So I fitted a lithium battery to the 749 when i got it poor caranking from standard battery and now I have purchased the bits I need to make my own upgrade kit some more angled connectors to come and I am away.
I don't replicate what Ducati do by using cheap connectors and cable - chalk and cheese - you only have to compare the specification here ExactUK HiCap Starter Cables for Ducati Motorcycles - Our Product Specifications , but they will still improve the starting for a while at least. People have been upgrading for years using off the shelf products - I just provide the best available for our bikes, probably why I've even had 2 current F1 Engineers buy my kits who could get something knocked up at work :Angelic: not to mention some highly skilled Electronics peeps on here too :smileys: But I would seriously take off the Lithium Battery though following @AirCon 's recent advice Here are is comments to Bob off of this Forum during a discussion on LI batteries... Hi Bob, I sure you never meant me with your comments as I never said they were "Shite" nor have I splashed it all over the internet, but never let that get in the way of random over the top response to a sensible / balanced /informative post. I'm an electronics engineer (HNC) and I also hold an MBA. My back ground is ultra low power radio (data), long life Battery (+ 7 years) in the security industry and other low power controls / data collection. I lived and breathed batteries for years in various environmental chambers....trying to get every last drop out of them and to try to predict when they were just about to run flat. Further I've sat on several international standards committees including the the new EU/UK electronic security standards. I know Onions....as the last man said. Earlier this year I attended to a new'ish Ducati where the regulator had caught fire to several near by components. The rider had just fitted a LiPo battery. Checking back with Ducati other similar models had been recalled to "reduce" the output of the generator coils to prevent regulators from over heating. This model had not been recalled, as they had no reports of fires on that model. That's how these things work...recalls etc. I know as an early discoverer of cracked ohlins forks....later a recall notice. The problem with Lipo is that the batteries typically have a much lower AH rating than the matching OEM Lead acid battery (or gallon capacity if you want to compare it to a bucket), however they are able to give and receive all of their current nearly instantaneously (so a huge pipe...instead of a large hose...water again). Hence they get very hot and can burn down houses and crash aircraft (just google this for examples). This is also the reason they have so many shipping restrictions. A correctly designed charging and discharge circuit will have absolutely no issues using LiPo. The issue remains that in most current motoring applications these are being used in circuits designed by electronics engineers who had no idea that the rider may retroactively fit LiPo. Yes they may well work, but have you checked how hot the battery and regulator / generator coil is getting during idle, maximum revs or even just a regular commute? You can run your bikes lubrication on a £3 / gallon oil, diesel or Motul......but which one did the engine designer intend for you to use? PS I've no axe to grind with either the OEM Lead Acid or LiPo batteries... I now work in a completely different industry. Just putting some information out there.
Wtf? Isn't it the other way around? An OEM 999 battery is 10Ah (Yuasa YT12B-BS) and the Shorai LiFePo replacement is 18Ah - and it's physically smaller.
Some info : difference between Lipo batteries and LiFepo4 batteries I have fitted a LiFepo4 battery and it is a vast improvement with three yr warranty bit dearer than lead acid but worth the difference. They may not perform well below 0 degrees celsius but I would not be out on the bike in such cold weather. LiFePO4 (also known as Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries are a huge improvement over lead acid in weight, capacity and shelf life. The LiFePO4 batteries are the safest type of Lithium batteries as they will not overheat, and even if punctured they will not catch on fire. The cathode material in LiFePO4 batteries is not hazardous, and so poses no negative health hazards or environmental hazards. Due to the oxygen being bonded tightly to the molecule, there is no danger of the battery erupting into flames like there is with Lithium-Ion. The chemistry is so stable that LiFePO4 batteries will accept a charge from a lead-acid configured charger. Though less energy-dense than the Lithium-Ion and Lithium Polymer, Iron and Phosphate are abundant and cheaper to extract so costs are much more reasonable. LiFePO4 life expectancy is approximately 5-7 years. Lithium-Ion batteries and Lithium Polymer batteries are the most energy dense of the Lithium batteries, but they are lacking in safety. The most common type of Lithium-Ion is LiCoO2, or Lithium Cobalt Oxide. In this chemistry, the oxygen is not strongly bonded to the cobalt, so when the battery heats up, such as in rapid charging or discharging, or just heavy use, the battery can catch fire. This could be especially disastrous in high pressure environments such as airplanes, or in large applications such as electric vehicles. To help counteract this problem, devices that use Lithium-Ion and Lithium Polymer batteries are required to have extremely sensitive and often expensive electronics to monitor them. While Lithium Ion batteries have an intrinsically high energy density, after one year of use the capacity of the Lithium Ion will have fallen so much that the LiFePO4 will have the same energy density, and after two years LiFePO4 will have significantly greater energy density. Another disadvantage of these types is that Cobalt can be hazardous, raising both health concerns and environmental disposal costs. The projected life of a Lithium-Ion battery is approximately 3 years from production. Lead Acid is a proven technology and can be relatively cheap. Because of this they are still used in the majority of electric vehicle applications and starting applications. Compared to Lead-Acid batteries the only disadvantage of the LiFePO4 batteries is that they really do not perform well below about 0 degrees Celsius. However, since capacity, weight, operating temperatures and CO2 reduction are large factors in many applications, LiFePO4 batteries are quickly becoming an industry standard. Although the initial purchase price of LiFePO4 is higher than lead acid, the longer cycle life can make it a financially sound choice.
