START Battery intelligently monitors its status, and just before going completely dead puts itself to sleep with just enough energy to get your vehicle started again. Simply press the RE-START button located on the battery, start your vehicle and ride away!"

So if you do something dumb like walk away leaving the ignition turned on, or leave an accessory plugged in, it won't kill it completely.
 
Most excellent, and thanks-- I shall monitor my Special. If the battery keeps being dicey due to age/use I will purchase one of these Lithium batteries. The guys on the MV Agusta highly recommend the lithium type.
 
I installed one of the Antigravity batteries (previous series) in Racer after some bad experience with the OEM Yuasa lead-acid battery. (That one seemed to have been defective from the start: some oddities in idle, quirky starting behavior, curious charging system behavior, wouldn't hold a charge properly, etc etc. The dealership supported me and provided a replacement credit for it under warranty three-four months after I purchased the bike.)

To keep a short story short, the LiFePo battery performed much better than the OEM Yuasa for about six months, but ultimately failed and would no longer take a charge in less than a year (put in service in middle Feb 2018, dead in middle December 2018). Todd helped as much as he could, I spent a good bit of effort communicating with the company about warranty for it, but ultimately I was disappointed in their response and their offer of compensation for what I considered to be way too short a lifespan for a $200 motorcycle battery.

To replace it, I ended up purchasing a Motobatt MBYZ16H 12V 16.5Ah AGM battery for Racer from another vendor in early February of this year (2019). It is rated at a bit more cold cranking amps than the OEM Yuasa and is a maintenance-free battery. It is, of course, a bit larger and heavier than the LiFePo but fit nicely like the original battery did.

Most important to me is that it's been absolutely reliable and provided flawless service since. Measuring all the charging system states with it in place, it is right on the money to the Moto Guzzi specs. It and the motorcycle have sat unattended for up to four and a half weeks during the very wet and chilling Spring we just had. Upon fitting my charger after that long sitting stretch, the readout indicated that there was nothing to be done to charge the battery inside of two minutes ... the Battery Tender's sophisticated charge and conditioning cycle just flipped over to long-term maintenance mode. And the battery cost me less than half what I paid for the LiFePo. Racer starts up perfectly, every time I press the button.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with the performance I'm getting with this battery. How well it performs over time, and how long it lasts, remains to be seen. But so far the indicators are good. The way it's held charge and provided good starting, etc, when the motorcycle was unused for longish periods, and in cool weather, is far better than either the OEM Yuasa or the LiFePo battery: it's the way all my motorcycle batteries of the past have behaved.
 
To keep a short story short, the LiFePo battery performed much better than the OEM Yuasa for about six months, but ultimately failed and would no longer take a charge in less than a year (put in service in middle Feb 2018, dead in middle December 2018). Todd helped as much as he could, I spent a good bit of effort communicating with the company about warranty for it, but ultimately I was disappointed in their response and their offer of compensation for what I considered to be way too short a lifespan for a $200 motorcycle battery.
I appreciate the candid posts here guys.
To be fair, I wasn't able to follow up as the vendor on this battery, as Godfrey went direct, and I wasn’t able to assist nor did I know the end result until after. They (AG) have had some ups/downs in the last year or so. When they started, they were incredibly solid... I still have a ~9 year old version in my Stelvio, one that I moved from my '09 to my '13 that lives on to this day untouched (meaning not once hooked to a charger ever.)
Since they (AG) have gotten immense traction and have become an OEM supplier, quality and attitude have suffered somewhat since. A good friend that started the company has long ago left, with him, much of the customer support that created the solid product and business model.
All said, Godfrey's was the last generation pre Restart (sleep mode) technology (I believe?). These newest versions seem solid again, as I put them through the test on my rental and personal bikes. Without them (LiFePo), my GTM builds couldn't exist so cleanly.

Ending with, this Forum is a sales platform to support the site. Along with the thousands of dollars and hours that go into it here largely for free, product sales go to support the costs. This site isn’t Facebook or other free social media platform.

Appreciate the business Godfrey and all others!
 

I have this battery, can't recommend it enough. Bike has been starting brilliantly with it. My bike when it had the lead-acid version would take a bit to crank, always felt like a "maybe it'll start" feeling, even when it was brand new from the dealer. But the lithium really kicks butt. Been really happy. And the charge has been really steady for a year that has seen very minimal mileage.
 
I have used lithium battery in my last 4 bikes and I recommend it.

Less weight, great starting power and less size. You can let the bike a lot time without start and after with only you touch start button the bike turn to the life fast.

In Europe I bought JMT lithium battery and the same battery worked in two Stelvio, one Breva and one BMW k1200GT.

When my V85's battery dies, I will buy other.
 
I have this battery, can't recommend it enough. Bike has been starting brilliantly with it. My bike when it had the lead-acid version would take a bit to crank, always felt like a "maybe it'll start" feeling, even when it was brand new from the dealer. But the lithium really kicks butt. Been really happy. And the charge has been really steady for a year that has seen very minimal mileage.

Question please: will this battery fit my 2017 V7 III Special? Doing a search in GT does not show this battery for V7 III
 
Todd,
Thanks, when I am convinced battery is my issue, I will order. We have had extreme heat here, might also be a factor in original battery struggling to hold charge?
 
Just replaced the 7 tear old original battery in my 13 Special. Still worked geat and would take a charge but I got stuck once with a bad battery on my BMW so I decide to avoid any surprises. I would not leave it on the trickle charger constantly just top it off once a week per my mechanics suggestion. Installed the Yuasa specified replacement.
 
Todd,
Thanks, when I am convinced battery is my issue, I will order. We have had extreme heat here, might also be a factor in original battery struggling to hold charge?

sorry I never responded but I live in an area that has 3-4 months of 100 degree weather. I don’t have a garage but an plastic shed that you’d get at Home Depot. I also get frost in the winter. Reminds me a lot of Dallas weather minus the humidity. This battery has been insanely rock solid whether I’m pulling it out and getting out in a 110 day or in a 45 degree day. It cranks exactly the same every time and faster than my stock battery (at least it seems to).

i also don’t have the ability to run power to the shed to do a trickle yet this batter has been phenomenal and consistent in crank even in long breaks between riding.
 
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