RE: Gel battery specs?

["microdoc" <microdoc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm assuming the battery in question is a no-name-brand Chinese knock-off at
that price. If so, I would advise you to pass on it. Those off-brand
batteries often do not deliver the amp-hour rating marked on them, and may
result in frequent and annoying ABS faults at start-up (necessitating a
re-start to clear the fault). I would advise you purchase the new battery
from your BMW MC Dealer, or at least some other trusted source. BTW, are you
sure the battery you are looking at is actually a gel battery? I don't think
I've ever seen a real gel battery for anything like $100 or less. The price
sounds more like an AGM battery (nothing wrong with that); in fact, I
believe the correct battery for your bike is the AGM battery, not the gel
type (I don't own a Roadster, so I could be wrong). Check with a BMW dealer.

Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Rivera [mailto:marr@xxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 7:56 AM
To: oilheads@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: Gel battery specs?

Hi, all.

Does anyone know the specifications on the gel batteries? (I'm
thinking of the one that goes in my '97 R1100R.)

I've found a 12V/18Ah battery that looks to be the right size and says:

Standby use - 13.6-13.8V voltage regulation, 2.7A initial current

Cyclic use - 14.5-14.9V voltage regulation, 5.4A initial current

Is this sufficient? I have no idea what the current draw is on the
moto's battery during start-time and run-time...

Normally, I would just buy the official battery, but hey, this one is
$120 cheaper and that could get me a motherboard for a new honeypot.
:>


Mark