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  • Modern battery for KHK

    Does anyone have a suggestion for a modern 6V battery for my '56 KHK?
    George Tinkham
    Springfield, IL
    www.virmc.com
    AMCA # 1494
    1941 Indian 841
    1948 Indian Chief
    1956 H-D KHK
    1960 CH
    1964 BMW R69S
    1966 Honda Touring Benly (aka "150 Dream")
    1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp

  • #2
    Take a look here and see what Dave Swanson did with his battery my 57 sportster is the same way and it works great
    Jeff Bowles
    Arkansas
    Membership # 14023
    1957 Sportster

    Comment


    • #3
      There was a guy showing his reproduction early Sportster and K battery at Davenport last year. It was absolutely amazing. A perfect repro! It has a modern sealed battery on the inside and when mounted on the bike is indistinguishable from the real deal.

      Contact info

      k-battery@cox.net
      Dave Swanson
      1956 FLH
      1969 FLH
      1964 XLCH
      1956 KHK
      1936 VD

      AMCA 11659

      Comment


      • #4
        This one is a repro 6V and very accurate

        http://kcint.zoovy.com/product/80-66...GHT_6VOLT.html

        Comment


        • #5
          KH replacement battery

          Originally posted by DaveSwanson View Post
          There was a guy showing his reproduction early Sportster and K battery at Davenport last year. It was absolutely amazing. A perfect repro! It has a modern sealed battery on the inside and when mounted on the bike is indistinguishable from the real deal.

          Contact info

          k-battery@cox.net
          I tried contacting the battery guy, but he did not respond to my e-mail. I just ordered the battery suggested in a later response to my inquiry. I hope it is what I want.

          BTW, Dave, I tried sending this in an e-mail to you, but it bounced. I guess your spam filter works!

          George
          George Tinkham
          Springfield, IL
          www.virmc.com
          AMCA # 1494
          1941 Indian 841
          1948 Indian Chief
          1956 H-D KHK
          1960 CH
          1964 BMW R69S
          1966 Honda Touring Benly (aka "150 Dream")
          1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp

          Comment


          • #6
            $50 later, my old battery is now a cell ready to receive a new gel cell insert. This week, I shall hit the battery stores see what I can find that fits.

            Does anyone know the amp-hour rating of the original 6V battery the '56 KHK used?
            George Tinkham
            Springfield, IL
            www.virmc.com
            AMCA # 1494
            1941 Indian 841
            1948 Indian Chief
            1956 H-D KHK
            1960 CH
            1964 BMW R69S
            1966 Honda Touring Benly (aka "150 Dream")
            1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp

            Comment


            • #7
              KH battery amp hour rating

              "Does anyone know the amp-hour rating of the original 6V battery the '56 KHK used?"

              I found a couple of 4.5 amp/hour 6V sealed batteries that will fit in my battery shell. Connected in parallel, these would give 9ah. I also found a ~14ah sealed battery that might fit in the battery holder, but definitely would not fit in the shell. I would love to know how the ah rating of these batteries compare to the original battery. It would also be great to know if the generator output on the '56 KHK is too much for either battery arrangement.

              When I called my local H-D dealer today, I was told that Harley does not publish the amp-hour rating or cold cranking amps of their batteries. The Madbull Tinku battery sold by Sporty's Specialties and KC International also does not indicate amp-hour rating.

              Again, if anyone knows the ah rating of the original battery, please let me know.
              George Tinkham
              Springfield, IL
              www.virmc.com
              AMCA # 1494
              1941 Indian 841
              1948 Indian Chief
              1956 H-D KHK
              1960 CH
              1964 BMW R69S
              1966 Honda Touring Benly (aka "150 Dream")
              1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp

              Comment


              • #8
                kbattery

                George,Try contacting Great Plaines Cycle.They seem to be very knowledgable about batteries.I run a 18 amp 6V in my servi that I got from them.They have a smaller 14amp version that might fit the k.They might know what a stock battery amp was.
                Good luck from a fellow citizen of the Peoples Rebublic of Illinois.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I like Great Plains Cycle's battery a lot. It is not suitable for shows, but it should make a very good rider battery. I wish I had bought their battery before trying to have a reusable shell made.

                  Are you ready for my tale of woe? The technician I hired to created the shell that would accept sealed / gel cell battery inserts was able to create a show quality battery with the pieces I gave him. It contains 2 6V 4.5ah sealed batteries and it looks good.

                  Here is the unhappy part: My technician sealed the new battery with some sort of rubber / epoxy that makes it impossible to remove the inserts without destroying the whole thing! He claims he was not told why I wanted to have the thing made. I guess future instructions (if I ever use him again) will have to be in writing.

