Wilsons Sandbox

I have no experience with the Scorpion battery at the link below. The description(s) and picture are way off, tho. The blurb claims it's glass mat (AGM), the header says it ships with an acid pack and the pic shows a standard vented battery Do AGM batteries require electrolyte? (didn't think so) I bought a yellow AGM battery with four terminals for universal fitment from eBay. It came sealed and fully charged. One similar to this in KLR650 size: *http://tinyurl.com/4unby7w in KLR650 * First one failed after a month. Sudden failure after very little use. Would light up the headlight and blinkers etc but wouldn't crank the starter. The 2nd one shipped under warranty had a failure after a 4.5 hour freeway run from L.A to Morro Bay. I guess the battery couldn't take the charge the stock KLR650 regulator/rectifier was putting out (probably something like 14.5VDC). Or, maybe it was the big single vibrations. Ended up buying a standard vented battery in SLO which is still in service and still needs regular topping off with distilled water after long freeway riding. I bought two of those AGM batteries. The little 10aH battery in my GS450 is still working great, but that bike does not get much use. The battery will start the bike after sitting for a month and without sitting on a trickle charger. AGM batteries take a heavier duty charger to get them charged once they are flat. That is the extent of everything I know on this earth about AGM batteries Mr. know-it-all will now sign off. -- ian http://www.scarletfuries.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Scarlet-Furies/121218125931 I do still *really* like the maintenance free aspect and I am not sure how soon I will get back to regular rides, so whatever I get for replacement might need to sit for some time. Any pro/con thoughts on this one?: http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/motorcycle/sYB14L-A2.html -- Doug Herr A16 in Oakland, California [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I like the D606 for its offroad prowess. But it is not the best street tire, especially after the front picks up a few miles and begins to howl when riding in a straight line. The Conti TKC80 has become my favorite 50-50 tire but they are increasingly spendy (~S180 a set). This new Kenda sure looks like a TKC80 clone (not a D606 clone IMHO as other have suggested). I'd be very interested in see how these new Kendas work and how much they cost. They might prove to be a "tightwad's TKC80".

On 3/22/2011 12:27 AM, revmaaatin wrote: > > > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > , "Jud" wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > , "Jud" wrote: > > > > > > I just started hearing about the new DS tire from Kenda, the K784 > Big Block. From the pic on their website, it looks like TKC80 or maybe > a D606. Has anybody tried one? How does it work? Most important, how > much does it cost? > > > > > > I doubt we will able to buy them for 35 bucks, but OTOH, a guy > should not have to spend $160 to get a decent tire. > > > > > > > P.S. Linky: > > http://www.kendausa.com/en/home/motorcycle/dual-sport/big-block.aspx > > > If you buy one, > I promise to read the RR. smile. > > revmaaatin. who will not be buying the K784 tomorrow; and who has 3 > full sets of K270's as spares. Don't ask, won't tell.... > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On Mon, 2011-03-21 at 19:23 -0700, Ian Francisco wrote:

> I have no experience with the Scorpion battery at the link below. The > description(s) and picture are way off, tho. The blurb claims it's glass mat > (AGM), the header says it ships with an acid pack and the pic shows a > standard vented battery Do AGM batteries require electrolyte? (didn't > think so)

Yup, that was my understanding also, but I have been doing some research. This listing seems to explain it well, but the price jumps back up: http://www.impactbattery.com/motorcycle-atv-scooter-jet-ski-battery/dry-charge-agm-list/adventure-power-utx14ahl-bs.html Better price via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Power-UTX14AHL-BS-Charge-Battery/dp/B001ZTCAV2 The trouble (as you noticed) with the one I found is that the description is that of a "Dry Charge AGM", but the picture and product code seem to show a conventional battery: http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/motorcycle/sYB14L-A2.html Looking back into the history of this list, I see that Fred has sold "Dry Charge AGM" but is now just selling conventional wet without acid and AGM that are pre-filled. The great thing about pre-filled AGM is the simple "plug and play" aspect. A possible advantage of a dry AGM with an acid pack is that you know for sure that the battery is fresh when you add the acid. To see how this works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBdJj_mDm6g The part that is still not clear is whether the batterystuff.com $47 offering is really AGM. -- Doug Herr A16 in Oakland, California

Most AGM batteries will be shipped with the acid in a separate pack. It makes it very easy to fill your battery and that would insure the longest "shelf-life" over batteries that are filled from the factory. The Yuasa YTX14AHL-BS AGM battery I stock for the KLR is not filled with acid at the factory. I also stock the regular lead-acid Yuasa and a "house brand" lead-acid battery to save you some money. Like most things in my shop, I try to give you a choice on the quality and price point of the items I sell. I have available many other batteries to fit the KLR but I believe the Yuasa YTX14AHL-BS battery is your best deal because it will last longer and perform better than the regular lead-acid types. I would stay away from those sealed at the factory. Like you all know, a battery will normally discharge if not being used and a discharged battery will build up a sulfate that will kill your battery in short order. So you don't really know what you are buying when you purchase one filled at the factory. It may be a month old or several years old. Some real good battery information can be found on the Yuasa web site: http://www.yuasabatteries.com/videos.php Fred www.arrowheadmotorsports.com From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Doug Herr Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 7:34 AM To: DSN_KLR650 Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] AGM batteries

On Mon, 2011-03-21 at 19:23 -0700, Ian Francisco wrote: > I have no experience with the Scorpion battery at the link below. The > description(s) and picture are way off, tho. The blurb claims it's glass mat > (AGM), the header says it ships with an acid pack and the pic shows a > standard vented battery Do AGM batteries require electrolyte? (didn't > think so) Yup, that was my understanding also, but I have been doing some research. This listing seems to explain it well, but the price jumps back up: http://www.impactbattery.com/motorcycle-atv-scooter-jet-ski-battery/dry-char ge-agm-list/adventure-power-utx14ahl-bs.html Better price via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Power-UTX14AHL-BS-Charge-Battery/dp/B001ZTCA V2 The trouble (as you noticed) with the one I found is that the description is that of a "Dry Charge AGM", but the picture and product code seem to show a conventional battery: http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/motorcycle/sYB14L-A2.html Looking back into the history of this list, I see that Fred has sold "Dry Charge AGM" but is now just selling conventional wet without acid and AGM that are pre-filled. The great thing about pre-filled AGM is the simple "plug and play" aspect. A possible advantage of a dry AGM with an acid pack is that you know for sure that the battery is fresh when you add the acid. To see how this works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBdJj_mDm6g The part that is still not clear is whether the batterystuff.com $47 offering is really AGM. -- Doug Herr A16 in Oakland, California [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]