Battery Relocation/Replacement

Celtic67 · 10-01-2008, 09:57 AM

Hi all,

I was planning to move the battery box from the current location at the rear to the side, where the airbox currently is. Something I read somewhere has made me hesitate.

I bought the bike to mainly do some green lane riding. As such, there's a fair chance of it going over a few times. Would I be better off replacing the battery with a sealed gel one? If so, any suggestions as to which battery I should get?

If I do change the battery, am I going to need a different battery box anyway? Would the gel battery still fit where the airbox is?

Is there any practical reason to move the battery in the first place or just because it looks stupid where it is?

red2003 · 10-01-2008, 12:35 PM

The reason to move it is because several mambers (myself included) have had the box break and the battery drops down onto your rear wheel. 8O . If you think you'll be flopping it a lot, go with the gel cell.

IronFist · 10-01-2008, 12:37 PM

It happened to me, I moved mine with no further problems.

TeamCheap · 10-01-2008, 04:25 PM

Ours were very secure in the stock steel box located on the right side but our problem seemed to be the exhaust pipe 1/2" or so right under the batteries which fryed the batteries.

Havnt lost a battery since the relocate.

Celtic67 · 10-02-2008, 06:15 AM

Thanks for that. Has anyone here used a gel one? Any particular model? And do they tend to be bigger/smaller than the standard battery?

Dragon · 10-02-2008, 10:22 AM

I would not relocate the battery. To do is a big job. It's not worth the hassle. The stock location is very convenient. I think a battery needs to be easily accessible in the event of an emergency. Putting it under the seat would make it not very accessible. And, if the battery box cracking is a concern, do what I do. Just reinforce the box. I cut little pieces of sheet metal and used it along with rivets to strength the corners of the box. I've put 2000 miles on the bike since, and I've also dropped the bike once. My reinforced box works great!

mblas3 · 10-02-2008, 12:08 PM

I did relocate my battery to the left side since the exhaust is so close. I also installed a Westco AGM battery 12VZ7S. No problems since and easy starts.

Mark

TeamCheap · 10-02-2008, 03:29 PM

to funny.

Our batteries are now in a MUCH easier location to get to and with only ONE screw to remove to get the seat out of the way it is a snap.

But then again if you must keep the crappy, leaky stock air box then under the seat isnt really gonna work for you.

relocating the battery box does take a bit of work/welding but it is the best solution on some of these bikes other bikes arnt so bad.

crossed · 10-05-2008, 07:16 AM

I had my battery fall through the inner fender and onto my rear tire on my 200-B. Luckily it was still under the American Lifan warranty and 2 and a half months later they sent me new, redesigned pieces.

pic of my damage on lifan-moto:
http://www.lifan-moto-forum.com/Atta.../DSC00792b.JPG
http://www.lifan-moto-forum.com/Atta.../DSC00790a.JPG

They reworked the inner fender to have a much more shallow well for the battery...in fact it is now almost flat. They also sent me a new battery that is almost half the height and a little wider when compared to the older one. They also sent me a couple brackets that sandwich the battery into the frame and they are much more heavy duty than the original battery box.

If you havnt already, Id say to check with Al to see if they have some reworked pieces for you too.

Celtic67 · 10-08-2008, 05:22 AM

Having pulled off all the tape that the previous owner had wrapped around the battery box, I've found a few things. The battery box is plastic & missing a front. I'll probably have to buy a new metal one if there's going to be welding involved.

The battery in there is 12V-4Ah, which might explain why it starts so badly. My manual says 12V-7Ah but doesn't tell me the correct model number. Anyone got the model number of the standard battery?

tigertamer · 10-08-2008, 08:07 AM

YTX7L-BS 12V 6Ah Tong Yong Batery Co. Unlimited.

I replaced mine with a Motor Sports battery, (5L-bs) from Advance Auto, for half the cost of a stock battery. I have had no problems with it!

Hope it helps,
Tigertamer

panicacid · 10-09-2008, 05:30 PM

I took my battery from the rear of my bike and put it where the airbox was, it was a sloppyfit and rattled about.. HOWEVER I realised that if I left it IN the battery box it fit in snug as a bug, slightly diagonal like this / but works fine. go for it,

EDIT:

I didn't weld mine or anything, just left it in the battery box (metal one) and wedged it in, the side panel holds it in place snugly,

Celtic67 · 10-10-2008, 10:02 AM

I'm starting to think I'll have to make a new bracket for the battery. I looked up the YTX7L-BS and it was listed as having a height of 131mm. My box is only 100mm high. I did ask china-parts.co.uk for the dimensions of the replacement (metal) box but they haven't supplied them yet.

