Any experience with NOCO lithium batteries?
 

Friends,

not GG related, but...

I have an old Ducati bevelhead (Mille S2) that needs a good battery to start. It has no kickstarter. The last couple of decades I have had 2 Hawker Odessey PC652 batteries. They start the bike as expected, and they last for a long time. However, I need a new battery now. The Hawkers are good batteries, but very heavy, even for lead battries. Hence, I am asking myself if I should take the plunge and move into the modern world. I have used Lithium battery on my Bimota for many years without any problems. (I killed that battery using it as for my enduro helmet light, but that is another story).

There is a NOCO lithium battery that fits my application (the Duc), and it is quite expensive, as is the Hawker. In fact, the Noco can be had for a little less than the Hawker.

Any experience with these Noco batteries?

No real experience. But what sort of on board cell distribution balancing circuitry do they have. The Dooklattery will be crude in the extreme. Can they cope with that?

I really do not know. There is a BMS in there (Battery Management System) that will balance the cells, but I don't know how good it is. And the regulator of this old Ducati isn't the most advanced in the world. OTOH, I have a generic LiFePo4 regulator laying in a box, I intended it for the Supermono, but that bike is still on the bench. I presume that regulator should ensure the Noco battery's charging current is free of too much rippple etc

Perhaps the Hawker battery is a safer bet, although it is 6kg instead of 1.5?

4.5kg on the Duc is not a lot, but I am, as always, a fan of light weight and quick steering on a streetbike. As the Duc has a slow steering, I could at least go for light as possible bike :D

I know the Hawker will last another 8-10 years, while a Lithium battery ca be destroyed overnight if abused the right way...

Or set the whole plot on fire. I know what I'd do.