Putting a hand warmer ON your battery?

the gman · Oct 31, 2013

I have bought the shorie?? Lithium iron battery and guys I have talked to say if you turn on a light load,a head light or hand warmers it warmers up the battery when it is cold. Well what would happen if you taped a hand warmer to each side??? Would that help make the battery produce more output for starting???

Also what about using trolling motor plugs for jumping a dead battery bike. I don't think the battery charger plug is heavy enough but am trying to get something cheap enough most of my riding buddy's will install and leave on there bikes that is easy to find and universal....thoughts?? Better ideas...thanks

vmax1200 · Oct 31, 2013

I wired my hand warmers to the battery ,and the switch went faulty causeing a dead battery and with a Shorie which I had once its dead well it dead leaves a memory , lesson learned know I just go through the bikes on /off switch .

the gman · Oct 31, 2013

No what I mean is stick the warmer onto your battery. I am running a relay that is energized by the fuel pump to run my hand warmers. I was thinking of having a set ONThe battery itself

up-high · Oct 31, 2013

Wire the warmers to the battery as well. This will create extra load which will also warm the battery. Turn the ignition on and get dressed. Then fire it up. Its not that the battery is cold, its that the ions are cold and sluggish. When a lith ion battery is excited, it gives full voltage

retired motoman · Oct 31, 2013

Good idea

the gman said:
No what I mean is stick the warmer onto your battery. I am running a relay that is energized by the fuel pump to run my hand warmers. I was thinking of having a set ONThe battery itself

One of our group (I think Budig) had stick on hand warmers on a battery that Russell installed a few years back. Don't know how it worked because the battery went bad in just a few rides.

Rush44 · Oct 31, 2013

Be careful gman.... I've heard nothing but terrible news about the shorai lithium battery on ThumperTalk and KTMTalk. I personally know two people that got screwed by that battery.

the gman · Oct 31, 2013

Screwed meaning what? Battery went dead, screwed up charging system? What happened???

Rush44 · Oct 31, 2013

One person only got 1 ride out of the battery before it wouldn't hold a charge anymore. The other person got maybe a month before it died. There is a huge thread on KTMTalk about people who bought that battery and none of them had it last longer than a couple months. Really really poor quality.

Jon Mutiger · Oct 31, 2013

I will concur with Rush, avoid the Shorai like it's the plague. Heck, avoid all light batteries they simply DON'T do what they are supposed to do. Stick with a good quality lead acid in the largest size that will fit, and for those who don't know, the YTZ7S size fits in the KTM's just fine.

I've yet to see a single lithium ion battery of any brand make it season without a warranty claim. And I'm not new to motorcycles, or snow.

I hope you have a good kickstarter, you'll need it if you try saving weight in the battery. Just ride it, you'll enjoy it more if you don't think you have to have the latest and greatest, lightest and brightest options out there. Your wallet might be heavier at the end of the year as a result too.

Jon

jeffc · Oct 31, 2013

See Mtn-doo solution....

mtn-doo said:
You wire in a simple 4 wire + signal wire relay. They are available at NAPA. The hot comes from the battery, through the relay, then to the grips. The relay is simply "in line". All power to the grips is being pulled from the battery while the bike is running and the battery is constantly being fed by the coil. No "net loss". The relay will not close, "connect" and send power without power being applied to the signal wire. An independent hot source. A relay needs power to "close" the circuit. That power is not coming from the batteries or the relay would always stay closed. You want a signal source that has available power ONLY when the bike is running. That way the relay "opens" when the motor dies, and closes when the motor is running. That signal source can be ANY source that is "hot only" when the bike is running. A relay needs a separate power source to open and close. No signal power OPENS the relay. Power or "hot" signal wire closes the relay. The amount of power needed for this signal is minute. No battery or grip amperage ever see's or uses the signal side of the relay. The fuel pump hot is a good source. It is only alive when the bike is started. Once the bike is running, the amperage flows through the relay to the grips. The Hi, Low, and off features all work normal. You can have the bike running and turn "off" and "on" your grip heaters etc. The important thing is when your heaters are "on" and you shut your bike off, the engine stops, the "signal power" goes away, that opens the relay and power stops flowing to the grips. Regardless of switch position.

