I have one of those exact batteries on my KLR. It has been flawless for 2 seasons (approaching season 3). +1 on using a lithium charger for it, not a regular charger. Oh and I love that Super Sherpa!
My dad and I haven't worked on a bike project together for quite a while. The foam spacer blocks for the battery are really nice, most of the old bike projects I've bought in the past usually have a rotted piece of wood taking up space! Definitely gonna get back into dirt biking again thanks to you.
I like the lithium battery for the weight savings but don't understand the need for a special charger. If it needs a different charge voltage or charge rate, how would the bike's charging circuit adapt? The bike does not know the difference. Not being a smart ass, I just would like to know. Thanks
Haha that is a good point! I think it has something to do with the way they send the power to the battery. I'd assume the lithium charger probably does something similar to what your stator does, and the regular wall chargers must do something slightly different?
Li-ion cannot absorb overcharge. When fully charged, the charge current must be cut off. A continuous trickle charge would cause plating of metallic lithium and compromise safety. To minimize stress, keep the lithium-ion battery at the peak cut-off as short as possible. There are some issues with how fast to recharge too.
If you haven't done any carb mods on this bike it definitely needs an adjustment to the idle circuit. Should start up on choke in only a couple cranks. Or carb is just dirty
Thats a nice little set up on your pops bike . I was digging that 250 . I bet that bike is a blast on single track or deer run . I wished I lived up more up the northeast . Not unreasonable far just the same .
I had a lithium battery in my drz 400 and it started but didnt quite sound right. Sometimes i had to try 2-3 times. I went back to normal battery and it starts 1st time every time.
Get your dad a battery tender! I do love the small jump packs though. I haven’t needed it with the lithium “restart” battery in my KLR. I haven’t even needed the restart function.
2022 here (exact same bike as the 23) No modifications needed, just some shenanigans angling them (as the controls are chunky and can’t be moved too much without ruining ergo) and then cranking them down pretty tight so they stay in place (Dad and I used a battery impact driver to do so). Have had 0 issues with em since install, and I’ve low sided my bike twice since then so they have hit the ground.
I would buy the adventure ones, and definitely recommend the bar set up I had on mine. But as mentioned above, they should work fine, just expect some bending here and there. An adjustable wrench works great for that. Also, you'll probably need shorter fasteners in the bar ends as I believe they aren't tapped far enough... although I think I was installed Barkbusters back when I had the stock bars...
What was the reason for switching to the different battery instead of servicing and/or replacing the AGM? I don't understand. Isn't that like putting a smaller clip in your pistol and using spacers to make it fit? It was fun watching you two puttering around the garage though.
LiFEPO batteries are lighter and more compact due to their construction. Usually have a higher CCA rating than a lead battery (regular or AGM), and similar usable capacity (as they can drain down further before running into trouble). They can need to warm up before starting in very cold weather, you’d do so by just leaving the headlight on for 5-10 minutes. I live in TN so there’s been no need for that, we have one (same tusk unit) in my brother’s KLX140 as the stock battery died, it cranks over much faster now due to the higher cranking amps. Has only been on since Christmas so we’ll see how it holds up in the long run.
They're a fad, many have switched back to agm batteries after trying the lithium one for a bit. There's too many downsides to the lithium batteries to put one in a dual sport IMO. In a race bike I get it, you can notice the few pounds weight savings.
I'm still pretty new to them, but as others have said, I like the weight savings, faster cranking and in certain cases the extra space can be utilized for other purposes. I've actually had pretty bad luck with lead acid batteries in the past too. The one we took out of my dad's bike was only 2 years old in think too. You get what you pay for though I suppose haha.
Seeing you put that battery in that bike is like watching Itchy Boots riding through dangerous foreign countries. I may watch it, but I would never do it. No offense. Still think you're awesome.@@SwankyCatProductions
If that battery starts acting funny get rid of it asap lithium ion batteries have a funny little habit of spontaneously bursting into flames almost lost my house to a lithium motorcycle battery
@SwankyCatProductions mine got to where it wouldn't start right away but if you tried it a couple times it would warm up a little and start discharging at a rate adequate enough to turn the starter I had already replaced it and didn't know how to dispose of it properly so I just left it on my front porch thinking I'd figure out what to do with it and completely forgot about it till one day I was in my living room and I hear what sounds like firecrackers outside so I got up to look outside and that battery was shooting 2ft tall flames from it I ran over to it and kicked it off my porch into the dirt where it continued to burn and pop until I found a metal ammo can to set over the top and smother it out I went back to lead acid after that lol
If you see a lithium battery swelling at all, get rid of it. I use to build Drones and RC cars/trucks, and I’ve seen them swell up, and catch fire, even when they weren’t hooked up to anything. The technology has gotten much better. Most smart batteries these days have a built in discharge cycle, but don’t rely on it 100%, always check for swelling. They naturally get hot, so that’s not a concern, unless they swell. A swollen lithium battery is toast. Even if it’s just a little swollen. If all flat surfaces aren’t completely flat, it’s time to go. Don’t use a swollen lithium battery , even if it is operating properly. Store a swollen lithium battery in a bucket of sand, until you can drop it off at a recycling center.
