Romans' and BG's experiences have me thinkin' I might be wasting $$$ though.

I think it was BG, Blue and Myself that all fell victim for the first generation of these batteries. It only stands to reason that the market for these little weight saving beauties is Extremly high. Maybe the second time around they will perfect it?

I would order one Today if they had the temp thing solved. Clearly they do not. If they did, that info would be worth some serious bragging rights and would be all over their web site.
I'm sure other companies will be on board with more of the same soon enough.

Still some one has to be the guinea pig. Sooooo,,,,, Batter up. Kruz ?

No one actually has one of theses yet, so time will tell.

Rook is correct.

We Need someone with a 14 to tell the tale. The Good, the bad & the ugly. This person must have a way with words, while being objective, hmmmmm do we know a person like this ? 600s and 1000s just Won't do. For the info to be credible the battery must be in a 14 with some cool wheather.

Kruz it has to be you. Lol

Dogo...45,50 degrees...this should not be a problem?That's far from freezing.I don't see why this new batt would not have full cranking volts at 45 degrees.I keep a batterytender on mine all winter.Even if I didn't she still fires up IF I run er occasionally.

Somehow I think this "new" battery is getting confused(?) with the other Turntechs.Those were a different type of battery completely.The turntech did exactly what they were advertised to do.They weren't defective.This battery is a different animal.

I stand corrected.It is NOT a different animal.It's the same components as the turntech.( )
Something seems different though...the turntech is only a 6 month warranty.

Since it IS much smaller than the stocker...perhaps it could be cradled somehow with some foam padding to keep it from getting too cold?IDK.IF I did get one...she'd be on a tender during the winter anyway...just to be ready.My tender will float charge...so there's no heat or overcharge problem with that.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 1/5/2011 @ 4:45 PM *

Dogo...45,50 degrees...this should not be a problem?That's far from freezing

That's what I was thinkin'. My ninjas are fair weather toys. Rethinkin' those #'s though. Cuz say I leave my place (about 150' above sea level) and it's 45 outside. If I head into the mountains the temp is gonna drop 5-10 degrees. So 35-40 degrees would probably be a safer #, for me. So if these Shorais perform like the Turntechs, Speedcells, etc... they're no good to me.

Somehow I think this "new" battery is getting confused(?) with the other Turntechs.Those were a different type of battery completely.

I stand corrected.It is NOT a different animal.It's the same components as the turntech

Who's confused?

Since it IS much smaller than the stocker...perhaps it could be cradled somehow with some foam padding to keep it from getting too cold?IDK.IF I did get one...she'd be on a tender during the winter anyway...just to be ready.My tender will float charge...so there's no heat or overcharge problem with that

The foam may help. IDK. One of the lithiums, Marvik???, comes with foam. Don't know if the guys with those are having any better luck.
I'm not worried about the battery's performance while it's at home. I'm worried about it out on the road. Less weight savings if ya gotta carry a spare.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/5/2011 @ 5:12 PM *

Me...I was confused.

One of the lithiums, Marvik???,

It was Maviryk... and it doesn't look like he includes foam anymore... and his prices have gone up considerably since the time that he was.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/5/2011 @ 5:43 PM *

OK folks, after some careful research this is what I found. The first generation Lithiums were Lithium-Ion cells and were marketed mainly to the racing crowd who wanted minimum weight at any cost. The cells were the cylindrical A123 type developed for other high current demand applications such as power tools. Example: DeWalt electric screwdriver Some enterprising individuals fabbed these cells together into packs, TurnTech, Speedcell, Mavryk come to mind here. They did not catch on with the non-racing crowd i.e. everyday commuters and sport riders because of the aforementioned cold cranking issues but the racers loved them and learned to lifve with their unique problems. As these batteries heat up, their internal resistance drops and they deliver more current, just like a Nickel Cadmium battery does. Because of this, some of the earlier Lithiums would experience thermal runaway or vicious cycling during high rate charging just like Ni-Cads are prone to do and would explode. Not cool when the battery is right below the fuel tank and your family jewels a couple inches aft. The flip side of that coin is they have high internal resistance i.e. low current output when cold. Pulsing the starter heats up the cells and causes the internal resistance to drop and current goes up. Like Romans said, this resets your MFD display everytime you try and cold start. Not good!

