Author Topic: MOTORBATT MB12U -AGM BATTERY -DIRECT FIT WITH PHOTOS (Read 813 times)

wildbill · « **on:** February 16, 2013, 05:06:52 AM »

I decided it was time to buy a new battery for the C5. Hunting about the web i read several excellent reports on this AGM MB12U model.
if interested then read this lengthy and ion depth article"Texas Toast Battery Cook-Off"
anyway to sum it all up it's almost the same as the norm - a few mm shorter in height -same in other directions.

old v new.

top view.
positive and neg terminals on both sides. good i suppose if one wanted to add additional accessories

factory battery -was without a doubt a very tight fit. really a pain to remove and replace

not so with the Motorbatt AGM. there is now quite a bit of room from the fuel line to the battery and the cover plate is easy to fit.

cover back on the bike

how does it work. so far pretty good. instructions said - no need to charge,so i gave it a quick hit of the electric starter and it purred away first belt.
turned it off and repeated the same again - no problem. turned the headlights and indicators on............kicked straight away again.
if you read the above tests - it will tell you how its bigger brother started a V10 car motor about 50 times in total.
hope this is interesting to all who read.

Tri750 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 16, 2013, 06:53:24 AM »

The Motobatt has proven to be incredibly reliable. We've sold them for 5 years. We got them in as an affordable option for the factory BMW batteries and have expanded what we carry for all our lines. They have a 2 year exchange warranty with no pro-rating. The only thing, is that you have the 10ah battery 160cca while the correct replacement battery is rated at 16.5ah and 190cca. Not saying you should freak out and change it, the MB12U has plenty of power and any AGM battery is a step up from the original flooded battery that came with it.

TWinOKC · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2013, 09:26:46 AM »

Thanks for posting wildbill. Any AGM battery is a big improvement over the origional.
Also glad to see you installed the battery correctly (with the posts on the inside) there has been some discussion about which way the battery should be installed. I think the owners manual shows (incorrectly) with posts on the outside.

Craig McClure · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2013, 12:46:26 PM »

AGM Battery is the only type to use if you love your bike. It will never puke on your paint & chrome, or even cause corrosion. AGMs are stronger, last longer, & charge quicker. I ended up with a DEKA agm(USA made) sold by Voltex. Also put one in my Miata.

Royalista · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2013, 04:12:23 PM »

+1
Excellent presentation. Good find.
As said by others: AGM is superior and one that is smaller than stock is definetely an improvement. It's awkwardly cramped in there.

Tri750: I checked with the chart and MB12U there is listed as 15A.
The one you recommend (16.5ah and 190cca) is a bit different in size. Length is no issue but width is +10mm and height +7mm. Furthermore the bottom spacer is 6mm shorter. Are you sure it will still fit with some room, however small, to spare? Otherwise this orange could still be a lemon.

wildbill · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2013, 04:38:41 PM »

forgot to mention i didn't use the spacer at all. instead i sat the battery on a 3 or 4mm thick rubber. hopefully to help shock value etc.
during the past year etc i removed the standard battery a few time. hard to get out and even harder to get in.
prior to this move the last attempt had sparks flying when i hit the side of the gas tank.
this battery cost me $107 including delivery my way - probably a lot cheaper state side.
will let you know how it goes.

Tri750 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:53:11 AM »

The spacer is not used for the Enfield application. The point of the Motobatt is with the use of thin spacers, it will fit more motorcycles. The quad term design allows you to spin the battery around to match your terminal position again, to fit more bikes. The Moto Batt we have used since the Calif. release is the direct cross over from the Enfield Exide part number to the MB. As it is a cross over, it's the same tight fit as the original. But you won't be pulling it for maintenance. We sell it for 100.00 including ups ground. Conus.

squire · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2013, 01:44:00 PM »

Tri750-is the 16.5 battery you're suggesting the same size as our original batteries, I have a C5? The original battery in mine is a tight squeeze as it is and I wouldn't want anything larger. I can't find a dealer near me and will likely pick one up from you.

