Hawk Battery Selection [info]

[UpLateAgain]

I just got my Hawk the other day, and am only beginning to put it together as time allows. One of the things I have read repeatedly is that you need to replace the battery. I got the DLX (EFI) version, and the battery that came with it was a lead-acid sealed version. Don't know how much better than the original Hawk battery this one is... but I suspect it is indeed better. Nonetheless, I opted to go with a lithium-ion battery for several reasons 1.) L-Ion batteries tend to hold charges much, much, longer than lead acid. I have one in my Yamaha FJR, and they actually advertize you can go a year without charging and not damage the battery. 2.) It's a couple of pounds lighter. 3.) There is never any issue with acid spill, 4.) Battery life is longer than lead-acid (five years) 5.) you get substantially more power from a package the same size as the lead-acid. I read somewhere the Hawk battery was 60 cold cranking amps. The L-ion battery I replaced it with is 150.


The battery I replaced it with is the same height and width as the original, but about an inch shorter in length. That means it fit easily into the Hawk battery tray, and I made up the difference (the gap) in the uphill side of the tray with some of the styrofoam packaging the battery arrived packaged-in. Put the strap across the front and it fit every bit as well as the original battery, with the terminals located in the same relative positions. I've not fired it up yet, but if it's anything like the battery in my FJR, I'm going to be thrilled with its performance. And here's the best part: It actually costs about the same as original Hawk batteries when you order them from a Hawk Dealer. $65.99 from Amazon with free delivery for Amazon Prime members (and maybe others as well).

The Battery is an Ampxell YTX4L-BS Lithium Motorcycle Battery.


People have questions about charging lithium batteries. You can buy a lithium motorcycle battery charger (they have a couple of models) on Amazon for between $25.00 and $30.00. OR, if you already have a motorcycle battery charger that has a lead-acid "equalization mode" (most modern ones do), you should be able to use that. Just make sure it is either manually set to equalization mode, or automatically defaults to it when it detects the kind of battery it's charging. But the great thing about L-ion batteries, is under normal circumstances it is not a problem. Unless you leave the ignition on overnight and completely drain the battery, chances are you are never going to have to charge it. Even with Winter storage. Disconnect the negative terminal to store, and the battery will have essentially the same charge even 8 or 9 months later as when you stored it. Just hook it up again in the Spring, and you should be off and running.