OK fast forward to Shorai. This is a Japan based battery manufacturing company that is employing the latest LiFe Poly type cells aka Lithium-Iron Polymer Prismatic cells . This is a different cell chemistry from the first generation Lithium-Ions and has different characteristics. These guys have spent a small fortune setting up an ISO 9000 compliant plant to build light weight motosports batteries, they are dead serious. They have no intent of building automotive batteries at this time so their market is focused. The first gen packs were limited because the cylindrical A123 cells came in limited sizes and had be paralled and serialed together to get the desired amp-hour capacity and voltage characteristics. They didn't always fit into the battery box and had to be wrapped in foam rubber or whatever to fit. These new Lithium Iron Prismatics are custom manufactured with rectangular plates and each battery is shaped to fit into the existing battery box. Just think of a lead-acid battery but 1/5 the weight.

These guys are not marketing to racers, although they do make lightweight applications for this. They are aiming right at the lucrative OEM replacement market...that's you and me. Would they invest this much time, effort and money bringing to market a product which will not cold start a motorcycle...and then offer a two year warranty? I'm banking that these guys are not fools and they have done their homework and know what they have. These batteries are going to work fine......most likely. If they don't then the bad news will spread like wildfire and they will be out of business like all the other bad ideas we've seen hit the market over the years.

Next question, who's going to be the first to drop $130 and try one? I'm close but still have some small reservations holding me back.

Kruz> Thanks for doing that research and informing us. I'm always up for weight savings and this battery seems promising, albeit risky. My baby isn't even a year old yet so it will be some time before I consider a battery alternative. I adopt the "why fix it if it ain't broke" mentality.

blue> You do realize you can download, burn to disc and install Ubuntu which is completely 100% free, right? What all programs do you need out of your computer? OpenOffice is a free software package that behaves almost exactly like Microsoft Office and there are literally a plethora of other software choices you can install for free, including Evolution (robust email client), Pidgin for IM's (like Trillian) and so on. I use a Mac for work and Linux at the house. I have one PC that's dedicated as my Flight Simulator and, unfortunately, this requires Windows XP, but that's all I do on it. FlightGear on Linux just isn't good enough yet. What's best about Ubuntu is that the kernel drivers are so vast that one almost never has issues with getting devices to work. Network card drivers, video drivers, etc. all are automatically picked up and begin working immediately. Hell, I had an issue with a SATA PCI card being recognized by Windows so I dual-booted into the Ubuntu side and it immediately presented the data from my external hard drive using the PCI add-on card without hesitation. Pretty amazing stuff for an OS that's 100% beer-free and 90% of the applications are as well. If I want to install an application, I type apt-get install <packagename> and, after confirming I want the package, the package is installed and waiting for me in the Application menu. You can't do that with Windows. Oh, no blue screens and viruses/malware are nonexistent, save for 1 or 2, literally. I could go on and on about this, but I'm sure you're already bored reading this much. If you want to talk more about it, send me an email and we'll exchange numbers. This is what I do for a living. Email addy is loadedmind [at] gmail {dot} c o m

Ok folks, somebody had to man up, grow a pair and be the first to take the plunge here so I just ordered one for my CBR 1000RR. I payed full pop, ordered straight from Shorai with FedEx second day delivery, as Superbike Supply won't be getting their first shipment in for a few more weeks. I should have it by Saturday morning. I'm stoked about the 6.32 lb weight savings, I'll verify on the digital postage scales at work in shipping/receiving. As far as I can tell, I'm the first guy to try one of these....definitely cool if it works.

* Last updated by: Kruz on 1/6/2011 @ 9:36 AM *

DogoZX

Can I get a price quote for a couple of Shorai batteries?

I need one standard, part # lfx14a1-bs12, and one duration, part # lfx18a1-bs12.

Thanks.

SuperbikeSupply

Sure. The first part number is $130 shipped and the second is $160 shipped. If you want them both shipped together, you can take $10 off the total.

Thanks!
Mary

You give it the Southern test, Kruz... I'll take care of the North.

so I just ordered one for my CBR 1000RR.

ahhhhhhh, 14 14 14 14 14 14, If it works on the 14, the 600s and 1000s will all be a joke. Why 4 you start in the middle of your pack.

The two turn techs batteries I have now both start the 6R but Booth have trouble with the 14.

