I'm buying a new battery. I've had my '07 since new and I still have the original battery.
I plan to buy the same battery because this one lasted a long time considering I only ride about twice a week. I'm also going to install a Battery Tender Plus so the new battery should last a long time too.
I'm ordering the new one before I take out the old. I have 2 questions.
Is the original made by Yuasa? Also, the shop manual says for maximum life I need to perform a load test on the battery at 3 X the amp hour rating, which is 14, for 15 seconds. What exactly do they mean? Subject the battery to an initial load of 42 amps for 15 seconds? Years ago I heard you should go for a ride after replacing the battery. About a 1/2 hour is good.
Any thoughts about this load test?

* Last updated by: KAK on 10/24/2013 @ 1:30 PM *

Are you doing a load test on the old battery? Batteries last longer if you properly charge a new one before installing it.

The shop manual says to load test the new battery at 3 X the amp hour rating for 15 seconds. Not sure what that means.
I just found out the stock battery is made by Furukawa(FTZ14-BS)and costs $270. I really like how the original battery worked but I can't see myself spending that much for a battery. So I'll have to figure out what a good replacement is from Yuasa or ? Damn. Now I have to make sure of the case size too.
Anyone bought a Yuasa? What model # is it?

Just buy your battery and tender.........put the battery on the tender and let the tender light tell you when it's good. This will be properly charged and you won't have to calculate anything. Once the light is green...could be mins....could be hrs.........it's ready for service.

Thanks Blue. That's what I read in the Battery Tender info and that's what I plan to do. I was just wondering what this "load test" on a new battery was all about.
I'm thinking about buying a Yuasa since the original battery is $270. Hoping someone will chime in who's bought a Yuasa.

A load test puts a heavy load on the battery, heavy enough that it actually can drain the battery. It tells you if you have a bad cell and the overall condition of the battery. If it fails a load test it means your battery could leave you stranded someday cause you can't start the bike.

Mine has a yuasa stock, I think. Never bought a Kawasaki that didn't have a yuasa battery. Can't help you with the number.

I just bought one.........left key on overnight last week.

YTX14-BS or M3RH4S ........depends on how labeled.

* Last updated by: 06BlueZX14 on 10/24/2013 @ 3:35 PM *

If you kill a batt dead as stone.........good chance it will be damaged.

If you buy it dry.....pour in the acid.......it will pretty much be charged right there........but put the tender on and let it do its thing no matter if you fill or prefilled.

Idont know if it's Yuasa. Always heard it was but mine says "The Furukawa Battery Co, Ltd. JAPAN" so is that Yuasa?

Stock battery and weight

this one lasted a long time considering I only ride about twice a week.

Have the Battry tender jr and it works just fine for storage.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/24/2013 @ 5:48 PM *

Got a yuasa in mine but you might want to check Battery Mart.com, thats where I usually buy mine ad haven't had a problem with them at all. Buying a 4 bank tender this year from them. Yuasa is the way to go unless you want to go to a gel batt.

Rook, the battery in my '12 was a furukawa also. Not the same company as yuasa. When the dealer replaced it last year under warranty, they gave me a yuasa ytx14b(s?) like mentioned above. works fine.

And don't take this the wrong way, Im not saying the furukawa was bad, IE worse than yuasa. Whoever charged it before installation (when new) clamped the charging lead to the little side part where its plastic and made a hole. This is most likely why mine failed.

get a sealed gel battery. More expensive, but will last way longer than a standard lead acid "add your acid" type.

Hmm Maybe mine was that other brand now the more I think about it.

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it.
The stock battery is Furukawa FTZ14-BS. "BS" means "bottle supplied electrolyte". The only place I've seen selling it is Kawasaki Essentials at $270. Too much for a battery. When compared to the Yuasa YTX14-BS, the only differences I see in the specifications is the Furukawa has a higher capacity rating of 14ah vs the Yuasa with 12ah. I'm not sure what that means but I think it's how much the battery can supply in a 10 hour period?? Since many have replaced the Furukawa with the Yuasa I guess it's not that important. I can't find any info on how many cold cranking amps the Furukawa puts out. The YTX CCA is 200 amps. I'm also looking at the Yuasa YTX14"H"-BS which is listed as a high performance battery by Yuasa with 240 CCA. It cost about $20 more than the YTX14-BS. I'm not sure if it really matters but it would be nice to know what CCA the stock battery is. With cars we've owned, I've always tried to at least match what was stock or get a higher CCA battery if it's a good value.
The other difference is the Furukawa website lists their FTZ14-BS as 4.1 lbs, while the Yuasa is about 8+ lbs. I'm not sure I believe the stockers weight and I haven't taken the battery out yet. Rook's pic shows the stocker at 11+ lbs?
Comparing the 2 Yuasa's, the real difference is the "H" model has 40 more CCA. Yuasa apparently sells a lot more of the YTX14-BS and more dealers list them. I found a dealer nearby that I never knew was around. In Valencia, about 20 miles from my house, is "ATBATT". They have the YTX14-BS for $75.24 right now with free shipping on anything over $75. Good price and I should get it quick. One other difference is when looking at the specifications the "H" model says it has "4" connections" vs "5" connections for the other Yuasa. I have no idea what they're talking about. Anyone here know? If the # of connections isn't important, would you go for the higher CCA battery?? Not knowing what the stockers CCA is, could a possibly higher cranking battery do something to harm the bikes computer or other electronic parts?
Rook: Regarding battery life on a bike used often vs a bike ridden about twice a week, from what I've read and my own experience, the bike ridden more often(and started more times, obviously) will last longer.
Just to add: Yuasa says a sealed AGM (absorbed glass mat)battery should last 3-5 years or 6-8 years with good maintenance. Compared to a conventional battery, they also give a "warning" when their service life is ending by slower starting and they typically don't fail suddenly.
Also, from the factory manual: after you pour the new electrolyte into the battery, wait at least 60 minutes before charging. Shorter service life will result is you fill it and immediately start charging. A good charging rate is 1/10th it's given 10 hr capacity. So with the YTX14-BS capacity of 12, charging at 1.2 amps is perfect. The Battery Tender Plus charges at 1.25 amps so that's a good fit.
I was also concerned the new battery would fit right. Since some here have bought the Yuasa, I assume the top cover fits the same as it did with the stocker?

