Battery Relocation

[CCT01]

Has anyone ever tried to relocate there battery to another spot on the bike? I was thinking of moving mine to where to airbox is and replacing the airbox with clamp-ons from K&N.

[The CyberPoet]

Do you have an aftermarket exhaust and a stage 3 jetkit to balance out the swap to K&N Pod-style filters? You can't just slap them on there and expect everything to work right by itself....

The real question in my mind is why do you want to move the battery closer to the source of heat and vibration (both of which cause batteries to fail faster)? The obvious reasons usually have better solutions:
More underseat space: change the undertray to be larger, plastic weld deeper spaces in.
More forward weight-bias: dear God, why? The bike is already very heavy over the front -- if you need more weight for drag racing, raise or strap down the forks instead.

I can't think of any other reasons for potentially doing it off the top of my head right now...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

No need to move the box for the K&N's , but you COULD use alot of that space where the airbox USED to be to make your own little box for storage . I wanted to find another battery box to fasten in that spot to store tools , but I've gone back to the airbox instead .

[bigbike-r]

failing that..... extend the battery wires and carry the battery in a back pack :


sorry couldnt resist!!
i asked thid question a while back..... do a search for waltari and frankenkat im sure thats what helped me out?

[Black_peter]

I could see moving the battery that way..
I wouldn't do it but I could see it.. I would get a sealed battery and mount it in a different location. A sealed battery can be mounted sideways (or so I've heard).

[StevieB]

Can't really think of a good reason to do it, either.

I am reminded of an old GS500E I once owned- picked it up for about $100, the alternator did not work, so the former owner had wired a plastic milk crate to the pillion seat, and rode around town slowly discharging an automotive battery he kept in the crate, hooked up to the bike!

[Black_peter]

, the alternator did not work, so the former owner had wired a plastic milk crate to the pillion seat, and rode around town slowly discharging an automotive battery he kept in the crate, hooked up to the bike!

Weird...

[StevieB]

Ugly, too!

[CCT01]

Thank you all for your info. For those of you that asked the question of why, the answer is simple. I am biulding a streetfighter out of my 04 600. it will be a solo seat. As soon as I get some pictures a will post them.

[bigbike-r]

yeah that was my reason.... itwas all ugly visible through the bottom of the unit i was using!!

[BlackKatnWV]

Im going sealed gel battery so i can lay it down....i can tell the wiring is going to be a pain in my a$$

[The CyberPoet]

Im going sealed gel battery so i can lay it down....i can tell the wiring is going to be a pain in my a$$

Shouldn't be too bad. I don't have them listed in my "for sale offers" thread, but I do carry 6-terminal fuse blocks for such stuff.
Any factory-sealed AGM should work at any angle; you don't specifically have to look for gel (might save you a few $$). You might also want to look for batteries that are physically smaller but have more CCA's (I list some in my Kat specs webpage), to help you get the form-factor down.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[loudnlow7484]

There are lots of batteries that could be used for that. Parts Express or MCM Electronics would be good places to start looking. Find one that is tall and wide and very skinny, and you could almost hide it under the seat completely.

[benchfalco]

Yeah I just have to chime in....with a long drawn out story....I feel like rambling.....and here we go:

In my case it was an evolutionary process, which is currently redundenlty ongoing I should perhaps ad....maybe...anyhooo---I have since moved my battery forward a few inches after removing the stock airbox and replacing with KN dual pods, but the extra space behind the dual filter was NOT the reason for moving the battery forward; which seems to be the focus of some discussion here.

I began trimming the side panels (it's been done on kats many times before, BearKat for example and others) which exposed the cdi and fuse box on either side of the bike. Not a very pretty look, indeed. So with the sides exposed I decided to move the battery forward by reversing the battery holder (rotate 180) and welding nuts to the side, which could then be mounted to stock nuts and bolt holes on the bike. End result being the battery sits about 3inches more forward, into the freespace behind the KNs. Now, with freespace created where the battery WAS, I was able to move in the fuse box, CDI, connectors etc directly in the area under the seat for easy access. Virtually all main circuits and connections, relays etc are now accessible for inspection/repair just by removing the seat.

Another neat thing about doing this, is the that the way the wiring worked out: all connections 'from' the bike are routed from the left and connected to the wireharness coming in on the right, which makes things more laid out and accessible for ease of maintenance. didn't I mention something about redundency..earlier? maybe in the future I mentioned it then....speaking of future...I should get some picture of this and post it....that would perhaps make this story make sense.

Advantage to relocating all the electrical connections to directly under the seat is that roadside repairs (if ever neccessary ... hasn't let me down yet ) are as simple as popping off the saddle and having a look-see. No need to remove any body components in order to check for a blown fuse, it's just right under the seat.

If I had some pictures I would post them. Instead I choose to ramble.

I guess I moved the battery a little forward, throwing off the whole equillibrium of how the bike distributes theload....this difference is insignificant if you ask me, such that it couldn't come close to comparing to riding with1/2 tank or less of fuel vs. riding with a full tank.
REDUNDENCY DEPARTMENT CHECKING IN FOR DEPARTMENT OF REDUNCEY CHECK IN

In summary; Moving the battery forward made a body mod possible, gave easy access to the CDI, fuses, and other electronics which makes electrical inspections a breeze. All without removing either tail/side panel. Just pop off the seat and giv'r!