http://www.shoraipower.com/default.aspx

They just launched this company back in November and these Shorai Lithium motorcycle batteries look fantastic, at least on paper. 1/5 the weight of a comparable lead acid battery, faster charging rates, negligible discharge and claimed two to four times the life all with a two year warranty. What's not to love here?

It all sounds good but I can't find anything out on long term results or whether these new batteries can cause charging system issues etc.

Anyone know anything, good, bad or ugly please let me know.

* Last updated by: Kruz on 1/3/2011 @ 11:56 AM *

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I heard they are not so good in cold temps? But haven’t tried one yet….I’d like to for sure but I use heated grips and gear so not sure it’s a real good thing in my case?

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Those look nice!

Don't you need a special charger for lithium batteries? Just tryin' to figure out actual cost.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/3/2011 @ 12:18 PM *

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Below 23C for get it. Had mine on charge for 4 hours Saturday. The Batt Still did NOT like the idea of turning over the big girl. Not to mention, after the pulsing of the starter you must do, you then must reset your dash. You know clock now at 12:00. Boooo.

270 CCA or don't bother.

The light weight comes at a cost. Great track day Batt if it's warm.

* Last updated by: Romans on 1/3/2011 @ 2:06 PM *

This is another board that I am on because I have 3 ZRX Kawasaki's. This is just something extra to look at and in no way an advertisement.

http://zrxoa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=251601

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Just finished reading the info. Sounds much better than the TurnTech but no mention of opt temp. hmmmm . Kruz you first.Lol

* Last updated by: Romans on 1/3/2011 @ 2:08 PM *

Lytnin, what do they say? You must log in to view.

Romans, there's a Honda dealer that carries these up in Denton, about thirty minutes north of me. They're closed until Wednesday for inventory but I am very eager to find out more and possibly buy one.

Here's what seems to be different about these batteries compared to other lithiums, it's a brand new company and they are manufacturing the entire battery in house for the specific application and in practical amp-hour capacities for daily street use. Some of the others like SpeedCell and Mavryk are buying cells developed for other applications and making up their own packs. The others are also marketing mainly for racers and the amp-hour capacities are too low for practical everyday street use. The Shorai's are large amp-hour capacity batteries, same as the OEMs and because of this they're going to be slightly heavier than, lets say, a SpeedCell. They're still only about 1/5 as heavy as a flooded lead/acid so it's still a win-win. The cold starting issue is a problem, 23C minimum is not practical around here in the winter so I am going to have to look into this. I don't care how light it is, if it won't crank when you want to go ride and leaves you stranded somewhere I don't want it. We'll see soon, more research coming before I drop my hard cash on it. I noticed your battery is only 5 amp-hour, it's probably incredibly light but that's just not enough reserve for everyday riding IMHO, fine for racing though. If you were to go to a 12 amp-hour or better a 14 amp-hour Shorai you'd pick up a little weight but I bet she'd cold crank just fine.

http://www.shoraipower.com/downloads/shoraiLfxInstallGuide.pdf

* Last updated by: Kruz on 1/4/2011 @ 11:36 AM *

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The one thing here that bugs me is that there is no mention of Best operating temp. These Batteries are all Lithium-Iron based. Sooooo, why no mention of Cold starting.

When these Batteries get cold you must pulse the starter. The more pulses the more of a charge you can extract from the batt and the stronger it becomes. But it's a fine line between getting more out of the battery and just plain killing it, as I found out the hard way. Where is that little tid-bit of info in the FAQ section ? Turn tech does mention this but these guys say Nothing. hmmmmmmm. Not to mention you have Zero cranking amps when it's Cold. Just the nice clicking of the starter to keep you company. YUK-E Then it's,,,,,,,,,,,, U-Know,,,,,,

Jump starting the 14 with this dead battery also sucks BIG TIME. It would seem that the engine needs to roll over for awhile before she will even get enough juice to ignite. 2nd Gear down to fist and then hang the fuck on. Weeee. I've only done this twice but have nothing good to say about it. Give it some care full thought before making the attempt.

