Lithium battery and our charging system?

[DanD]

The 1978 I just bought has a lithium battery.
Do I need to do anything to my charging system?

[ericheath]

The subject of considerable debate. Some put them on their bikes and don't keep them on battery tenders, and they're fine. Others like me had lots of trouble with mine at first. It kept slowly going dead. I had installed a relay so my regulator read actual battery voltage for my lead acid battery. Since LiFePo4 batteries have a charge of 3.3 volts per cell and run four cells to make 13.2 volts. (They just add another four cells or eight cells to increase amp hour) The standard lead acid batteries are six cells at 2.1volts for 12.6 volts. The regulators are designed to charge a 12.6 volt battery. After starting the vehicle the regulator bumps the charge rate up to bring the battery back to state. I think most are happy to run 14 volts and keep the battery at 13 volts. Thirteen volts on a lithium battery is below resting state.

I believe my regulator thought my battery was fine at roughly 13 volts and didn't charge it anymore. During use it would consume too much and it would eventually die on me while underway.

I removed the relay so the regulator read battery voltage from the battery up through the switches and connectors and back to the regulator. I don't know how much voltage drop there is but it's enough to where it has been fine ever since.

I notice most suppliers recommend keeping them on a battery charger while not in use. I can't help but think this is to prevent them from being under charged and to sell you another product. Most lithiums have "balance" chargers which measure individual cells and charge them so they are equal.

Mine is a Ballistic and has a small flexible plastic boot which can be removed to read each cells charge. I check them once a year but they have remained very close to the same. I think most now have this feature.

It's four years old now and spins it over easily. Recovery time is faster if I do crank it down. Just give it a minute and it's good to go again. Fours years was all I would get from a lead acid battery.

All of this is from an admitted electrical buffoon, but it's what worked for me. There are several other members who have them.

You hear or read of scary stories about them catching fire or blowing up, but that is from a different type of lithium battery, the type used in phones, computers etc.

[Sugs]

What brand battery is it? Some have built in charging regulators that compensate for the voltage fluxuations of our aged charging systems.

[DanD]

It is a Bikemaster DLFP 50N18L-A
I downloaded the pdf manual and took this screen shot.

[Sugs]

Bikemaster is what I'm using in my Honda CB-1. I plan to use one in my GL1000 when I'm finished building it. They have built in protection board to equalize the cells and protect against overcharging. See this link:

https://bikemaster.com/batteries/lithiu ... ttery.html