Tri750 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:57:07 PM »

Yes, it's just as tight. Batteries, car,truck,motorcycle, etc.) have standard BCI sizes for uniformity. A US made Exide YB6LM will be the same dimensions of an overseas made YB6LM. Once you strap in a gel or AGM battery and put your battery tender lead on and the side cover, your done with it. Some folks will wrap black vynil tape around the battery to hide the bright yellow case color. (yes, I do that when I use them) I have the Motobatt's in 6 of my 7 bikes so far. They are good stuff!

JVS · « **Reply #9 on:** February 17, 2013, 09:00:28 PM »

Neat batt

squire · « **Reply #10 on:** February 17, 2013, 11:43:09 PM »

Quote from: Tri750 on February 17, 2013, 08:57:07 PM

Yes, it's just as tight. Batteries, car,truck,motorcycle, etc.) have standard BCI sizes for uniformity. A US made Exide YB6LM will be the same dimensions of an overseas made YB6LM. Once you strap in a gel or AGM battery and put your battery tender lead on and the side cover, your done with it. Some folks will wrap black vynil tape around the battery to hide the bright yellow case color. (yes, I do that when I use them) I have the Motobatt's in 6 of my 7 bikes so far. They are good stuff!

Okay, thanks. I'm in Canada but my neighbour has a mailbox just over the border, I'll get the address and have you ship it there. I'll send you a private pm, Thanks.

Tri750 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 17, 2013, 11:56:11 PM »

Best to call me at the shop Tuesday. 559-292-2269
For forum members I'll do 90.00 and ship UPS ground free. If you're within Cali, we can't avoid the sales tax.

gremlin · « **Reply #12 on:** February 18, 2013, 07:03:58 AM »

I'm happy with this AGM battery in my B5 for $52 (free shipping).

and you won't have to wrap it with black tape !!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BTLMXG/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

atzelaner · « **Reply #13 on:** February 18, 2013, 08:54:48 AM »

Thanks for the info on the battery, I contacted MotoBatt and according to them the replacement for the OEM battery installed on the C5's is the Motobatt MBTX14AU 12V 16.5Ah Motorcycle Battery. It is a littler higher than the MB12U, but it should fit.
I will install the Motobatt in my bike because it seems that they are a much safer battery in case you drop it.

Tri750 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2013, 02:43:11 PM »

your 52.00 AGM weighs in at 10.2 lbs. the Motobatt weighs 11.
I guess if cost were the real factor you would get an agm on ebay. I think you can find one for 35.00 or so.
the extra pound? that's the lead plates your not getting with the 52.00 battery. to compare apples to apples, check out the Texas Battery Shootout article previously mentioned in this thread.

squire · « **Reply #15 on:** February 18, 2013, 03:21:23 PM »

I think the 2 year warranty that comes with the Motobatt shows the confidence the company have in their product and may have something to do with the price.

Tri750 - I like the Motobatt charger I don't suppose you have those in stock?

Tri750 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 18, 2013, 06:18:11 PM »

We don't. The only chargers we sell and use are Battery Tender brand by Deltran. The Jr. Model sells for about 40.00 and has a 5 yr. warranty. The full size has a 10 yr. and sells for about 60. I have a Jr. at least 8 yrs. old and it still works fine. Walmart sells a nice 1.5a charger also with a microprocessor and the SAE pigtail for 20 scoots. I call that a good value.

Ducati Scotty · « **Reply #17 on:** February 19, 2013, 12:18:51 AM »

Al,

Are the terminals on that battery sturdy? I think I need a new battery and want an AGM.

Scott

squire · « **Reply #18 on:** February 19, 2013, 12:35:48 AM »

If you follow this link and scroll down there's close up illustrations of the terminals.

http://motobatt.com/

gremlin · « **Reply #19 on:** February 19, 2013, 05:48:32 AM »

Quote from: Tri750 on February 18, 2013, 02:43:11 PM

your 52.00 AGM weighs in at 10.2 lbs. the Motobatt weighs 11.
I guess if cost were the real factor you would get an agm on ebay. I think you can find one for 35.00 or so.
the extra pound? that's the lead plates your not getting with the 52.00 battery. to compare apples to apples, check out the Texas Battery Shootout article previously mentioned in this thread.