                  The second unhappy part is the cost:
                  unused battery with broken terminal post --- $30
                  reworking battery into a shell ---------------230
                  sealed battery inserts -----------------------21
                  Total cost --------$281

                  The folks at Mr. Battery think they may be able to create a shell. I wish them luck, but I'll use the Great Plaines Cycle battery the next time I need one.
                  George Tinkham
                  Springfield, IL
                  www.virmc.com
                  AMCA # 1494
                  1941 Indian 841
                  1948 Indian Chief
                  1956 H-D KHK
                  1960 CH
                  1964 BMW R69S
                  1966 Honda Touring Benly (aka "150 Dream")
                  1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi. You can go to any Home Depot-Lowes in the electrical dept. Look for "Emergency Lighting". You will find the 6v 4amp sealed batterys for $10-$12! As mentioned before, hook them in parallel to each other. They have spade connections. When I made the Shell from an old stock battery, I drilled the lead posts underneath. Made up two lengths of wire. Each about 4 inches long. One end bare, the other end, spade connector. When you drill the lead, go slow. Your drill bit may get stuck! Screw the bare ends to the lead posts & you're all set. I did this to my Panhead battery. I forgot to mention that I cut the original casing about 1.5-2 inches down from the top. When installed, you can't notice the split line---Perfect. I used the larger size 18amp. The brand was Eagle Pitcher, purchased from www.batteryweb.com.
                    Last edited by panheadron; 09-18-2010, 09:31 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      After 4 years of use and storage whilst connected to the Harley in an unheated garage, my battery has crapped out. Now, I need to decide whether to try to cobble together another gel cell battery, buy something from Great Plains, or go the lithium ion route. The bike has a Cycle Electric solid state voltage regulator; so, it should be able to charge any of those choices with no problem.

                      My question is: Has technology advanced to the point that I can trust a Lithium-ion battery? Is it worth the cost.

                      I no longer show this bike; so, appearance is not critical.
                      George Tinkham
                      Springfield, IL
                      www.virmc.com
                      AMCA # 1494
                      1941 Indian 841
                      1948 Indian Chief
                      1956 H-D KHK
                      1960 CH
                      1964 BMW R69S
                      1966 Honda Touring Benly (aka "150 Dream")
                      1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Turns out the battery may be OK after all. We found a short that could explain all my problems. Hopefully, I'll get a few more years out of this battery. I still would like feedback on lithium ion batteries. I would hate it if I used one that caught fire!
                        George Tinkham
                        Springfield, IL
                        www.virmc.com
                        AMCA # 1494
                        1941 Indian 841
                        1948 Indian Chief
                        1956 H-D KHK
                        1960 CH
                        1964 BMW R69S
                        1966 Honda Touring Benly (aka "150 Dream")
                        1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Howdy George,

                          I converted m 32E to 2 brush, installed a V-Tronic which set the stage for modern battery install (still at 6 volts). I purchased an Erdos box, cut a window in the side and installed 2 Shorai Lithium Iron batteries wired in parallel for an unpredented 36 amps. This system has performed flawlessly since with a standby voltage of 6.6 volts which in conjunction with my Quick start 2000 ignition makes for painless starts. These batteries are noted for their shelf life without discharge and the depth of their discharge without damage.

                          Note, when comparing amperage ratings to LA's, Gels or AGM's it is not apple to apple, they use an index based discharge rate, ie, a wet cell can discharge as little as 40% before performance falls off whereas these will go to 90% thus their elevated cold crank amp rating. On the bottom of these batteries the "real" rating is listed as 6 amps which I regard as more important when viewing a battery as a capacitor against the strength of it charging source. And in this case, fitting in the palm of your hand I view that capacity as small. Make sure you install one/some with a total amp rating near the output of your generator or you'll be continually cycling your voltage regulator causing the voltage to rise over time which they don't like.

                          If they have a drawback it is they are super efficient and you must fuse your system or a short can be spectacular with a discharge rate that can almost be described in terms of muzzle velocity. I chernoble'd one at Bike Week on a previous install gone wrong and it was an eye opener.
                          Last edited by PRG; 09-20-2014, 09:47 PM.
                          Cheerio,
                          Peter
                          #6510
                          1950 Vincent - A Red Rapide Experience

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I was thinking of trying two of these batteries inside my gutted H2 shell, they could stand on end, wired in parallel and have a total of 24ah which would exceed the original capacity of 22ah. http://www.exitlightco.com/product/B6V12A.html
                            Last edited by MJW; 09-20-2014, 10:25 PM.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Howdy sir,

                              Not a real fan of spade terminals when handling real amperage in the vibratory environment of an m/c app. but I reckon if firmly crimped and the connections taped to the battery they'll be ok.
                              Cheerio,
                              Peter
                              #6510
                              1950 Vincent - A Red Rapide Experience

                              Comment

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