Never change a running system. The classic lead-acid battery is suitable for almost any motorcycle or scooter and is the best choice when your customer wants a cheap, powerful starter battery and does not want to supply any additional equipment with electricity. You have reliable starting power in 12-volt or 6-volt models, coupled with a long service life, matched to the loads in the normal motorcycle range. Our classic motorcycle batteries are dry charged and are supplied with an acid pack, i.e. they can be stored almost indefinitely before filling.
Starting and more
for bikes and more
Strictly speaking, motorcycle batteries are starter batteries. Classic flooded batteries and their further developments as well as AGM batteries are mostly used as starter batteries in cars or trucks. For two-wheelers and four-wheeled small vehicles, there are also GEL and lithium batteries.
Buying advice for your motorbike battery!
intAct Battery-Power
Reliable starting power at an excellent price.
Cost-effective all-rounder with solid buffer
Ready-to-use all-rounder
Provides 30% more starting power
Special starting power for high demands
Extremely vibration-resistant design
Small top-of-the-range powerhouse
Especially for use in lawn tractors and ride-on mowers
Other brands
Odyssey Bike
Enormous starting power with very high cycle stability
What is a motorcycle battery?
A battery that primarily starts the motorcycle. For this, the starter motor needs a lot of power for a short time. Important for this is the cold start power (CCA) that the battery provides, but also the characteristics. A battery with a high current reserve will start the motorcycle even partially charged, for example.
In addition, the motorcycle battery supplies the electrical consumers, since it is the only battery in the motorcycle. The more consumers are installed, especially retrofitted safety or entertainment features, the more capacity is needed so that the consumers are also supplied at idle or when the engine is off or the machine still starts after the consumers have been used.
What are the different types of motorcycle batteries?
For motorcycles and four-wheeled small vehicles, there are classic flooded batteries in low-maintenance design (intAct Bike-Power Classic and Exide Bike Conventional) or maintenance-free (intAct Garden-Power), AGM batteries (intAct Bike-Power AGM, intAct Bike-Power SLA, Exide Bike AGM and our Odyssey motorcycle batteries), HVT and GEL batteries (intAct Bike-Power HVT, intAct Bike-Power GEL HVT-HD and intAct Bike-Power GEL) and Lithium batteries (intAct Bike-Power Lithium). To cover as many vehicle types as possible, there are batteries in 12-volt as well as 6-volt versions.
For which vehicles are motorcycle batteries suitable?
Motorcycle batteries are not only used for motorized two-wheelers from classic cars to racing bikes, for scooters, light motorcycles, and mopeds from 50 cc, but also for four-wheeled sports and recreational vehicles and work vehicles with handlebars for any terrain also with all-wheel drive such as ATVs, Quads or with steering wheel like ride-on lawn mowers, for utility vehicles and recreational vehicles with side-by-side seats like UTVs and buggies, for snowmobiles for 1 - 2 persons like snowmobiles, snowmobiles and snow motorcycles as well as for water motorcycles like PWCs, jet boats, jet skis and similar.
Motorcycle Battery Buying Tips
The choice of the right battery depends on
- the technical data and
- your individual requirements for a suitable battery.
1. The technical data
Installation dimensions and terminals
First of all, a battery must fit in your vehicle or machine. Check the dimensions of your old battery or the available space in the battery compartment of your vehicle.
The placement of the terminals, i.e. where exactly the positive and negative terminals are located on the battery, and where the venting takes place, also play a role. If the poles are positioned differently than intended for your vehicle or machine, the lengths of the connecting cables may not be long enough, the poles may not be accessible or the battery may not fit in the intended place.
Equally important is the shape of the connection or end terminals, so that the screws or clamps present on your cables can be attached to the battery.
The easiest way to find out which batteries fit your motorcycle is to use our battery finder. The dimensions and specifications for all common vehicle types are stored here.
If your bike is a custom conversion, the only thing that will help is to accurately measure the old battery or the available space, cable lengths and connections.
Voltage fits (V)
In order not to damage either the connected loads or the battery, the voltage of the battery must fit.
Batteries are available with 6 or 12 volts. They consist of 3 or 6 cells of 2.12 volts each.
For applications that require more voltage, such as the on-board network of a truck, several 12-volt batteries are connected in series.
Our battery finder will usually suggest the right battery for you. However, you can also check the label of your old battery, the owner's manual of your vehicle or the bottom plate of the battery box to see what voltage you need.
Always select battery suitable for load (CCA and Ah)
For motorcycle batteries, this means first and foremost that the battery should not go into deep discharge when starting.