All that being said, I still would be interested in that 270 CCA if it works in colder temps. 23C is just silly. The Temp here drops at night. Life

Facts are, it's still the best light weight mod for the doe.

Anyway, thought you should know. I hope all this helps, Cheers

"Cranks the engine 20% faster"....uhm...okay...compared to what?On a 450?No thanks.Another gimmick for the market.

I think we could agree here that "cranking the engine faster" doth not make a motorcycle start.Double talk..that's what I'm gettin from their descriptions.I'll stick with my trusty acid battery.The weight "savings" is...well...can you REALLY notice any difference in your bike's behavior?I couldn't.So you fill your fuel tank up...you just lost your weight savings anyway.I found lowering the CG was the easiest and most effective way to alter my bike's handling for street riding.

The turntech I bought...like Romans said....more hassle than it was worth.Waste of cash IMO.

Kinda like buying those "expensive" winter gloves that are rated at 20 degrees or some such thing.Sounds great...till you actually buy em and go for a ride at 20 degrees.Ya...hands are fine....for about 10 minutes.

I bought the expensive "winter gloves" from somewhere...some bike store.They looked and sounded the shi^."gotta have THOSE"..uh huh.In the meantime,while waiting for their arrival...I just bought me a pair of "cheapies" at the store I work at.You know...maybe 9 dollars or something.

Get my spendy name brand gloves finally.Put em on...go for a ride...nothing near 20 degrees.Friggin hands are chilled to the bone within a half hour.Fine...great...these are workin awesome I says to myself.Get home.Next day or somethin I put on my "el cheapos"...ya...the 9 dollar made in Taiwan pair.4 hours later of riding in the same or lower temps...my hands were nice and cozy.Money baby...THAT's what they're after....unfortunately.Figure it out...if they sell a million batteries at whatever the cost...and that's it...no repeat buyers...well...they've done great!And you're stuck thinkin...WTH did do that for?Happened to me more than I want to admit.

I've got like 6 or 7 jackets...all "supposed" to be for a "comfortable" riding experience...you know...leather,mesh,kevlar.Armor in "just the right places"....nice.Expensive.I wear TWO of those jackets.ONLY.Period.In all truth...I only need the ONE that I bought way back in 2000 when I first bought a "sportbike"(zzr1200).That jacket has been the best of all of em.Majorly versatile.And fully armored.VERY comfortable...even into high heats and low temps.I've wasted mucho dinero over the course of owning sportbikes.I'm never gonna wear these other "must haves".

* Last updated by: blue07 on 1/4/2011 @ 5:27 PM *

I'm all for weight savings but I ride in all temps most of the year and in some remote locations for sure so if it's not a proven deal I wouldn't bother with it.....

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I've got like 6 different pairs of "winter gloves"...I wear ONE pair exclusively...maybe two.A heated pair,and the EL CHEAPOS.Amazing the stuff I fall for.I must admit though...my Gankos are sweet(unheated).Lightweight yet protective(to a point) and warm.(okay,so that's 3).

* Last updated by: blue07 on 1/4/2011 @ 5:32 PM *

This is turning into a much more entertaining thread than I ever imagined it would.

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Sounds interesting, this new battery, but I am sticking with my regular lead/acid battery until these become mainstream. If they do.

^^^They've been around for the last 3 years and perhaps much longer. Dropping 30 lbs of low riding exhaust weight makes a huge difference in handling. I'm sure loosing 9- 10 lbs of high riding battery weight would be an improvement also. I'm usually faster on an empty gas tank than a full one.

* Last updated by: Rook on 1/4/2011 @ 9:20 PM *

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You ought to know me a bit by now Rookster...I talk about my failures as much as my "wins".I don't care.Life's too short.I'm just actually kinda usin the battery deal as a comparo to "fallin for the okie doke".Which is what THIS battery sounds like(to me).Stuff blows in here like a storm cloud....all bright and showy like.Bunch of guys bite..(me included)...then she blows on through....and then what?Never hear of the subject again.I mean...ya...it's cool.Just funny though how the ebb and flow of the money world goes.I've spent SO MUCH cash on stuff that I really didn't need..guess we all have to some degree.I'm a tad jaded when it comes to "new" stuff(in an "old" package).Most of the things I've bought since "sportbiking" has been legit,useful things....I just really didn't need it.

