Not trying to be a smart-ass, and to some extent I guess it makes sense. Still, I'm thinking that recent developments may have made mods like that unnecessary for most of us.
I get it that some of us go way off the beaten path, and that getting back is not guaranteed if the bike won't start. Nobody likes to walk out and leave a lot of camping gear,
personal items and of course the bike to the mercy of whomever passes by. Still, I think some put the kicker on primarily because they don't like to deal with having a low or
dead battery when taking the bike out for an infrequent ride from home. Chargers, etc.
Back in '84 I was nervous when I bought my new Honda V65 V4 which had no kick starter. First bike I ever owned without one. It turned out OK, despite my misgivings.
Later Deltran brought out their Battery Tender, made primarily for bikes. By hooking up the supplied pigtail to the battery and running it to an accessible place on the exterior
of the bike, plugging in a charger no longer involved digging through bodywork to get to the battery.
Much easier, but still a PITA if you are in a hurry and the battery is down.
A couple of years ago new technology made low batteries and chargers almost obsolete. I'm talking about lithium-ion batteries.
A few firms brought out those new batteries sized for bikes. Shorai and AntiGravity were the first that I saw. Early reports were almost unbelievably good.
I had a one year old Ducati 1100 V-twin which was a slow starter with the stock battery. The battery tested perfectly so there was no logic to replacing it with another like it.
I dreaded the day when it would go from "slow starter" to "non starter" because the battery on that bike was buried down inside the bike and would take a good mechanic with
a full assortment of tools half an hour to reach it. I ordered a new AntiGravity battery for it.
When it arrived two days later I opened the package and could not believe it. The old battery weighed close to ten pounds and was huge in dimensions. The new li-ion battery
weighed two pounds and would have easily fit in a pocket of my cargo shorts. It came with some foam pads to keep it from sliding around in the battery box.
The Ducati started up with the first touch of the button. Since then it occasionally is slow, but definitely an improvement over the stocker. Both AntiGravity and Shorai say that
the discharge rate on their batteries is so low that they can sit without being used for up to a year and still start a bike.
I got very sick in November 2011. Did not ride at all for 3 months and didn't ride the Duc for more than four months. After sitting all that time without being charged, it
started immediately. (Fortunately I had put Star-Tron in the gas tank) I'm convinced.
AntiGravity states the life expectancy as four or five years. It has been in my bike for almost two years. Shorai claims five or six years for theirs.
The AntiGravity battery is older technology than the Shorai. The AG has more cold cranking amps than the Shorai but the Shorai has more reserve capacity. Next time I'll
probably go for the Shorai.
Either battery can be charged, so long as the charger has no de-sulfating cycle. The Deltrans do not.
The first thing I put on my TW was a Deltran charger pigtail. Pulling the seat to access the battery is a PITA, and that problem is solved. I'll be ordering a new Shorai for it
before long. The only downside is cost,(around $150.) but pro-rated over 5 or 6 years it is certainly worth it to me. Unless I do something dumb,like running a lot of power
tools or accessories off it, my TW will start, period.
I understand that a kick starter kit for a TW results in the cases supporting the shaft with no internal support. The cases break, I am told. Not to mention the additional
weight. Instead of adding weight, the li-ion battery takes weight off.
For those who have a kick starter, I'm not knocking them, but for those thinking of adding them, I'm offering the idea that it may be unnecessary. Food for thought.
NOTE: I originally called my battery a ZeroGravity. It is really an AntiGravity. I just corrected it.
I get it that some of us go way off the beaten path, and that getting back is not guaranteed if the bike won't start. Nobody likes to walk out and leave a lot of camping gear,
personal items and of course the bike to the mercy of whomever passes by. Still, I think some put the kicker on primarily because they don't like to deal with having a low or
dead battery when taking the bike out for an infrequent ride from home. Chargers, etc.
Back in '84 I was nervous when I bought my new Honda V65 V4 which had no kick starter. First bike I ever owned without one. It turned out OK, despite my misgivings.
Later Deltran brought out their Battery Tender, made primarily for bikes. By hooking up the supplied pigtail to the battery and running it to an accessible place on the exterior
of the bike, plugging in a charger no longer involved digging through bodywork to get to the battery.
Much easier, but still a PITA if you are in a hurry and the battery is down.
A couple of years ago new technology made low batteries and chargers almost obsolete. I'm talking about lithium-ion batteries.
A few firms brought out those new batteries sized for bikes. Shorai and AntiGravity were the first that I saw. Early reports were almost unbelievably good.
I had a one year old Ducati 1100 V-twin which was a slow starter with the stock battery. The battery tested perfectly so there was no logic to replacing it with another like it.
I dreaded the day when it would go from "slow starter" to "non starter" because the battery on that bike was buried down inside the bike and would take a good mechanic with
a full assortment of tools half an hour to reach it. I ordered a new AntiGravity battery for it.
When it arrived two days later I opened the package and could not believe it. The old battery weighed close to ten pounds and was huge in dimensions. The new li-ion battery
weighed two pounds and would have easily fit in a pocket of my cargo shorts. It came with some foam pads to keep it from sliding around in the battery box.
The Ducati started up with the first touch of the button. Since then it occasionally is slow, but definitely an improvement over the stocker. Both AntiGravity and Shorai say that
the discharge rate on their batteries is so low that they can sit without being used for up to a year and still start a bike.
I got very sick in November 2011. Did not ride at all for 3 months and didn't ride the Duc for more than four months. After sitting all that time without being charged, it
started immediately. (Fortunately I had put Star-Tron in the gas tank) I'm convinced.
AntiGravity states the life expectancy as four or five years. It has been in my bike for almost two years. Shorai claims five or six years for theirs.
The AntiGravity battery is older technology than the Shorai. The AG has more cold cranking amps than the Shorai but the Shorai has more reserve capacity. Next time I'll
probably go for the Shorai.
Either battery can be charged, so long as the charger has no de-sulfating cycle. The Deltrans do not.
The first thing I put on my TW was a Deltran charger pigtail. Pulling the seat to access the battery is a PITA, and that problem is solved. I'll be ordering a new Shorai for it
before long. The only downside is cost,(around $150.) but pro-rated over 5 or 6 years it is certainly worth it to me. Unless I do something dumb,like running a lot of power
tools or accessories off it, my TW will start, period.
I understand that a kick starter kit for a TW results in the cases supporting the shaft with no internal support. The cases break, I am told. Not to mention the additional
weight. Instead of adding weight, the li-ion battery takes weight off.
For those who have a kick starter, I'm not knocking them, but for those thinking of adding them, I'm offering the idea that it may be unnecessary. Food for thought.
NOTE: I originally called my battery a ZeroGravity. It is really an AntiGravity. I just corrected it.
