| The stock battery specification considers how much current is needed for a start, the range of operating temperatures, the reserve needed for repeated starts, and the charging system capacity. This need is balanced against weight and space requirements.
The principal advantage of using a larger capacity battery is to be able to restart repeatedly. When you don't ride long enough to recharge fully between restarts, a larger capacity battery is an advantage. A lower capacity battery will need to be trickle-charged more often and the chance of a deep discharge (that reduces battery life) is greater with small capacity ones. Further, a battery's capacity drops when it gets cold so when you ride in cool weather, a smaller capacity battery will have an even smaller reserve for starting at low temperatures.
Consider also that the early pre-1998 bikes have an alternator with a lower charging current output, so they'll take longer to recharge the battery fully than newer bikes. A prolonged high charging current is one contributing factor why Ducati voltage regulator/rectifiers fail prematurely.
Standard battery 1994 - 2001 model years:
Yuasa YB16AL-A2 (16 AH, 200 CCA, 11.5 lbs.)
Standard battery 2001 - model years:
Yuasa YT12B-BS (10 AH, 125 CCA, 7.6 lbs.)
On the track, weight reduction is more important than these other considerations so the weight-saving battery-of-choice is the sealed and non-spillable AGM maintenance-free Yuasa YTZ7S. It's the same size as the later-year stock battery. The weight saving it offers is probably equivalent to $1000 in carbon fiber replacement parts, and about $3000 in titanium exhaust pipes and fasteners.
Yuasa YTZ7S (6 AH, 130 CCA, 4.6 lbs.)
On the street, reliable operation is of higher concern to most of us, so consider the following maintenance-free batteries:
Fiamm-GS F19-12B (19 AH, 200 CCA)
GS Battery GT12B-4 (12 AH, 200 CCA, 10 lbs.)
Yuasa YTZ12S (11 AH, 210 CCA, 10 lbs.)
Power Source WP22-12B-4 (10 AH, 220 CCA, 15.5 lbs.)
Odyssey PC680MJ (19 AH, 280 CCA, 14.7 lbs.) (dry cell technology, my personal choice)  |