I asked the crew at Penco Power Products in Kalispell, Mt. if they would be interested in making a pkg for this with instructions for retail sale? I don't sell from my shop. I will keep you posted.... In the meantime, get some water tight connectors, wire, and a 4 wire relay, and you're good to go!

retired motoman · Oct 31, 2013

Shorai battery

With regards to the Shorai battery failing. I have three of them in a some of my bikes. As the old batteries fail, some day will have a full fleet of Shorai's.

The one in my KTM 530 snowbike/desert bike is two seasons old not counting this season. So far it has been golden. A few times when hauling the snowbike in the cold weather it turned over slow. Now when gearing up for the ride, I turn on the hot grips then it spins over fine.
In the winter when we stop for a rest I do not turn off my grip heaters and still have enough power to start the bike.

I did have a failure on my wifes Ducati because of a parasitic draw and lack of use. Shorai replaced at no charge.

Some batteries do fail lead/acid, dry cell and li/ion.

I am a believer in the Shorai.

Just my 2 cents

sodahucker · Nov 1, 2013

These lithium batteries are great if you ONLY ride in the summer. They suck in the winter though. After kicking a hole in my boot because the lithium wouldn't crank the engine I bought a gel battery and it works much better for snow-biking. The suggestion of "cranking" it until it warms up doesn't work in winter temps in my experience. It never reaches full power, and doesn't crank fast enough to start the bike at the beginning of the day.

Also, used some 10 gauge trailer wire plugs to create a quick disconnect and a jumpstarting plug. I store my battery indoors now, and it's definately worth it.

the gman · Nov 1, 2013

The shoai is a lithium IRON battery, not a lithium ion, not that it makes it better. I am invested in this batt for now and have a car booster pack for morning starts. Will let you know how it works...

funjunkie · Nov 1, 2013

Gman. I tried the shori bat last year. I tried putting hot grip elements on the battery like you are asking. Stuck one on each side and then wraped it in the foam that comes with the battery. It didn't really work. You would have to sit there for ever and wait for it to heat up. Then if you were lucky it would crank over fast enough to start the bike. I took it out and the stock battery back in . Work great the rest of the year.

350scott · Nov 1, 2013

I must have a really special Shorai. I've had it for more than 2 years now with no problems at all. It's been flawless, starting both my KTM 350 and 500 in temps from +30C to -25C (yes, I am dumb enough to ride in this cold).

It's never been plugged into a charger which is what I suspect causes most problems with these batteries. You don't need a charger as they hold their charge for a long time.

vmax1200 · Nov 1, 2013

My first Shori went dead due to a faulty switch .The second Shori been holding out three years now summer and winter use ,I run hand warmers ,leaddog helmet light and the bikes head light all the same time with no stator issues .

eskimojoe77 · Nov 2, 2013

Location, location, location?

Someone help me out. I've been searching for hours for the battery on my CR500 to see if it is lead-acid, lithium-ion, lithium-iron, kryptonite-plasma, or AAA. I can't find the thing anywhere on my bike. It must be really small. What kind of batteries are really small? I must have that kind. Same type as my Ktm 525sx had too I guess.

350scott · Nov 3, 2013

On CR500's, the battery is old school. You should be able to find it on the left side of your chest just behind the ribs. if you're also having trouble finding your starter, it's typically a few feet below the battery.

Rush44 · Nov 3, 2013

350scott said:
On CR500's, the battery is old school. You should be able to find it on the left side of your chest just behind the ribs. if you're also having trouble finding your starter, it's typically a few feet below the battery.

LOL nice!

Wundah · Nov 3, 2013

Carry a 8' section of 10/2 Romex on your bike and when you are having issues jump your bike off one that's running. Super light jumper cables in the backcountry. Works great, I've used it more than I care to admit

Putting a hand warmer ON your battery?

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