[milligna]

Hi all,

I have a 2012 C5 Chrome UCE and the battery has been struggling for a bit, so I dropped into a local enfield dealer who sold me a Motobatt MBTX14AU battery which I've seen mentioned here a bit in the past.  I'm having a bit of a time trying to fit the battery - it looks like its a few centimetres thicker than the last battery I had fitted, and the battery cover won't close - the locking mechanism seems to not quite fit in.

Am I wasting my time trying to get it to fit?   Or is there some trick that is going to become apparent in the harsh light of day?

Cheers,
Kevin

[Guaire]

Did you take measurements of the old battery that fit? And compare the measurements of the new battery?
 Motobatts are handy because of their versatile post connectors. But, they still have to fit in the battery box. It looks like it's a 14amp. That's ok.
  A new battery needs to be - terminals in the right place. Right amperage. Right size.
  If nothing fits, buy a Shorai.

[milligna]

No I didn't measure it.  The parts person at the Enfield dealer was relatively confident it was the right size so I grabbed it (The bike hadn't started in the morning, and I was hoping to do a quick swap over).

I'll keep doing some battery wrestling to confirm that it 100% won't fit - I've seen posts here from people with similar era bikes who have said it's a tight fit, but that it works, so perhaps there's a way to get it in.

[gizzo]

I bought the same battery as a direct replacement for the stock one on my GT. It won't fit in there, either. It only just went in the more spacious battery tray of my pantah, so at least it didn't go to waste. I put a lithium in the GT.
Sorry. Hope you have better luck.

[milligna]

Ok, so I got it to fit!  I had to swap the direction of the terminal thingys that are screwed into the top of the battery (instead of facing backwards, I set them up to face outwards).  It's a very tight fit, but it's in!

[gizzo]

 

[Haggis]

Be very careful that the cables don't short out on the metal battery cover. Thats why the origional connection is at the back.

[dickim]

I opted to NOT use the brass multi connector supplied, cables fitted direct without issue, but did put a "charging tail" on and the a couple of layers of Gaffa / Duct taoe to be safe, no ISSUES

[milligna]

Good advice guys.  I might see if I can replace the terminal caps and tape up some of the wear on the cables - they're looking a little worn at the moment. 

Is it easy/hard to replace the cables altogether do you think?

[Guaire]

Good advice guys.  I might see if I can replace the terminal caps and tape up some of the wear on the cables - they're looking a little worn at the moment. 

Is it easy/hard to replace the cables altogether do you think?

Apply some Liquid Tape first. Let it dry for a day. You get it at a hardware store. Then, add tape.
  I keep old tubes around. They're rubber and handy for adding safety insulation around battery terminals and the metal battery box cover.

[Karl Fenn]

I bought one of those motobatts l must say l was dissapointed had to modify the battery terminals and the dam thing lasted under two years.

[Carlsberg Wordsworth]

I concur with Karl. I bought one and it didn't last long. Quite disappointing indeed.

I seem to remember there was a plastic extension on the bottom of it but I'm not sure.

It also fitted my GPZ 500s which was handy at the time

[stefano_musica]

I ride my C500 almost daily. The yellow battery barely lasted 2 years.

I found that they didn't fit well, nor does the new replacement but I noticed what's really stopping it is the battery compartment lock barely makes it to the spot where the barrel rolls closed. So I just pushed it a bit harder and it made it through. My 2010 C5 seems to be one of the models that had a lock on every compartment, battery box, tool box (no tools in it, of course), airbox, electronics box, etc etc etc.

[Richard230]

I ride my C500 almost daily. The yellow battery barely lasted 2 years.

I found that they didn't fit well, nor does the new replacement but I noticed what's really stopping it is the battery compartment lock barely makes it to the spot where the barrel rolls closed. So I just pushed it a bit harder and it made it through. My 2010 C5 seems to be one of the models that had a lock on every compartment, battery box, tool box (no tools in it, of course), airbox, electronics box, etc etc etc.

The little lithium battery in my B5 has been hanging in there for the past 9 years without a single problem. It continues to start my bike with enthusiasm.  Plus, its small size means it is easy to close and lock the battery cover. 

[Guaire]

The little lithium battery in my B5 has been hanging in there for the past 9 years without a single problem. It continues to start my bike with enthusiasm.  Plus, its small size means it is easy to close and lock the battery cover. 

Did you get a Shorai? Did you put it on blocks to get the terminals at the top of the battery box?