Please try in 14 ? She Needs The Most Love.

Dog, I just re-read your post. Whatcha thinking ? One for the 10 and one the 14 ? If the Part # LFX14A1 does not work your ZX1400 can move up to the LFX18A1 ?

Kruz, which one did you get ?

Dog, I just re-read your post. Whatcha thinking ? One for the 10 and one the 14 ?

lfx14a1 for the 10r, lfx18a1 for the 14. Superbike Supply won't be shipping any for a few weeks, so Kruz will have his before I get mine... if he reports that they suck, I can cancel my order. I just wanted to get on the list to get these early. If they're worth a shit, the price will go up quickly. Supply and demand.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/6/2011 @ 5:20 PM *

The price I'm seeing on there site for the LFX18A1 is 186.95 and 153.95 for the 14A1. How are you guys getting for 130 shipped ?

How are you guys getting for 130 shipped ?

Superbike Supply is a sponser over on 10r.net. You send 'em a PM with what ya want, and they will usually have the best price. For shits and giggles I asked about the price of Ohlins after I'd ordered (what I thought was the best price) from Hard Racing... They beat it.

From now on I will check with Superbike Supply before ordering anything!

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/6/2011 @ 5:26 PM *

Now you have to make one of these little Battery trays

Shorai (LFX18A1-BS12) is 4.13" tall, 5.83" long, and 2.6" wide.

Stock (ftz14-bs) is 5 3/4" tall, 6" long, and 3 3/8" wide.

Not sure if a tray will be a necessity or not.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/6/2011 @ 6:24 PM *

^^^That's cool. You make that, Rom? I sure wish I knew how to weld and had acess to that sort of equipment. One of those things that you are not going to get into at home if it's just for occasional use.

COOL , Yes----but it darn sure better be very lightweight or I'll be stuffing foam in there.

^^^That's cool. You make that, Rom?

Na, can't take credit for that. My riding buddy Steve is a welder by trade and whipped it up 4 me. It' a copy of the factory set up with all the same mounts. Tiny. I tried the foam with tye wraps first but it was crap. Then went to this. Much Nicer. I posted the pic so you guys would have something to copy if needed.

Sounds like I may need a new one as well with measurements from above. Steve I know your reading this How about it ? LMAO

but it darn sure better be very lightweight or I'll be stuffing foam in there.

Sure would be nice if the New battery fit snug into the factory tray.

I ordered the LFX14A2-BS12 straight from Shorai yesterday and paid full list price of $153.95. As Dogo said Superbike Supply is advertising them for $130 but they won't have any in for at least a week and I wanted to get mine right away. So far Shorai has had good customer service, I e-mailed their technical support department on the cold starting issue and had a response this morning. The business office sent me FedEx tracking, Monday delivery. How is that 2nd Day, I guess fedEx won't do Saturday deliveries? I'll post some pics and get weights on everything Monday. You guys know me by now, if it's good you'll know it and if it's bad you'll know that too! Here is the abuse test from BatteryStuff.com:

Shorai LFX Abuse Test
Posted on December 3, 2010 by BatteryStuff
Lithium Iron Phosphate. At first thought, it sounds like a vitamin supplement that I should be taking to calm my nerves and keep the doctor away. While it won’t calm the nerves or help the joints, Lithium Iron Phosphate is actually a battery chemistry that allows for superior energy storage in a much lighter than lead package. Also known as LiFePO4, and in this case LFX, Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries have finally made it to the world of Powersports. Sure, for a few years there have been some industrious independent entrepreneurs packaging round power tool batteries into a format that works in Powersports applications. But now, with the introduction of Shorai LFX Powersports batteries, there is now a purpose built battery that has been designed from the ground up to do exactly what a motorcycle battery should do. Simply put that means it will fit correctly in its application, and start your engine time and time again. Without going into too much technical detail, the square modular cells built into each Shorai LFX batteries are the perfect solution for starting your bike reliably while at the same time shaving some serious weight. When we say serious weight, we mean serious weight. When we first received a pair of Shorai LFX batteries for testing we were truly blown away by how light these batteries really are. For testing purposes we received a pair of batteries that are meant to replace the common YTZ7S that is found in most all dirt bikes, including virtually all KTM’s, Yamaha’s and our mighty shop Husaberg FE450. We requested one battery for ‘track’ purposes, and one for heavier use, such as trail riding with plenty of re-starts throughout the day. What we received was the LFX07L2-BS12, and the LFX14L2-BS12. The manufacturer rates these batteries at 102 and 210 CCA respectively. Weighing in at 1.01lbs for the LFX07, and 1.61lbs for the LFX14, these batteries are remarkably lighter than the battery they replace. In fact, when weighed on our UPS certified scale the stock YTZ7S showed a portly 4.7lbs. In case your math skill matches mine, that is just over a 3lb savings for the LFX14 and about a 3.7lb saving for the track version.

