Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners

are you talking about glass matt or more conventional dry cell batteries like are found in back up power supplies for alarms, computers, and things like that


if they aren't glass matt

I'd bet you can get one in the USA cheaper

many for alarms are in the ball park of the right size and you can pick them up local for less than 25 bucks

glass matt........ they are a bit pricey

There are "sealed lead acid" batteries, no maintenance required. I've got one from Rage Batteries in the States. It's a 6V 12 Ah battery (Model SLA-12-6) and was about $22 as I recall.

Craig Vechorik at Bench Mark Works sells a similar battery.

They're not as big as the original /2 batteries, but fit well in the tray.

If you need a "square" battery for a /3 or earlier, they are available, not any more expensive, but not well shaped for the battery tray. They tend to be pretty thin in one dimension. (See Model SLA-10-6.)

I've cut up an old battery to hold one of these, but it has to stick out one side a little bit. Not really noticable on my R51/3, but odd when holding it in your hand.

There are "sealed lead acid" batteries, no maintenance required.... It's a 6V 12 Ah battery (Model SLA-12-6) and was about $22 as I recall. Craig Vechorik at Bench Mark Works sells a similar battery. They're not as big as the original /2 batteries, but fit well in the tray....
I have an SLA from Vech and a regular Yuasa, both spares, not installed. The SLA battery is 1/4 inch less in depth and width, and 1/2 inch less in height, so it will need some blocking in the tray. The SLA will also require cutting off the eye connectors on the bike's wires, and putting on female spade connectors.

that is what I thought.......... for the smaller SLA batteries

you might be surprised how cheap you can find one, appropriately sized for a vintage bmw, just right down the road from your front door

many sized for non-estart bikes are in the 9-15 buck range

but glass matt.......... they are awesome but quite pricey

on a side note, I'm not the least bit impressed with the very under-engineered battery isolation on these bikes

hard to over-insulate from vibration and very inexpensive to do so without it being noticeable

for sure one can procure modern high density foams which are far superior to the thin molded pieces of semi-live rubber

I use these in my slash-2s:

http://www.batteriesplus.com/p-32644-we ... minal.aspx



They work great, are inexpensive, maintenance-free, and readily available.

I like the "s" connectors, which allow you easily to unplug and charge, or remove, the battery.

It's a little shorter than stock, so I add a small pad under it.

31 bucks for glass matt is a smoking deal

did a bit more digging and it would seem that Odyssey is likely still worth the extra coin

more capacity same size and reputedly very durable construction

I've had excellent luck with all I have used

I have Googling for 6-volt Odyssey batteries but have found none. Can one of you provide a link?

To match stock, it should approximate 6.5" (16.5 cm) high, 3-1/8" (7.9 cm) deep, and 4-5/8" (11.7 cm) wide.

enough to make you want to put a permanent magnet alternator on it and convert to simple 12 Volts, huh?

G'day again, I notice that the Europeans are advertising a dry cell replacement battery, it's 48 Euro, does anyone have experience with these dry cell batteries?

Thanks Peter