So I go online...you know..."shopping".For a new operating system.I was runnin windows XP.NOTHING actually wrong with the one I "had" on here.So I go and buy Windows 7.I run the compatibility wizard you know...to make sure my computer can deal with the programs and such in the new OS.Cool...it reports..."fine".WooHooo!Okay...I'm upgradin then.Not very spendy...119 dollars for a brand new OS.

So I buy the OS.Install.She goes in fine.HOWEVER...this is a seriously big HOWEVER...I can't get online now...my network adapter won't support the new OS.WTH????And...to top it off...I've lost my xp OS to boot!.So I can't take the win7 off and reload my xp.FUC%!!!!I'm stuck.Nothin I can do.Well...heck with that.I call Microsoft...after several run arounds...I get this tech in .....INDIA.Yep...you know about this most likely.Oh he's a real guy...BUT...his English is like ...fairly broken.I spend the whole day virtually trying to get it through to him what's happening."here,go to 'my computer.click on...' ya ya ya.Like I've never used a PC before.He can't help me(God Bless him...he was givin it all he could).I end up tellin him what I need to do!SHEESH.Anyway...I say to myself"aw,shi# man,screw this...I'll BUY another xp and just reload it,get that friggin win 7 off there".

OKAY....so I get online..(after I went and bought another NETWORK ADAPTER CARD).Find this pc company that sells OS's and such.Ya...79 dollars...SHWEET...brand new XP OS.I pay the bucks.Get a download link the next day.Download that puppy.Goes in fine...WoHoo...back to my good running system again.Get er all customized again how I want it...you know,several hours of tweaking it .Reload all my saved programs and such.Everything's just ducky again!

Go to activate this bad boy....ooopps...the "key" no worky.WTH????Try again...completely reload and set er up again...try the key...nope...she aint gonna activate.I'm a tad pissed now.I've got 30 days and counting until this baby shuts down....forever!

I contact the seller...tell him what's happening.AGAIN..."reload the program in CUSTOM mode"...ya...that's what I first did...custom...for a FULL install.BOTH times.Key NO WORKETH.What I've got apparently is....a pirated,counterfeit copy of Windows XP.I tell em this...nicely.(even Microsoft said that when I went to activate it"YOU MAY BE A VICTIM OF COUNTERFEITING...this copy of XP is NOT VALID)...Great...just great.I again tell em...it would be cool IF you could refund the money I payed for a WORKING copy of XP.The guy says(in an e-mail)...."here's a link to teach you how to download and setup your XP PRO program".Okay....I'm speaking to an .I don't have XP PRO ya moron.This is after several e-mails telling em my XP HOME EDITION won't activate...and several replys telling me"reload in custom mode".Geez...I tell ya....(I should have realized when I purchased the thing at the beginning)....their main store(if that's what it is) is in CHINA!!!!!!I wrote em back and said...Ya..okay...you all have a wonderful new year.Aint heard back since.

On the PLUS side though...I got my Win 7 to work very nicely.She's a sweet OS,just took some time to personalize her...that's all.And that's my story.For now.Today.

Anyone want to buy a downloaded ready to install XP disc?It does work...if only for 30 days at a time!

The Turntech....was....a disappointment.Live and learn.

Shorai......Shoei....hmmm....little pirating goin on there?Namewise?WHERE are these babies made?The REAL source.Sorry,just can't help but see the similarities here .They're probably perfectly fine.

"I go faster when my tank is empty"...or somethin like that.Ya gotta watch that "goin faster" when she's readin "empty"...Bro...you'll burn up yer remaining.8 tenths in a heartbeat if ya aint careful with yer throttlehand!!!!!I found myself tryin to "get there" faster on low fuel.Lucky I didn't end up stranded!Ever hear that little voice when that tank display starts flashin "empty empty".First thing it says is..."HURRY UP NOW...YER GONNA RUN OUT IF YA DON'T GET THERE QUICK!!!" That's the WORST thing you can do...is go faster!

