Best battery for a Honda CB550K3?

[Ashdowner]

Decided to change my battery. Will do anything to get my bike to start better. Who has fitted what and how pleased are you with it?  Motobatt?

[SteveD CB500K0]

Yellow Motobatt on my 500. Never looked back.

[JustcallmeMrT]

Motobatt here as well.

[Trigger]

Motobatt quality has dropped in the past year. Also if you charge any gel battery with a conventional charger, it cooks the plates.
Fitting Dynavolt gel at the moment which are a good battery.

[Johnwebley]

I might need a new battery soon,
 how these Gel type batteries get on with Oxford type chargers and conditioners ?

[Trigger]

Found the best way to charge a gel battery is use a old phone charger, most push out 12v and low Amps. Most are the equal to a expensive Optimate that charge about £40 

[totty]

My 550 has had a Motobatt fitted for 3 years, I've had no issues and I've never needed to charge it even after one 5 month layup when I had to store it elsewhere due to a break in.

[deltarider]

The conventional Yuasa batteries have always served me well (6 - 7 years). Your bike should start well with just such a conventional battery. If it doesn't, there's something wrong that needs to be adressed.

[matthewmosse]

I used to be a firm believer in the old style lead acid batteries too, but have found the gel ones better - not had one fitted in my 500/4 yet, but other kit and the ntv 650 have gel types and the abuse some have suffered and still done the job has inpressed me, whereas the lead acid type - well I havd a fair collection of old uns awaiting me bothering with weighing them in. That said the worst bike has been my wifes cb250 nighthawk, the Mf battery on that - you get an acid pack with the battery and it apparently is absorbed into a gel inside the battery, well that bike kills it's battery with monotonous regularity every winter, despite regular Optimate charging, the alarm and heated grips being disconnected to allay the issue and the fact the bike was used right through winter reguarly. I wonder would the modern gel batteries be ok with the lidl smart chargers which have settings for bike, car, 6v etc? I deffinately intend to go gel on the cb500/4 when I do finally get around to finishing the wiring, unless I get lazy and bung a car battery in the sidecar and run longer leads out to it.

[Trigger]

My 550 has had a Motobatt fitted for 3 years, I've had no issues and I've never needed to charge it even after one 5 month layup when I had to store it elsewhere due to a break in.

Yes, the Motobatt was a good battery when they first came on to the market but, in the last year the quality has dropped. Over to you JamesH for a comment on the motobatt

[gtmdriver]

Just a word of caution from my own experiences.

I have found that the very basic charging system on older bikes can damage the newer battery types such as Gel, AGM and Lithium.

My 1989 Moto Guzzi overcharged a Westco AGM battery to the extent that it distorted, lifted the lid and leaked all over the engine.

Any battery that needs a special charger is going to struggle with the charging system on a 30 - 40 year old bike.

If you have one of the newer solid state regulator/rectifier units you will probably be OK.

[peterengland]

My charger has a switch setting for either gel or lead acid.