Battery advice

Greetings!

My Honda CB500S battery died this week - it's the original YUSA YTX9-BS,
so I guess I can't complain, the bike is 7 years old!

My usage pattern is pretty pathetic - low mileage and rarely through the
winter.

I'd appreciate advice on the following:

1. YUSA batteries seem nearly twice the price of some cheaper ones.
With my usage pattern would it be better to get the same again?

2. Or should I get a cheaper one and put some of the saving towards an
Optimate III?

3. Do you find it cheaper to buy new batteries off the internet despite
the postage hit?

I guess option 2 would only pay off over several years? But I like the
idea of the battery condition being 'guaranteed' on the stupidly rare
occasions I get the bike out.

Sorry if this is a bit anal. You don't have to live with me, and I hope
the questions are sensible / of interest to others.

TIA.

Pete

 

Heh.. Since when has ukrm been entirely sensible?

I went to my local bike shop to get a battery for my FZR the other day.
Worked out cheaper than an internet battery by about 4 quid.

I bought a cheapish battery for my Bandit the other year, and it's still
working. I think as long as you keep an eye on things, and don't let
them run down too much for too long, you'll be ok. An optimate is good
for preventing this happen, and given your usage pattern, seems like a
must have.

 

The internet runs on batteries? They must be seriously big fuckoff
economy ZZ size.

 

Cnut. You've not been in an exchange battery room then.

 

I've been in a UPS room for an R+D building. Batteries bigger than me.

 

Peter Boulton wrote

Simple question: given; even a cheap battery should last three years
before it dies, how long do you intend keeping the bike?

 

steve auvache wrote on 25/03/2005 18:19:

... Till I buy a Pan European - so probably for ever! Unfortunately. (5
ft 9 / 11st = not a chance with a Pan European? Forget I mentioned it!)

 

I'm 5'8" and 14st, and I was comfortable from Minute One on Stritchy's Pan.
Admittedly it had a cut-down seat, but I'm fine with kit like old airhead
boxers, which aren't particularly low-slung.

 

platypus emerged from their own little world to say

I agree with Platy. You should not have a problem with a Pan. I've seen
some very slender and short owners.

I'm of the same proportions as Platy and comfortably [1] rode a Pan. My
current bike is even taller.

[1] well I hated the lardy old bus actually, but found it perfectly
manageable

 

Peter Boulton says...

I'm 5ft 8 with short legs and weigh under 11 stone. I manage fine with
standard Pan Euros. They are reassuringly easy to ride.

 

Verdigris wrote on 26/03/2005 00:53:

You're quite right, I do know nothing about motorcycles. And I'm a crap
rider too. :->

Pete