I don't want to buy a box if I'm not going to use it but I'd rather use a proper box than make one. Argh, this is frustrating!

panicacid, that sounds like real scary stuff. Until I make my new sidepanels, mine are likely to fall off at any time. I can just see my battery going bouncing down the road. Nice :-)

10-01-2008, 09:57 AM	#1
Celtic67 Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 22	Battery Relocation/Replacement Hi all, I was planning to move the battery box from the current location at the rear to the side, where the airbox currently is. Something I read somewhere has made me hesitate. I bought the bike to mainly do some green lane riding. As such, there's a fair chance of it going over a few times. Would I be better off replacing the battery with a sealed gel one? If so, any suggestions as to which battery I should get? If I do change the battery, am I going to need a different battery box anyway? Would the gel battery still fit where the airbox is? Is there any practical reason to move the battery in the first place or just because it looks stupid where it is?
	0

10-01-2008, 12:35 PM	#2
red2003 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Northern Vermont, USA Posts: 1,240	The reason to move it is because several mambers (myself included) have had the box break and the battery drops down onto your rear wheel. 8O . If you think you'll be flopping it a lot, go with the gel cell. __________________ First Chinabike: 2006 Roketa RSX200E Current Chinabikes: 2023 Titan DLX & 2022 Lifan KP Mini w/ 210cc BRT kit, 22 RWHP!
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10-01-2008, 12:37 PM	#3
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	It happened to me, I moved mine with no further problems. __________________ IronFist ___________________________________ The "chain" of command is used for beating spammers. ___________________________________
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10-02-2008, 10:22 AM	#6
Dragon Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tejas Posts: 834	I would not relocate the battery. To do is a big job. It's not worth the hassle. The stock location is very convenient. I think a battery needs to be easily accessible in the event of an emergency. Putting it under the seat would make it not very accessible. And, if the battery box cracking is a concern, do what I do. Just reinforce the box. I cut little pieces of sheet metal and used it along with rivets to strength the corners of the box. I've put 2000 miles on the bike since, and I've also dropped the bike once. My reinforced box works great! __________________ Chinabikeless
	0

10-08-2008, 08:07 AM	#11
tigertamer Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Wheeling, West Virginia Posts: 683	YTX7L-BS 12V 6Ah Tong Yong Batery Co. Unlimited. I replaced mine with a Motor Sports battery, (5L-bs) from Advance Auto, for half the cost of a stock battery. I have had no problems with it! Hope it helps, Tigertamer __________________ 07 H-D XL883C 06 LF 200GY-5 Yin and Yang CAUTION Obey The Traffic Regulation. Always Wear a Helmet. Don't Ride After Drinking Wine. Before Operation, Read The Owners Manual Carefully.
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10-01-2008, 04:25 PM	#4
TeamCheap Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: directly under the earths sun............NOW Posts: 2,302	Ours were very secure in the stock steel box located on the right side but our problem seemed to be the exhaust pipe 1/2" or so right under the batteries which fryed the batteries. Havnt lost a battery since the relocate.
	0

10-02-2008, 06:15 AM	#5
Celtic67 Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 22	Thanks for that. Has anyone here used a gel one? Any particular model? And do they tend to be bigger/smaller than the standard battery?
	0

10-02-2008, 12:08 PM	#7
mblas3 Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 120	I did relocate my battery to the left side since the exhaust is so close. I also installed a Westco AGM battery 12VZ7S. No problems since and easy starts. Mark
	0

10-02-2008, 03:29 PM	#8
TeamCheap Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: directly under the earths sun............NOW Posts: 2,302	to funny. Our batteries are now in a MUCH easier location to get to and with only ONE screw to remove to get the seat out of the way it is a snap. But then again if you must keep the crappy, leaky stock air box then under the seat isnt really gonna work for you. relocating the battery box does take a bit of work/welding but it is the best solution on some of these bikes other bikes arnt so bad.
	0

10-05-2008, 07:16 AM	#9
crossed Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ashland Ky Posts: 41	I had my battery fall through the inner fender and onto my rear tire on my 200-B. Luckily it was still under the American Lifan warranty and 2 and a half months later they sent me new, redesigned pieces. pic of my damage on lifan-moto: http://www.lifan-moto-forum.com/Atta.../DSC00792b.JPG http://www.lifan-moto-forum.com/Atta.../DSC00790a.JPG They reworked the inner fender to have a much more shallow well for the battery...in fact it is now almost flat. They also sent me a new battery that is almost half the height and a little wider when compared to the older one. They also sent me a couple brackets that sandwich the battery into the frame and they are much more heavy duty than the original battery box. If you havnt already, Id say to check with Al to see if they have some reworked pieces for you too.
	0

10-08-2008, 05:22 AM	#10
Celtic67 Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 22	Having pulled off all the tape that the previous owner had wrapped around the battery box, I've found a few things. The battery box is plastic & missing a front. I'll probably have to buy a new metal one if there's going to be welding involved. The battery in there is 12V-4Ah, which might explain why it starts so badly. My manual says 12V-7Ah but doesn't tell me the correct model number. Anyone got the model number of the standard battery?
	0

10-09-2008, 05:30 PM	#12
panicacid Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 10	I took my battery from the rear of my bike and put it where the airbox was, it was a sloppyfit and rattled about.. HOWEVER I realised that if I left it IN the battery box it fit in snug as a bug, slightly diagonal like this / but works fine. go for it, EDIT: I didn't weld mine or anything, just left it in the battery box (metal one) and wedged it in, the side panel holds it in place snugly,
	0

10-10-2008, 10:02 AM	#13
Celtic67 Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 22	I'm starting to think I'll have to make a new bracket for the battery. I looked up the YTX7L-BS and it was listed as having a height of 131mm. My box is only 100mm high. I did ask china-parts.co.uk for the dimensions of the replacement (metal) box but they haven't supplied them yet. I don't want to buy a box if I'm not going to use it but I'd rather use a proper box than make one. Argh, this is frustrating! panicacid, that sounds like real scary stuff. Until I make my new sidepanels, mine are likely to fall off at any time. I can just see my battery going bouncing down the road. Nice :-)
	0