Battery Options

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Triangles
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Battery Options

Postby Triangles » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:21 pm

The OEM batteries for the EN500A and EN500C are both made by Yuasa. They are almost the same battery. Only difference is the battery terminals are opposite. These batteries are old technology often referred to as "flooded lead acid" batteries. They are cheap but require maintenance in topping off fluid levels with distilled water. There are two other types of lead batteries. Gel and AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat). Both of these types of batteries are sealed and maintenance free. The newest types of battery are Lithium ion. Usually made from A123 Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) cells. The cell size is usually of the 26650 variety. You will usually see them denoted as 4S2P or something similar. This simply means there are 4 sets of 2 parallel cells in series (8 total cells). What you need to know is that the "4S" gives you the voltage 13.2 (close enough to 12v lead battery. The slightly higher voltage will turn the starter a little faster. The higher the number in front of the "P" the greater the capacity of the battery. The BIG potential downside is that if you somehow completely drain the battery it will not hold a charge again. I have been using for 2 years a 4S2P battery on my EN500A. I have never needed to charge the battery. The secondary downside is that much below freezing and the lithium batteries perform poorly. Bad for me since I ride year round. I have been able to get them to work down to about 10F. You just have to "wake up" the battery which is a nerve racking process. As a bonus Lithium batteries have a very low self discharge rate. I've read you can let them sit a year and they will still have enough charge to start the engine. I've only let mine set a maximum of 4 months. Now onto the details...

EN500A:
OEM battery: YB12A-A
12V 12AH
150CCA
5.3125" x 3.1875" x 6.3125" (134mm x 80mm x 160mm)
Facing the battery The + terminal is on the left, - terminal on the right.

EN500C:
OEM battery: YB12AL-A2
12V 12AH
150CCA
5.3125" x 3.1875" x 6.3125" (134mm x 80mm x 160mm)
Facing the battery The - terminal is on the left, + terminal on the right.

AGM aftermarket:
Motobatt MB12U
12V 15AH
160 CCA
L: 5.28" W: 3.15" H: 6.34" L: 134mm W: 80mm H: 161mm
This battery has 4 terminals so it can be used in either Vulcan 500.

Westco battery not confirmed to fit! This battery is larger than OEM and may not fit. I will take some measurements to see if I think it will. I will update with what I find.
Westco WCP15 (EN500A), WCP15L (EN500C)
12V 14AH
220CCA

Gel Lead acid aftermarket:
no info at this time.

Lithium Iron Phosphate:
Shorai and Ballistic Performance are the two big names in lithium batteries pre-packaged to look like traditional batteries. They are very expensive and not worth it IMHO. You can save about 30-50% and get a pack of cells that are just shrink wrapped with an Anderson connector on it. I ordered one thru Amazon that I cannot find so I assume they don't sell it anymore. You should be able to find something by searching with some combination of these keywords "A123, 4S2P, motorcycle"
These batteries usually require adding some sort of connector. Anderson style connectors (forklift) are most common and convenient. They also usually come with them. I don't have much other useful info to add about lithium batteries.


This post is a work in progress and lacking a lot of aftermarket information and has been poorly spell/grammar checked. If you know of some aftermarket battery that works with our bikes let me know and I will added it above.
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User avatar
Triangles
Site Admin
Posts: 819
Joined: Sun Dec 27, 2009 10:35 pm
I ride: '94 Black Cherry Vulcan 500, '06 Candyfire Red Vulcan 500 LTD
Location: Toledo Ohio
Contact:

Re: Battery Options

Postby Triangles » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:26 pm

after 8 years my OEM battery is getting weak and I fear it will not survive the winter. I figured I'd share what I have learned so far and maybe help someone else find a good replacement for their battery.
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GeorgiaRider
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:51 am
Location: NW Georgia

Re: Battery Options

Postby GeorgiaRider » Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:17 am

Thanks for the info! My second battery was a maintenance free battery from Trinity Powersports/BikeBatts. AGM sealed maintenance-free. Bought it in August 2008 and still running strong. I use a battery tender on it once/week. Model number XB12AL-A2. Phone is 1-888-561-7100. Website is www.bikebatts.com when I ordered it. It should be nearing the end of its life, but still works fine. I keep the bike garaged.
GeorgiaRider
2006 Vulcan 500

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