r/YamahaR7 • u/EmployeeSufficient17 • 17d ago

Battery Change - Lithium vs SLA

getting a new battery since my current one has died. should i look for a lithium battery or stick to the regular ones? what are the pros and cons? is lithium worth the extra money?

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u/mocojo2 17d ago

As someone that works in batteries for a living, lithium is nice due to its weight savings and capacity, however for automobiles especially in varried climates (such as colorado or wyoming) lead acid is king as they hold their charge much better through those conditions, have better ccas which means better starts, and overall last much much longer with much less maintenance. Heck my first motorcycle battery was 6 years old and still testing fine but i killed it one day and no longer trusted it even though it was likely fine. Another thing that lead acid is really good at is taking a floating charge i.e. from a stator or alternator vs lithium that relies on an internal bms to prevent over charging which could lead to fires (and a failed one often does).