* Last updated by: KAK on 10/26/2013 @ 10:47 PM *

alg8er, after reading a little on Gel batteries, they do sound better but cost quite a bit more. How much more I don't know. I didn't find any at Yuasa's website and didn't look that hard elsewhere since I'm going with the Yuasa.
One negative I read at a site called battertystuff.com was how you have to be careful when charging a gel battery. They don't tolerate over-charging or the wrong method of charging. They say you need a charger that is specifically made to charge a gel battery. Maybe they're not that difficult to live with but I think I'm making a good choice. How much is a gel for the 14 anyway? Just curious.

I paid $110 for mine. I typically get 2-3 years from a standard lead/acid, and 5-6 from a gel. I use a battery tender on mine, and the one in my ZX11 lasted 7 years, my zx14 6 years.

amazon

Thanks for the info.
Anyone else think a Gel battery is a good choice compared to the Yuasa YTX?

amp*hours rating (ah) is the total charge capacity or the charge stored/maintained in a fully charged battery. An amp is the rate of flow of charge; 1 amp is 1 coulomb of electric charge (you don't want to know how many electrons that is.....heh, heh.... its a bundle) flowing past a point in a circuit each 1 second. So.....an amp*hour is the product of flow rate and time: 1 amp*hour is 1 coulomb of charge per second( as stated) times 3600 seconds (one hour) or a total charge of 3600 coulombs.

The 12 ah battery is down 14% on the total charge available compared to the 14 ah battery. At the same voltage, then, the smaller capacity battery has 14% less total energy to give as well. Energy is voltage times charge (Power is voltage times amps). Power is the rate at which energy can be transferred.

Now, if I read you post correctly the "H" or high performance battery will flow 20% more amps than the standard,
That means: if the capacity (ah) of the "H" battery is the same as the standard, the "H" will give you higher power to turn over a cold engine or one with some hindering factor (weak starter?) but it will run down sooner under that cranking rate. To crank harder and as long as the standard it would also have to have 20% higher charge capacity available. What is the "H" batteries rating for amp*hours? It should be 14.4 ah or about that to crank as long as the standard battery at the higher cranking amp rate. Without the higher capacity in ah it will simply "blow its wad" quicker. Now, that kind of cranking power may be necessary under extreme conditions to start the beast and start it quickly (duration of crank would not be as important, then).

If you don't start your Kawi at 20 degrees below zero or run it in all electric mode (heh, heh...the engine don't fire at all but you're going to town anyway ) ; I wonder why you would need the extra power to crank?? Running very high compression? Turning over a blower/compressor? I really don't know the reason for the cranking power need? Maybe one of the turbo builders has an answer.

For usual use of a factory compression mc, I would save the bucks and go for standard (or perhaps an enhanced charge capacity, maybe, if I was running a lot of accessories for a long time?) and not the extra power (cranking amp rating). Just my 2 cents...... hope this helps.

Best Wishes!

* Last updated by: PaulAB on 10/27/2013 @ 5:14 PM *

Thanks for the help.
Both Yuasa's have the same capacity rating of 12. The stock Furukawa is 14.
I'm ordering the Yuasa standard YTX14-BS. 200 CCA. Can't find a Yuasa that matches the Furukawa's capacity but I guess it's not that big a deal.
It just seemed like a good idea to get the higher performance Yuasa but as you and others have pointed out, it's not necessary under normal conditions.
I appreciate the replies.

don't take this the wrong way, Im not saying the furukawa was bad, IE worse than yuasa

No offense taken. I have run a Shorai for the last three years. Much lighter and same performance as the stocker but has outlived it by a year so far. I recommend Shorai....but if folks are still not confident enough with the new technology and want to stick with lead/acid, I've never heard of anything better than the stocker.

If you are starting the bike in the cold, KAK, the extra CCA will probably help for a fast start.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/27/2013 @ 7:36 PM *

If you buy a battery charger for said amp rating it goes something like this.

We know 12 stands for volts, some letter stands for size, another letter is for post positions on either side, or swapped sides. The 14 is the amp rate. We look at another battery, it says 12 amp. Here is where you look for your battery charger to meet said amperage rate.

How you find the rate is to set a decimal point to the right of that amp number. In other words, there is a balance needed to meet the demand of the amperage rate. And that balance is not in balance when you install a 1.2ah battery charger onto a 14 amp hour rated battery.

You'll pull the 14's amperage rate down to 1.2 amp hours = is all she wrote. So you'll at least want a battery charger to bring the battery up to balance.

12v is the storage house.
.2 extra amps is if you want the google lights up front with the hid shit, then no stress to the battery, here is a bit more wattage.
WATT is power. So will you blow a 3w winker bulb with a 14ah battery? No, because it's a balance. Same as using a 12ah battery. See that balance to the bulb again?

See, the balance you want is a 1.5ah rated battery charger for a 14ah battery. So a fully charged battery is how long that puppy is going to last is the initial prep. All the 1.5a will do is charge it a little bit faster, but not much to worry about, because 1.4 is the balance and that peak says = is all she wrote.

Charging a new battery to last has a process. The directions may say. NOLTT so use is on your own.