Battery

[Dusterdude]

I know the original battery has about 340 cca and is huge,being my 81 1100 is more of a bobber,do i need that much battery?if not,how much cca should i need?thanks

 

[slabghost]

Chopping off weight has nothing to do with the electrical load. Battery is sized to use the starter and have enough reserve to power ignition at the same time.

 

[Dusterdude]

Agreed,however since the wing was designed to be used as a full dresser also,perhaps the battery was designed to work with the electrical load the lights and radio and such was pulling on it,since i have none of that and just need to turn the starter,im wondering if i can get by with a smaller battery

 

[slabghost]

Smaller in actual size may be possible with todays versions but I wouldn't reduce the actual power rating of the battery. Lower cca might work a while but may overload starter or cause other issues.

 

[82a]

i used a gs1100 bat for starts and running, but only because it was kicking around,

spun the engine fine and started as normal

 

[dan filipi]

Going to a smaller battery will most likely work just fine but by reducing it's capacity the lifespan will be reduced.

Think of the large battery as a bucket full of water, the smaller battery reduced to a 3/4 full bucket of water.
Batteries have only so many cycles of charge and discharge in them so once the bucket is empty, the battery is done.

 

[mcgovern61]

The reality is, Honda did not change the battery size (or the stator) when they made the bikes dressers. They only reduced the available load (same as the weight ratings). The battery is designed mostly for starting in all conditions and holding the main load for a certain period. Again, the reality is, the battery and stator are undersized for the dresser.

 

[Dusterdude]

Groovy,thanks for the info guys

 

[Ansimp]

Starting capacity is the big one to get right. You can often get away with a smaller capacity battery in perfect conditions. I had a customer once that could start their car fine if they parked under the carport in winter but if eft on the street it wouldn't start. It turned out the battery was about half of the correct cca rating for the vehicle. I always fit the biggest capacity battery that will fit without breaking the bank. When you have a problem reserve capacity is king ( flooded carbs, faulty stator, left on electrical circuit etc)