* Last updated by: blue07 on 1/5/2011 @ 1:38 AM *

Which all goes to show you, warez are bad. :)

I still have the same XP Pro I have used on 3 machines since it came out. It was lightyears ahead of Win98.

Vista was a pig, and Win7 is ..... well... why should I bother ? I don't want to buy a brand new computer just to run Win7.

Oh, Blue, if you ever find a "online pc store" (thats a joke, in the industry) that will let you download
a complete operating system like XP or Win7, or Adbobe Photoshop, or Dreamweaver, or CS5, stuff like that.... just say no.

"If it is too good to be true, it probably isn't"

As for batteries for my ZX14, the one in there works great and when it quits working I'll decide what to replace it with.

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My win 7's doing well...I'm likin it more than the xp...though to me that was a cool os.Thanks for the heads up on the download deal.I figured they were okay....NOT.The Win 7 came direct from Microsoft.Key and all worked superb!

BTW...the store's named PCdeal4U.Don't get anything from them...unless ya feel like headin to China to get any support!

* Last updated by: blue07 on 1/5/2011 @ 4:43 AM *

I'm usually faster on an empty gas tank than a full one.

.... I'm usually faster on an empty stomach.

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Most of the things I've bought since "sportbiking" has been legit,useful things....I just really didn't need it.

Ya...same here...but I'd have to say the bike itself was in that category. So what did I do? I turned around and bought another one. lol/? And when I can swing it, I'll get a small track bike. It's okay. I don't spend big on anything else and I never did. All things considered, I still pretty frugal with the bikes.

...after several run arounds...I get this tech in .....INDIA.Yep...you know about this most likely

oh gaaaawd OH GOD! yes i do and how.

Try to explain the problem , you know they don't have anything more than the slightest idea about what your situation is---- and they are going to fix it? ...and they are always soooo polite and under control while you are getting boiling pissed over here on the other side of the world. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Don't ever get rude with one of them because they WILL politely explain that you are being an abusive customer and politely "end the call." Had a situation getting my internet service going and I was so happy after several attempts with Indian service reps to finally get routed to a Mexican guy right here in the good ole US of A. He was able to understand me perfectly and solved the issue.

"I go faster when my tank is empty"...or somethin like that.Ya gotta watch that "goin faster" when she's readin "empty"...Bro...you'll burn up yer remaining.8 tenths in a heartbeat if ya aint careful with yer throttlehand!!!!!I

Agreed. Only in and around town where I'm close to a station. I do notice a bit of a more hooliganistic riding style comes out.

Hope the OS keeps working well for ya. I have a Mac and after almost 2 years, I'm starting to really like it.

Now batteries.........yeah.

My battery has been activated for almost 3 years and it seems good as new. I wish it would crap out on me so I could buy a new lightweight. Yes, it would need to operate in temps below 23C. Shheeesh, that's 73 F. Doesn't get much hotter than that more than ~15% of the year here.

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.... I'm usually faster on an empty stomach.

Same principle.

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Superbike Supply quoted me $130 on a 14 amp-hour Shorai, same price as the OEM Yuasa YTZ10S for my CBR 1000RR. Here's the FAQ link, several guys on the ZX6R and CBR 1000RR sites are going to try them. I think I will to. FAQ link here:

http://www.shoraipower.com/t-faq.aspx

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Thanks for the link, Kruz. I didn't find the FAQS when browsing their site. That aswered my questions about chargers.

Now my only concern would be the temps.
Here in the NW, I need a battery to be reliable at 45 or 50 degrees F to be practical. Probably not a concern for you southerners.

Might be worth $130 to give a shot. Romans' and BG's experiences have me thinkin' I might be wasting $$$ though.

On a side note... Superbike Supply is awesome! They almost always quote the best prices and have fantastic customer service and communication.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/5/2011 @ 2:14 PM *

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I don't think this is the same type of battery as the Turntech.I think this one behaves like a regular lead/acid battery doesn't it?Immediate cranking voltage?If so...ya...might well be worth gettin for the weight savings.

I think this one behaves like a regular lead/acid battery doesn't it?

I guess that is the real question. No one actually has one of theses yet, so time will tell.

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