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5,699 Posts
First off, great write up Ghost! some really good information here...
Let me add to it:
The ninja puts out ~13.2 v @ 1,500rpm, and up to 13.8 above 4K. These are the charging voltages (no relation to amps) the battery needs to stay "full".
Lead acids are awesome batteries because they can take a beating! You can resurrect them, you can overcharge them, and they are quite difficult to "blow up" - try to dead-short one some time. The short will blow before the battery does. Solid chemistry here. The design has only been around for 150 years, so it better damn well be solid...
Lithium is cool... It burns like nobody's business! If the inside of a battery gets damaged some how and it shorts within, it's a gonner. I think for a daily rider, it's silly. Those packs come with build in voltage regulation and temp regulation. Ever seen a li-po or li-ion pack explode? This makes them slightly more expensive, and I think they're great for racers who would benefit from the weight decrease.... The extra monitoring technology built into the li-po packs is also what requires a special charger.
Throw a lead acid on a DC power source greater than it's own, and it will charge (sometimes faster than you want, and might end up frying the wires as a result). Do the same with a li-po, and it will explode. A smart charger which can limit amps is absolutely required here.
I say these things, and hammer these points home so somebody who doesn't know doesn't go out and buy "the shiz" battery and end up melting a hole through their bike when the battery goes crazy.
If I had a race bike, I would totally run a li-po pack.
Let me add to it:
The ninja puts out ~13.2 v @ 1,500rpm, and up to 13.8 above 4K. These are the charging voltages (no relation to amps) the battery needs to stay "full".
Lead acids are awesome batteries because they can take a beating! You can resurrect them, you can overcharge them, and they are quite difficult to "blow up" - try to dead-short one some time. The short will blow before the battery does. Solid chemistry here. The design has only been around for 150 years, so it better damn well be solid...
Lithium is cool... It burns like nobody's business! If the inside of a battery gets damaged some how and it shorts within, it's a gonner. I think for a daily rider, it's silly. Those packs come with build in voltage regulation and temp regulation. Ever seen a li-po or li-ion pack explode? This makes them slightly more expensive, and I think they're great for racers who would benefit from the weight decrease.... The extra monitoring technology built into the li-po packs is also what requires a special charger.
Throw a lead acid on a DC power source greater than it's own, and it will charge (sometimes faster than you want, and might end up frying the wires as a result). Do the same with a li-po, and it will explode. A smart charger which can limit amps is absolutely required here.
I say these things, and hammer these points home so somebody who doesn't know doesn't go out and buy "the shiz" battery and end up melting a hole through their bike when the battery goes crazy.
If I had a race bike, I would totally run a li-po pack.