As far as fit and finish, Shorai has really gone above and beyond. Having personally spent quite a number of years in and around batteries, these appear to be a very high quality unit, manufactured to a standard not often achieved. In the world of lead acid batteries, there are a few that do shine. Yuasa, Odyssey, Scorpion among a few select others have always been above the curve, and it appears that this new entry has the old guard firmly in its cross hairs.
So, good looking, good feeling and nice and trim… But enough about me. How do they perform? Well, we’ve only had time to do a short term test, but so far we are once again impressed. We installed the track and race version (LFX07L2-BS12) into an 2009 Husaberg FE450 for a test. Being a fuel injected, no kick-start bike it is the perfect candidate to test the battery on. Using the included foam spacers, this was a drop in fit that was quickly done with no drama. OK, we admit, we dropped one of the battery terminal nuts into a black hole that apparently exists in the space-time continuum residing below the Husaberg. I am sure one day it will turn up with all my missing socks. No worries though, apparently Shorai knew who would be doing the install, and have seen fit to include an extra nut and bolt set with each battery. Nice touch. After the install it was time to abuse the heck out of the battery to see what it will do.

30 starts later, including three 10 second attempts with the kill button pressed, this battery is still starting the bike as it did the very first time. Keep in mind, this is the ‘race’ version of the battery. We will actually be installing the trail friendly version for our long term test, and the lighter duty battery will be heading over to Steahly Off-Road for long term residence in their new KTM 350 SX shop bike. So our initial test looks real good, but one thing our tech guys have been concerned about is cold weather starting. Lithium Iron Phosphate traditionally does not work to it’s full potential in cold climates, at least until it warms up under a working load. We wanted to see how these new, specifically designed square cells stacked up. After all, a little bit of cold weather never keeps you off your bike, now does it? It has been pretty wet in these parts lately, but not much below about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Thanks to shuffling some goodies around in our break room freezer (We were afraid to touch the used tater tots, so don’t ask) we were able to put the two test batteries in the little freezer overnight to cool them down. About 24 hours later, we removed them for a final bit of abuse before installing long term. Once again, for testing purposes, we installed the iced LFX7 in the Husaberg. It started immediately with no hint of a burden. We then shut the bike off and did 3, 10 second hits with my thumb on the kill button. When the kill button was released, the bike fired immediately, again no hint of a strain. One thing we failed to mention regarding the bike setup is the installed Revloc Dyna Ring auto clutch. The Dyna ring clutch tends to drag a fair bit when cold, and we did all these tests in gear which substantially increased the drag on the starter and the battery over what it would have been if we tested the battery while the bike was in neutral.

The long and the short of it is we can find no downside to using one of these batteries for both the weight savings and how well they turn the bike over. Given how long this type of cell is expected to last, the economy of it also makes sense. They include a 2 year manufacturer warranty, so if any issues do arise, Shorai has got you covered. Over the next few months of winter, we expect to fully and completely abuse this battery to see how it holds up. We will let you know how things turn out!

Share this:
EmailPrintShareDigg

* Last updated by: Kruz on 1/7/2011 @ 6:40 AM *

No battery tray needed Romes, they come with dense foam spacers cut to fit your box. The LiFePo4 packs are not only much lighter but also physically smaller than the lead acid equivalent. I would order the biggest battery(amp-hours) that will still fit in your battery box. Weight savings is going to be huge no matter which one you get so it's not going to be an issue. Big battery = better cold starts.

Dogo you take care of the 14, that is the one I'm concerned about, lots of motor to turn over there.

I'm gaurdedly optimistic that this is going to be the next big thing in MotorSports batteries but we'll soon see.

Sounds quite impressive kruz look forwood to your dillegent assumption mate cheers.