How to drop 3 plus kilos from your ride – we look at the Shorai Battery.

Shorai Lithium Motorcycle Battery

When you are trying to reduce weight on a motorcycle, particularly a late model sportsbike, the types of things you may be looking at include carbon fibre wheels, and titanium bolts.

While there might be a few other reasons to buy a Shorai lithium battery, like its ability to hold a charge, the only one we were interested in was weight.

With a 2010 model Suzuki B-King spread across the workshop floor, we had eyed some of the heavier components with a view to reassembling the brute into a slimmer version of itself. Now while you may be impressed with a kilo reduction in weight from replacing every bolt and nut in unobtanium, or the 5 kilograms you save fitting a set of carbon fibre wheels that cost north of 4000 dollars, we had more economical ideas in mind.

That’s where this marvel from Shorai comes in. Instead of the usual lead plates immersed in acid, the Shorai batteries feature Lithium Iron cells which weigh far less. How much less?

The standard battery weighs 4.24 kilograms

Check out the pictures for proof, but the weight saving is remarkable, with the Shorai LXF14A1 replacing the B-King’s YTX12-BS lead acid lump and dropping an incredible 3.38 kilograms! Thats about 7.4 lbs for those of you stuck in the ’70s.

The Shorai only weighs a ridiculous 862 grams (0.86 of a kg)

The case is a little smaller than the original, but Shorai provide foam spacing strips in various sizes to ensure a snug fit. Otherwise it just connects up the same as the standard battery, and according to Shorai it can hold charge for up to a year without maintenance, and can last up to twice as long as a lead acid lump. We will update this story with any developments after we have put the battery to some use.

The best part is if you need a new battery anyway, consider the weight saving thrown in for free. But is 3.4 kgs worth saving you might ask? Check out the photo below of the corresponding pile of parts you would need to remove to match that saving. In our case we are building the B-King with dragstrip duties in mind and every bit helps – this is more than a bit.

And it’s a lot cheaper than carbon fibre and titanium, and much easier than dieting.

More info on Shorai batteries is HERE

This 3.35 kg pile of parts weighs less than the battery weight difference (3.38 kilograms diff)

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