Glad this comment is here. I made this comment above but I'll share it here. "After my brother lit his ass on fire because his lithium battery decided to spontaneously combust on his bike, I'll never trust them." We were literally just riding. I start seeing smoke as he is stopping. It gets worse as he gets the cover off and its bubbling and sparking. Lucky its easily accessible on his bike. If it was like my bike which is a '93 VMax which has it buried under the seat and and additional bracket there would have been no getting it out and it would have melted all over everything. No way in hell I'd ever use one. I'll take the annoyance of replacing my lead acid every couple years. Since the piece lithium of trash was only in his bike for 3 days at that point who knows what to watch out for? I guess make sure to look for bubbles at every start up? Rediculous.
I have one of those exact batteries on my KLR. It has been flawless for 2 seasons (approaching season 3). +1 on using a lithium charger for it, not a regular charger. Oh and I love that Super Sherpa!
It's a good looking bike, isn't it?
@@SwankyCatProductionsLike a good cream cheese, not too heavy, not too light. A solid old school two fiddy.
Dad time......all that is needed is to install the pig tail for the trickle charger....best time in the world.
Indeed!
My dad and I haven't worked on a bike project together for quite a while.
The foam spacer blocks for the battery are really nice, most of the old bike projects I've bought in the past usually have a rotted piece of wood taking up space!
Definitely gonna get back into dirt biking again thanks to you.
I'm glad to hear that! Haha yeah the feather light brand in my TW didn't have nearly enough blocks, so I used an old worn out foam sanding block 😂
I like the lithium battery for the weight savings but don't understand the need for a special charger. If it needs a different charge voltage or charge rate, how would the bike's charging circuit adapt? The bike does not know the difference. Not being a smart ass, I just would like to know. Thanks
Haha that is a good point! I think it has something to do with the way they send the power to the battery. I'd assume the lithium charger probably does something similar to what your stator does, and the regular wall chargers must do something slightly different?
Li-ion cannot absorb overcharge. When fully charged, the charge current must be cut off. A continuous trickle charge would cause plating of metallic lithium and compromise safety. To minimize stress, keep the lithium-ion battery at the peak cut-off as short as possible. There are some issues with how fast to recharge too.
If you haven't done any carb mods on this bike it definitely needs an adjustment to the idle circuit. Should start up on choke in only a couple cranks. Or carb is just dirty
I'll have to look into that, I think it would definitely benefit...
@@SwankyCatProductions small cc bikes in particular are very sensitive to jetting and set up extremely lean from the factory for emissions 👍
Thats a nice little set up on your pops bike . I was digging that 250 . I bet that bike is a blast on single track or deer run . I wished I lived up more up the northeast . Not unreasonable far just the same .
Yeah it definitely came together pretty nicely! Really brings out the bike's potential and it is a really neat looking bike!
I had a lithium battery in my drz 400 and it started but didnt quite sound right. Sometimes i had to try 2-3 times. I went back to normal battery and it starts 1st time every time.
Get your dad a battery tender! I do love the small jump packs though. I haven’t needed it with the lithium “restart” battery in my KLR. I haven’t even needed the restart function.
I tried to give him the Tusk lithium one but he didn't seem to want it ha ha. Hopefully his new one works as well as yours!
I see a super Sherpa, I hit the like button. What a great little dual sport!
Fun tweaks. Nice bike! Surprised you didn't just trim the outer part of the throttle tube and grip.
Happy trails!
I had a supersherpa and thats why I purchased it, those gold rims. It was a fun little bike.
Haha yeah they're one of a kind!
Loving the Sherpa content!
Glad to hear it!
Jerry’s dirty bike makes me feel better about myself. Thanks Jerry!
Haha mine would be dirty too, if I ever got to ride them haha.
I need to do all this to the DR250 I just picked up.
Nice! I've never ridden one of those.
Dad mentioned lithium boat batteries?
Yeah, you can buy a used dual sport for what one of those cost...
Haha yeah I'll bet!
Just buy Bark Busters.
