This question is for original owners with either 2001 or 2002 year bikes (F4S, F4S 1+1, or Senna)....

What battery was supplied with the bike from the factory. Battery brand and type. If you've got the battery model number/designation, even better. Any information would be most helpful. Thanks.

-- trev (trevt@attbi.com), February 27, 2003

Answers

I have a new, 2002 F4 1 + 1... recently purchased from Motoprimo in Mpls, and they swapped out the OEM Battery with a Yuasa. It was my understanding that the OEM Batteries are weak / failing. It this the case ?

I can look, and see what Model was spec'd as OEM this evening, and get back to you.

-- Scott Ruzin (sruzin@lawrencesign.com), February 27, 2003.

Trev

2002 Senna - YUASA YTX9-BS

-- Ralph (ralph@eurograv.co.uk), February 27, 2003.

scott, yes please do check. thanks.

-- trev (trevt@attbi.com), February 27, 2003.

I have an older 2000 model F4S but it still has the OEM battery installed. I know you wanted 01 or 02 models but if it helps, the manufacture is Fiamm and the number is 6E9P. The battery has been no problem at all. I was on the dealers waiting list and took delivery a couple of weeks after it arrived so it didn’t sit for very long. I purchased a Battery Manager from Griot’s Garage right away and plug it in if the bike sits longer then two weeks. Hope this info helps out.

-- Tim W (provamo35@hotmail.com), February 27, 2003.

My '00 is chassis number 9 and has the original Fiamm still in it. It's been on a Battery Tender most of its life for the last 3 years and has never been a problem. Always starts right up.

-- Frank Tavani (ftav4444@yahoo.com), February 28, 2003.

Trev, if it helps, I have a 2002 1+1 which was delivered new with an Interstate YTX9-BS battery. I saw the bike in the crate, but don't really know if the battery at delivery was actually the one shipped with the bike (i.e. it's possible it was swapped by the dealer for another battery between uncrating and set-up.) Not sure if it matters though….I got a bit worried a few months ago and I started looking for a gel battery after reading several acid-related horror stories and comments on MV websites. Everyone seemed to recommend getting a gel battery to replace the OEM. What I found was that despite what my dealer says, true gel batteries are not well-suited for starting purposes. They are, however, very good in super-deep discharge applications such as the house battery on RVs and boats. My sources claim gel batteries are neither appropriate nor really available for motor sports use. In other words, the term “gel” is often used incorrectly. Better suited to our purposes, is the AGM (absorbed glass mat) variety of batteries found in late model MVs. This type of battery is designed to keep the electrolyte fluids absorbed in sponge-like separators rather than a bath of acid. This makes them very unlikely to ever leak. For the moment, AGM technology is about as good as it gets and it seems late model MVs are shipped with this type of battery. So, after talking with a few battery "experts" I found that both Yuasa and Interstate get their batteries from the same offshore maker, both have the same designation (YTX9-BS), both are "maintenance free", both are "sealed" by the dealer after fluids are added, and both are of the AGM (absorbed glass mat) variety and much less likely to spill fluids even if broken. Further, very few batteries are actually sealed at the factory although a few distributors and/or private label "makers" do seal them before shipping to their dealers (WestCo, for example). In the end, this information was very helpful to me since I nearly bought a new battery on the advice of one dealer who suggested I get a Yuasa to replace the OEM just to be on the safe side. Apparently, they are of the exact same ilk and my money would have been wasted. Well, that’s what I found, anyway. YMMV, dm

-- dm (i8foie@msn.com), March 03, 2003.

P.S. I also discovered the original Battery Tender charger is not well suited for AGM-style batteries and thus the company has come out with their Battery Tender Plus model which can adapt to the the unique charge/discharge qualities of AGM batteries.

-- dm (i8foie@msn.com), March 16, 2003.