6 volt battery

[Peter Holmes]

My Burlen 3 cell 6 volt battery has just given up prematurely, previously I had been using the Yuasa Turbo B38-6A battery which I found to be very good for the money. I may well revert back to that product, but before I do does anyone out there recommend any battery they consider to be superior.
The one problem with the Yuasa is the clear green plastic case, great for checking fluid levels but not very pretty

Peter Holmes

 

[BlackLightning998]

I painted mine black...

Peter,

My bike has been converted to 12 volt and with the electric start has a meaty 14 Ah battery - an American unit in a fetching shade of gray! I searched around trying to find an answer of wanting to make it look original Exide black - I even thought about buying two replica battery boxes and splicing them into one large one to encapsulate the American unit. I eventually settled for painting it black with satin automobile paint. It's lasted approaching a year, been washed and out in the rain - no sign of wear and doesn't appear to have caused a problem with the battery - so I'd recommend that approach.

I have Odyssey batteries fitted to a couple of bikes - superb if you let the bike stand for some time between runs. I have an optimate permanent connector wired up so just connect it occasionally for a trickle charge and no problems. Odyssey are more expensive than normal batteries but are said to last more than twice as long - they are so small they would easily fit in a replica rubber case. Not sure if they do a 6 volt though.

Stuart

 

[Pete Appleton]

Busted Burlen?

My Burlen 3 cell 6 volt battery has just given up prematurely

Peter
Has your Burlen battery really packed up or have you let it go flat and then can't get it to take a charge?
You will find that many modern batteries using exotic materiels require a very high initial charging voltage to kick them back into life. I recently revived a 'dead' 6 Volt Burlen but had to start it off with about 15 Volts. It now charges fine from a dynamo and holds charge for weeks. If you are doing this then extreme care is required to limit the current that flows into the battery at these high voltages. A variable current power supply is an ideal way to limit the current to less than 1 Amp. Most people wont have one of these but running a battery charger at 12V and in series with a 12V bulb should do the trick. Failure to limit the current will result in, at best, a damaged battery and at worst a fire or a face full of bits of battery when it explodes.
It could be safer to find a battery specialist to perform the initial charge for you if electrics are 'not your thing'

To hide my horrible modern battery I cut a section from an old inner tube and slid it over it like a sock. Black rubber instead of white plastic seems much better.

Pete

 

[shadhubh]

A signshop will possibly give you some scrap mat black Vinyl (used for cutting out letters etc) works well on my batts on shadow and comet (Yasu batteries both) Vic

 

[Tom Gaynor]

12 volt batteries

The Yuasa YTX14BS operates a Grosset starter, and comes in a fetching shade of BLACK. It also fits the existing battery securing system needing only a longer anchor bolt FT132. The rod screws in to the new FT132 which gives a fraction more height under the standard retaining strap. Very discreet......