Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > General Motorcycles only > Varta batteries - search by physical size / spec

[Iconic944ss]

My search for a heavy duty battery that actually works for my 900ss continues - however, came across a great part of the Varta website that allows a user to search for a battery by the maximum space that you have available on your bike.

Great idea I think:

VARTA BATTERY SEARCH BY DETAILS

Cheers - Frank
DSC Webteam

This battery has proved excellnet on my high comp. 916 spins it up a treat and delivered in a couple of days:


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-16ALA2-GEL-...cm dZViewItem


Only problem I had was I had to knock up a little bracket to hold it, there is no recess as per original battery to clamp to, 2 min job tho'.

[Athelstan]

Chaps n Chapesses
For what it's worth:
The Varta LF (not to be confused with the Varta Standard range of motorbike batteries) came 2nd in a recent "MO Bike" (German) magazine indepth study into bike batteries and their function/durability.

Top came a product from "Odyssey" but it is a beast of a thing in size and may not fit most battery holders on bikes - more for ya hogs n Pan European's. And it costs a whooping 160+Euro. It punches out 100% of what it says it will power wise.

The Varta LF range came second and comes in a range of 15 sizes for most bikes. Pricey but very good - anything from 70 to 130Euro. It punches out 89.4% of what it says it will at the press of the start button.

Third came the "GS GT 12 B-4" battery - small compact in size but punches out lots of umph at the critical "starting" point.

All the other batteries, from famous well known Japaness and Italian brands to lesser known Chinesse makes were just simply - well - not worth having, even at their cheap prices punching out only 25 to 50% of their potential umph at that most important "pressing the start button" phase - and they deteriorate very much faster than the 3 aforementioned brands.

So are far as the magazine was concerned, they said that in the battery world it really does pay to get the best. I'm about to buy (monday) a Varta for my ST4s and I hope I don't end up eating my words, rather, I have a big fat smile on my face for many years and starts to come.

[Edited on 14-5-2006 by Athelstan]

[RD]

I'm sure Ducati recommend to recharge the battery if a bike has not been used and left idle for a month, as my Multistrada has a Datatool System 3 alarm and immobiliser fitted I found my bike's battery almost lifeless after about 2 weeks, however this no longer happens because I now have electricity in my detached garage and all 4 bike batteries are connected via Optimate extension leads, when I open my garage I have several seconds to enter a P.I.N. into the garage alarm system, unplug the bike's battery to disconnect it from the charging system, wheel it out, enter the P.I.N. again to arm the alarm and shut the garage door and start the bike using its fully charged battery.

The original Ducati battery fitted to my Multistrada sulphated up due to lack of use, I tried to recover it using my regulated Gunson charger but unfortunately to no avail - I've since acquired an Optimate 3 battery optimiser and desulphater charger which works well however is now only used as a back-up as my detached garage is powered via solar energy. This provides electricity for energy saving lighting, garage alarm and charges 4 motorcycle batteries. Apart from the initial installation costs, I just love those free sun rays man

A local Ducati dealership quoted me £80 plus for a new replacement battery. I did some searching and found a local motorcycle dealer who ordered me a Varta LF for about £48 including V.A.T.
I waited a while for a courier to deliver the battery to the shop, as expected the battery comes boxed, dry charged and the acid is supplied in 6 connected plastic phials, this is inverted and carefully pushed on to the hollow spikes in each battery cell, the acid slowly fills each cell and when the phials are empty carefully discard, fit the plastic cap to seal the battery and it is ready for use immediately. I waited for 30 - 45 mins for the battery to stabilise and casing to cool down. Its normal for the battery casing to get very hot when carrying out this procedure. My bike has had the Varta LF fitted for quite some time and I can highly recommend it.

[Paul James]

Got mine for the ST2 from fleabay, some cracking deals on there, undr half the price of a bike shop. Only problem buying by post is that you don't usually get the electrolyte in the battery so need to go to a tyre/battery place to get it filled.

I ain't to keen on the new "gel" batteries as once they get down on charge you can't bring them back like the old lead acid types. Got through a couple on the MV but fitted a non OEM part and seems fine now. Modern alarms drain the hell out of batteries over winter so I've a bunch of Optimates running on them all, seems to work fine.

[TP]

Originally posted by Italian Stallion
...as my detached garage is powered via solar energy...

I'd be very interested in the solar power you have for your garage. It could solve a problem I have, otherwise I'm just going to run a cable down there from my flat but I'll have to be very carefull about the lie of that run.

Price, product, website?

Cheers

[Edited on 15-5-2006 by TP]

[Athelstan]

Off to get the Varta LF 512 901 019 3104 for my ST4s - price quoted here in Switzerland is 270Sfr - but after telling the lady that I am a poor non-working englishman at home looking after a 2yr old anglo/swiss daughter whose swiss mother is a student doctor I got a 20% discount, so on current exchange rates it will cost me £96 in about an 3 hours time. Life is just that bit more expensive here in CH.

[Iconic944ss]

I'm hoping that I've FINALLY found a good Heavy Duty alternative for the old YB16AL/A2 for my 900ss - funnily enough its a BMW spec for a bike that I used to own!

519-013-017

Here is a link to the guys that found it for me - they have been excellent so far - very helpful and good prices:

http://www.mdsbattery.co.uk

Cheers - Frank

ps - two things they did mention - Varta use differing codes for the same battery in different parts of the world (confused ... I was).

and that Varta and Yuasa source their batteries from the same manufacturer ????

[Paul James]

[i]

and that Varta and Yuasa source their batteries from the same manufacturer ????

Just what I was told by the battery people I bought from, hardly surprising I suppose.

[Athelstan]

Originally posted by Paul James

Just what I was told by the battery people I bought from, hardly surprising I suppose.

That's very interesting - but - if Varta are made in Germany, and Yuasa in Japan, plus in the recent bike mag test using a VW Turbo Diesel Passat as the tough "start" test bed the Yuasa YTX16-BS-1 managed to start the car only 50 times but, the Varta 51214 YTX16-BS-1 fired the car up 84 times from cold. What magic ingredient is put into the Varta and not into the Yuasa by said same 3rd Party manufacturer.

I wonder if either Varta or Yuasa care to comment, particularly as there is only 6Euro in price difference?