what kind of battery for my yamaha xt? in terms of cranking amps anyway... i've been told it's 9amps but friends of mine got 12 amps batteries on their honda bikes etc so what kind of battery do i buy? also where do you recommend i look?

Hi Adrien,

Not sure where you live or what type XT you have, but the only limitation you will have with regards to batteries is what will fit in the battery tray of your bike. More cranking amps is better, so if you can fit one on your bike go for it.

You can run your bike off a car battery if you have to. Anything 12 volts will do.

Interesting story. I was riding my old BMW through the Okanagan valley in British Columbia Canada one day years ago. My trusty bike died right in front of a Canadian tire store after having traveled miles through the middle of nowhere. It wouldn't start. Turns out the battery was not only dead, but the alternator rotor was toast. The bike could only keep going until the battery was totally flat and the electronic ignition couldn't fire the plugs. You gotta love a bike that coasts to a stop right in front of a battery store when its alternator gives out. What to do. 1000 miles from home. Hmmmm. So I went into the Canadian tire store and bought a big-ass truck battery that fit my truck at home and some long battery cables and strapped the battery on the rear rack and extended the battery cables through the side covers and hooked it up in parallel to my dead battery. Disconnected my headlight and ran the bike on dead loss off the truck battery for hundreds of miles no problem until I could get to a BMW repair shop and swap out the dead alternator rotor.

So in summary, get the best battery that will fit your battery tray.

Kindest regards,
John Downs

__________________
South America and back on a 250 Super Sherpa Minimalist Adventure http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831076

I put an Odyssey battery in my XT600E..

GREAT battery. I swear that thing would of cranked for 12 hours without running down lol.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Odyssey are good, i used a Motobatt (both AGM) and the thing is with an AGM you can mount them any way you like (except upside down) ive seen guys mount bigger battery's on there side under the seat (on a DR650) so like the poster said your only limited by the size of the space & only an AGM can be shoved in to spots where a normal battery cannot go (as it would leak).

Mezo.

I recently ordered a standard OEM Yuasa battery for one of my XT's and eventually was sent another cheaper version of same! Not impressed. Took ages to get a refund, I was almost at the point of issuing proceedings in the small claims (County) courts. What annoyed me was that the idiots I bought the thing off didn't understand the principal of reasonable and fair compensation. They eventually gave my money back so why was I complaining..... Damn fools.

My advice - Go to your local trusted bike shop and get a maintenance free gel type battery.

If you can afford an Odessy battery then get one otherwise spend around £30 - £40 on a OEM fit.

__________________
Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

My original battery has lasted almost 9 years, and 96.000km. I accidentially drained it totally once when the starter relay got stuck, and the starter turned over till there was no more juice on the battery. Talk about reliable. Still works great.

the gel batteries are very nice, but if you cannot afford one go with standard "YTX9BS" or one of the same size ie. "UTX9BS" "ES9BS" etc.
12V 8AH. you do not want to go to much (DO NOT) use a car battery, you may not have problems right away. but ive seen what the wrong size battery can do to an electrical system and it is not nice at all. good luck to you, hope my info was helpful.

The AGM battery posted here: eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices says it's for a Yamaha XT 600 Z Tenere (34L) (K/Start) (1983-1985) but the height is 168mm which is 6.61417323 inches (exact conversion thanks to Google!) but the battery I have already is only about 130mm high (about 5 inches). The exact same battery is also on wemoto Yamaha XT 600 Z Tenere 84 Battery Motobatt Sealed High Torque Parts at Wemoto - The UK's No.1 On-Line Motorcycle Parts Retailer for the '84 XT600. Common sense says it's not going to fit but that's two sites selling it for the bike. Anyone used these MotoBatts with their XT600s or have any input into it? Thanks.

edit: @Mezo Just noticed it was a MotoBatt you used, was this the one and how was the fit?

Mezo Just noticed it was a MotoBatt you used, was this the one and how was the fit?[/QUOTE]

Which model is this for? i fitted one on a 3AJ.

Mezo.

Ah right, mine's a 34L... I've emailed the sellers to get a bit more info on it

Just got off the phone to the ebay seller - the correct MotoBatt replacement for a 34L is a MB4U

If you go on Motobatt website you can see all there batteries, amps & dimensions, your a bit limited with a 34L as the battery box is pretty small where the 3AJ one allows a bit more.

The MBTX7U will squeeze in there but sticks out about 25mm so you would have to make sure your side panel has the clearance.

Its the same price but gives another amp of power & is 2lbs heavier as well so basically a bit more heavy duty.

Might be worth just going through the range & checking the dimensions, remembering you can fit an AGM on its side with no problems (except inverted).

Mezo.

I have a MTBX9U in my 91 XT, fitted no problem and spins it over like a sewing machine, and it converted a reluctant starter into a first time every time starter.

I agree, it's a great battery, I've been using one for a while now and had no issues with it.

Yes an Odessy battery is a nice bit of kit BUT it's also a premium item. By this I mean that it's not really worth the extra money asked. The company sells the item for as much as the market will stand which means their profit margin is enormous = unfair to the consumer.

I would like to know just how much the Oddessy battery costs to make compared to a standard one. I'd guess the standard battery can be made for less than £10 whereas the Oddessy battery costs around £20 to make. No one would stop a company making a profit but often the profits taken are a rip off.

If you want a prefectly servicable basic battery go for a £30 YTX9BS jobby on Ebay.

If you are wealthy and have the money to throw away, go for the top shelf stuff like Oddessy. Although it will perform brilliantly it doesn't represent brilliant value for money....

__________________
Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).