need a battery to replace an odyssey pc545 in the Centauro

[Joliet Jim]

So much for a sealed leak proof battery. I was wiping down the Centauro last weekend and noticed my left Bub is all stained from battery acid. I'll assume
i just received a bad battery when i spent the extra money for the odyssey (it's 2-3 years old), but I think i'll go back to another brand.  I've never had a sealed battery leak before. No swelling or dis-formation of the battery, it just seems to be seeping out the seam between the top and the body enough to overfill the battery tray and drip onto what was once a beautiful chrome pipe. Needless to say i am bummed. I also assume that the pipe will need to be rechromed if I wanted to make it look like new since it looks like the acid ate through the chrome that was there.

But the main thing is i need a new battery any good suggestions? 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Not sure if this will fit, it's listed as the equivalent of the PC545:
http://www.batterymart.com/p-bm-mbtx20u-motobatt-mbtx20-agm-battery.html

[redrider]

Jim, you experienced exactly why I ditched the AGM in the Café Sport. I did not trust the lay down position with seat pressure. I am on my second winter with the Shorai LiFe LFX-18. A bit pricey with the dedicated charger but I sleep well. I also use the headlight to pre load the battery when temps are in the 40's or below. Key on while donning helmet and gloves, hook up electric liner, etc. Lithium Iron Phosphate seems to be better than Lithium Ion in this regard. I tried both in the Benelli. The first Ballistic failed within days and the replacement had to come inside for an hour to warm up just to crank the beast if the temp was below 70F. Shorai prismatic Lithium Iron would be my choice.

[rtbickel]

Check your voltage regulator.   It might have overcharged and overheated the battery and caused the seam to fail.

[bad Chad]

Yusa, everything else seems to suck.

[fotoguzzi]

I would try to get someone at Oddesey to listen to your grief since they claim it's sealed, maybe you can get some relief? send some pics of the damage, don't expect them to pay for it but they might replace the battery, then you could sell it if not trusted.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Check your voltage regulator.   It might have overcharged and overheated the battery and caused the seam to fail.

This. It's *very* common for a bad ground to the regulator to cause overcharging with this system. If you haven't run a dedicated ground wire from the regulator to the engine case, do it before putting another battery in it.
I've had nothing but good experience with Odysseys, btw. 10 years life before changing them out just because.

[MGrego]

I just went through this with an Odyssey 545 in my 03 V11. Even though I had previously added an additional ground from the engine case to the voltage regulator, I noticed the battery was swollen and leaking a little from the seam.  I did some homework here and on the V11 forums and discovered that I most likely caused this to happen by using a battery tender not designed for an AGM type battery.

Not sure if you are using a battery tender or not, but apparently a "smart" tender is needed if you are going to use one at all.  Many here recommend not using one with an AGM battery --

[redrider]

Researching chargers, I read the Battery Tender varies widely in the cut-off, max charge and float voltage. Buy two and get two different units. Manufacturing QC is suspect. I chose Yuasa trickle chargers for the shop, college and home. Never had any problems even with the fleet of 14 training bikes. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

I never trickle charge Odysseys. They've sat as long as 9 months in California without issue.

[rodekyll]

My odyssey s have done 9 months in Alaska with no problems.  Never on a tender.  I just disconnect them when not in use.

[Joliet Jim]

This. It's *very* common for a bad ground to the regulator to cause overcharging with this system. If you haven't run a dedicated ground wire from the regulator to the engine case, do it before putting another battery in it.
I've had nothing but good experience with Odysseys, btw. 10 years life before changing them out just because.

Thanks chuck that was one of the first things I did when I picked up the bike that many years ago. But I'll recheck it. What's the best way to see what the regulator is putting out? And do you know if that the same Ducati regulator that the 1100 Cali has?

[Joliet Jim]

Hmm maybe the std trickle charger was the culprit. The thing did die over the winter. Aggravating because the original lasted me 12 years

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks chuck that was one of the first things I did when I picked up the bike that many years ago. But I'll recheck it. What's the best way to see what the regulator is putting out? And do you know if that the same Ducati regulator that the 1100 Cali has?

Just put your new Odyssey  :smiley:in it, start it up and put a digital voltmeter on the battery posts.
Oh, as far as I know, if it's a Ducati regulator, it's the same.