OK no problem for Exige from me this is one kit just for me. I fix motorcycles for a living and have alot of experience of batteries and reg/recs etc and Ducati ,Honda and Aprilia all have issues due to original wiring and reg/rec probs what exige is doing is good for owners that want a good kit at good money .But I have access to the materials and will make my own for my bike only. Just as an aside all the new Yam R1's have small light wieght Lithium batteries fitted as standard. Our race team partners use Lithium batteries with no issues. The battery I have fitted is not a Lipo batt but a LiFePO4 it is slighlty different but I respect what is being said about the batteries especially with the Samsung Note issue at the minute which seems to have been caused by to high charge rate.
There's always an internet 'expert' to disparage any change in technology as the work of the devil. I'm sure 5 mins on the web could throw up an 'expert' saying exact starter lead kits of exact fit belts were a waste of time. They might even throw up their 'expert' credentials to back up their claims. Personally, I'm happy with my change to a Lithium Shorai and I'll be sticking with it.
It was a 1098R in AC's example funnily enough, with the same battery as yours :Wideyed: I know what I would do. This is not folk law I'm afraid. California Cycleworks had many doubters re the belts but 8 years on Ducati Dealers in the USA use them. I'm happy with my customer base too
I don't doubt the belts at all Exe, I'm just making a point about internet 'experts'. I bought some uprated cables from you for my 1098R too to go with the battery. The bike has never failed to start now, where before it was extremely finicky and regularly flooded, and would be un-startable for weeks if this happened. Remember, by the very nature of the internet, you only really hear about the complaints, the vast majority who are perfectly happy with something have no reason to post about it.
Sure, but this was an incident looked into by an Electronics Specialist with years of experience as well as direct communication with a Main Ducati dealer, regarding a 1098R. It is therefore posted as advice for fellow forum members so they can determine the risk themselves. Personally, knowing the results of this incident, I would not fit one myself to a Ducati that was not designed to use one in the first place and I would recommend anyone to take heed of this.
Advice noted and respectfully rejected. Between the LiPo battery and my (your) Exact starter cables, I now have a bike that starts. Oh and I hope the irony of using extra starter cables on a bike not designed to be used with them is not lost on you. :Bag:
You mean the Ducati ones are 'designed' for the bikes :Wideyed: now that is funny :Hilarious: Mine actually are so no irony there :Angelic:
Hmmmmm, you said "I would not fit one myself to a Ducati that was not designed to use one in the first place" Surely my Ducati wasn't designed to use extra starter cables in the 1st place? You shouldn't be so dismissive of them, I'm very happy with the product.
Funny how you read into this Chris as I said, I design the best cables possible for our bikes - Ducati do not, you above all know they don't I don't no why you took a dislike but thanks for joining in rather than just nuking my threads indiscriminately
You Sir, are just twisting things for Chris's amusement. You need to add a bit of Science into it too
Manufacturers build to a cost. Upgrades are built for performance. I'd have no problems fitting start cables or a lithium battery but with the battery I would take a look at my reg/rec to ensure it would work with the new battery. That's just common sense. Straight away I'd be looking at the spec of both items. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As you have chosen to take up the gauntlet and reply publicly, I am happy to do the same. A member* starts a thread describing how he has tackled his poor c(a)ranking on his 749 and then after Robarano's 'competition' post, you reply with (relevant parts only quoted) :- which to me can only be referring to Ducrod's post* and the cables/connectors he has used - if you were alluding in general then you didn't say so at this point. You go on to say things like :- well may I suggest that you are guilty of attempting to create just this merely by clapping eyes on Ducrod's cable picture Do you have some new Xray app that you can use on computer images or something?? Advertise and promote your products by all means but don't go belittling anyone else who just happens to choose an alternative route 'just because you can' on a motorcycle Forum. Oh, and if you care to go back to the beginning I think you'll find that you were the Pioneer when it came to indescriminate nuking