Do I detect a bit of salesmanship here ? the battery from Amazon is a vast upgrade from the stock battery and at half your advertised price. The battery you sell is larger than the stock battery, and, I suspect a tight fit even without the black tape to hide that hideous yellow case......

IMO, YMMV, standard disclaimers apply.

Gremlin (Doctor of Volts & Jolts)

Ducati Scotty · « **Reply #20 on:** February 19, 2013, 12:05:24 PM »

Quote from: squire on February 19, 2013, 12:35:48 AM

If you follow this link and scroll down there's close up illustrations of the terminals.

http://motobatt.com/

Thanks, I saw that but I still wanted Al's opinion, just 'cause. And I figured they must be ok if he's selling them, just wanted to be sure.

Scott

Tri750 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 19, 2013, 12:16:21 PM »

The terminals have been perfect since we started selling them. They come with a sturdy brass adapter and stainless screws. The screws need to be tight. On my personal bikes I use star washers.

mattsz · « **Reply #22 on:** February 20, 2013, 01:23:41 PM »

Guys - my service manual and my owners manual both specify a 14ah battery, which apparently nobody is using. 10ah, 16.5ah... 10.5 lbs, 11 lbs... Does it really matter?

barenekd · « **Reply #23 on:** February 20, 2013, 02:04:51 PM »

Quote

Guys - my service manual and my owners manual both specify a 14ah battery, which apparently nobody is using. 10ah, 16.5ah... 10.5 lbs, 11 lbs... Does it really matter?

I had a 14ah Deka AGM in mine, but it has since been replace by a 15AH battery. It doesn't really matter, it's just giving you longer lasting battery power. You just don't want to let the battery ah rating to go down very far, or the electrical system can use it up faster than the alternator can refresh it.
Bare

GlennF · « **Reply #24 on:** February 20, 2013, 05:28:25 PM »

Quote from: mattsz on February 20, 2013, 01:23:41 PM

Guys - my service manual and my owners manual both specify a 14ah battery, which apparently nobody is using. 10ah, 16.5ah... 10.5 lbs, 11 lbs... Does it really matter?

Amp-Hour rating effects several things ...
- if your engine is off and yo are running something like lights/stereo/sandwich toaster it determines how long before eventually you run the battery flat
- if your engine fails to start and you keep cranking it, AH determine how long before you eventually run the battery flat
- if you are riding slow in traffic with headlights on and there are not enough amps from your alternator to keep battery topped up AH determine how long before you eventually run the battery flat

In terms of cold weather starting its the CCA that matters not AH.

The other thing to consider with gel batteries etc is they often hold charge better. Conventional lead acid batteries lose something crazy like 10% of their charge a month. Other types can hold almost full charge right through winter. On the downside many alternative batteries do not like being run flat.

Ducati Scotty · « **Reply #25 on:** February 20, 2013, 05:36:34 PM »

Also, some alternative batteries don't work well in cold winter temps. AGMs are generally ok but some of the new super small batteries are not for snowmobiles

Though those types have a static discharge rat even lower than AGMs.

Scott

gremlin · « **Reply #26 on:** February 20, 2013, 11:20:11 PM »

Quote from: mattsz on February 20, 2013, 01:23:41 PM

Guys - my service manual and my owners manual both specify a 14ah battery, which apparently nobody is using. 10ah, 16.5ah... 10.5 lbs, 11 lbs... Does it really matter?

to complicate matters, even if 2 mfr's use a common "end" voltage to test their batteries, the AH ratings will vary depending on the rate of discharge.

In practice it is like a shoe size ..... if it fits - wear it.

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Author Topic: MOTORBATT MB12U -AGM BATTERY -DIRECT FIT WITH PHOTOS (Read 813 times)