Will the tusk hand guards work on a 2023 klr without to many modifications in order to fit
2022 here (exact same bike as the 23) No modifications needed, just some shenanigans angling them (as the controls are chunky and can’t be moved too much without ruining ergo) and then cranking them down pretty tight so they stay in place (Dad and I used a battery impact driver to do so). Have had 0 issues with em since install, and I’ve low sided my bike twice since then so they have hit the ground.
I would buy the adventure ones, and definitely recommend the bar set up I had on mine. But as mentioned above, they should work fine, just expect some bending here and there. An adjustable wrench works great for that. Also, you'll probably need shorter fasteners in the bar ends as I believe they aren't tapped far enough... although I think I was installed Barkbusters back when I had the stock bars...
Negative: remove first, install last.
That was my guess. My instinct has always been the opposite for some reason. Next time!
After my brother lit his ass on fire because his lithium battery decided to spontaneously combust on his bike, I'll never trust them.
What was the reason for switching to the different battery instead of servicing and/or replacing the AGM? I don't understand. Isn't that like putting a smaller clip in your pistol and using spacers to make it fit? It was fun watching you two puttering around the garage though.
LiFEPO batteries are lighter and more compact due to their construction. Usually have a higher CCA rating than a lead battery (regular or AGM), and similar usable capacity (as they can drain down further before running into trouble). They can need to warm up before starting in very cold weather, you’d do so by just leaving the headlight on for 5-10 minutes. I live in TN so there’s been no need for that, we have one (same tusk unit) in my brother’s KLX140 as the stock battery died, it cranks over much faster now due to the higher cranking amps. Has only been on since Christmas so we’ll see how it holds up in the long run.
They're a fad, many have switched back to agm batteries after trying the lithium one for a bit. There's too many downsides to the lithium batteries to put one in a dual sport IMO.
In a race bike I get it, you can notice the few pounds weight savings.
I'm still pretty new to them, but as others have said, I like the weight savings, faster cranking and in certain cases the extra space can be utilized for other purposes. I've actually had pretty bad luck with lead acid batteries in the past too. The one we took out of my dad's bike was only 2 years old in think too. You get what you pay for though I suppose haha.
Seeing you put that battery in that bike is like watching Itchy Boots riding through dangerous foreign countries. I may watch it, but I would never do it. No offense. Still think you're awesome.@@SwankyCatProductions
They don't seem to have that Jump Pack anymore. I get a 404 error when clicking on the link
Sorry about that, I must have goofed something up. I fixed it the link now though!
If that battery starts acting funny get rid of it asap lithium ion batteries have a funny little habit of spontaneously bursting into flames almost lost my house to a lithium motorcycle battery
What should I be looking out for exactly? How was yours acting up?
@SwankyCatProductions mine got to where it wouldn't start right away but if you tried it a couple times it would warm up a little and start discharging at a rate adequate enough to turn the starter I had already replaced it and didn't know how to dispose of it properly so I just left it on my front porch thinking I'd figure out what to do with it and completely forgot about it till one day I was in my living room and I hear what sounds like firecrackers outside so I got up to look outside and that battery was shooting 2ft tall flames from it I ran over to it and kicked it off my porch into the dirt where it continued to burn and pop until I found a metal ammo can to set over the top and smother it out I went back to lead acid after that lol
If you see a lithium battery swelling at all, get rid of it. I use to build Drones and RC cars/trucks, and I’ve seen them swell up, and catch fire, even when they weren’t hooked up to anything. The technology has gotten much better. Most smart batteries these days have a built in discharge cycle, but don’t rely on it 100%, always check for swelling. They naturally get hot, so that’s not a concern, unless they swell. A swollen lithium battery is toast. Even if it’s just a little swollen. If all flat surfaces aren’t completely flat, it’s time to go. Don’t use a swollen lithium battery , even if it is operating properly. Store a swollen lithium battery in a bucket of sand, until you can drop it off at a recycling center.
Glad this comment is here. I made this comment above but I'll share it here. "After my brother lit his ass on fire because his lithium battery decided to spontaneously combust on his bike, I'll never trust them." We were literally just riding. I start seeing smoke as he is stopping. It gets worse as he gets the cover off and its bubbling and sparking. Lucky its easily accessible on his bike. If it was like my bike which is a '93 VMax which has it buried under the seat and and additional bracket there would have been no getting it out and it would have melted all over everything. No way in hell I'd ever use one. I'll take the annoyance of replacing my lead acid every couple years. Since the piece lithium of trash was only in his bike for 3 days at that point who knows what to watch out for? I guess make sure to look for bubbles at every start up? Rediculous.
Your jumpstarter link gets a 404
Crap haha