The cold start performance and the consumption play a role:
Cold start performance (CCA)
Starter batteries primarily have to start the vehicle. To do this, they must deliver as much current as possible during the starting process, so the battery's high-current characteristics are important. The cold cranking amps (CCA) value provides information about the starting performance. It indicates the maximum current that the battery can provide for 30 seconds under optimum conditions. Depending on what kind of vehicle you want to start, more or less starting power is needed. A large capacity construction vehicle needs more power than a modern scooter.
Our battery finder suggests the batteries that match the starting power of your vehicle.
Alternatively, you can go by the cold start rating of your old battery, it should be on the label.
Also relevant for starter batteries: The electrical consumers
Even before the engine is started, the starter battery has to do a lot and supply standard equipment such as the lighting system. This draws current from the battery, which is no longer available for starting.
Nowadays, there are also a number of consumers that draw current before starting or while driving: Every electrical control element, every sensor and many measuring instruments need electricity to do their work. Also heaters and every mobile device that is permanently or temporarily connected to the vehicle.
Add up all these consumers and the question arises:
- Is the current supplied by the alternator while driving enough to power all these consumers and charge the battery?
In order to check this, it is best to meticulously list all the consumers that are installed, especially all those that you have additionally installed, integrated or connected.
And find out how much current they require in amperes (A).
Batteries often have an Ah-value, which tells you how much current in amperes (A) the battery can supply for a certain duration in hours (h). Of course under optimal conditions.
So: Which consumers does your battery have to supply?
In modern motorcycles, the battery has to do a lot:
Are you using a navigation device that draws power before you even start? Do you have heated grips and/or seats, an intercom, audio or sound systems? Are driver assistance systems such as ABS installed or an alarm system?
It's best to write everything down meticulously.
2. Your individual requirements
Each battery technology has particular strengths, but also weaknesses. Depending on the requirements your battery has to meet in the respective application, or which properties you want, some battery technologies are more suitable or less suitable.
It is important to weigh up the properties.
Are there a lot of consumers installed or are you planning to upgrade more?
Of course, you can calculate the power requirements exactly, but on the other hand, there are technologies that are inherently better suited for motorcycles with many consumers:
AGM batteries like the intAct Bike-Power AGM, the intAct Bike-Power SLA or the intAct Bike-Power HVT with high current reserve start reliably even partially charged.
They also have a good current consumption, i.e. they recharge faster while riding and can be charged with a stronger charger.
GEL batteries like the intAct Bike-Power GEL have a higher cycle stability and cope better with the battery being discharged a little more than by the pure starting process.
In addition, our intAct Bike-Power GEL brings a significantly increased starting performance due to its special grid plate design, i.e. it still has enough reserves to reliably supply motorcycles with many additional consumers even when partially charged.
How long distances do you usually drive?
How much time does your battery normally have to charge? If your journeys are never shorter than 100 km, this is different from if you regularly only drive distances of 1 - 2 km. The alternator charges the battery with a steady, low current. It takes some time to compensate for the high current drain at the start.
It is difficult to predict how long this will take with your vehicle and your driving style. However, we recommend choosing a battery that starts well even when partially discharged and that has good charging characteristics, i.e. it recovers the current quickly, especially for short journeys.
If you mainly drive short distances, we have compiled some information about what happens in the battery and how you can prevent this: What is sulfation and what can you do about it.
Preferably a battery on AGM basis like the intAct Bike-Power AGM, intAct Bike-Power SLA or intAct Bike-Power HVT.
Do you ride your motorcycle regularly, only seasonally or only occasionally?
Some batteries are only used seasonally - those in classic cars, motorcycles, boats, jet skis or snowmobiles, but also in certain utility, security or clearance vehicles.
If a battery is installed in a vehicle that is not used for a long time, it will lose its voltage. This can have various reasons:
- Self-discharge of the battery
- Leakage currents
- Silent consumers
You can find out how to counteract this in our tips for the winter or summer break.
If the battery does not work reliably even after a very short standstill (a few days), we recommend that you check it thoroughly. We have compiled tips on how to do this here:
-[Detect what's wrong with the battery from the outside](popup://wissen:optical_check_frame).
-[Test like the pros](popup://wissen:test_step_by_step)
If the battery is left standing for a very long time and if it remains in a discharged state for too long, sulfation can occur, a typical "stand damage".
We recommend GEL batteries with low self-discharge for seasonal use. Or batteries based on AGM technology, which still deliver high cold start currents even when partially discharged.
Do you have a heavy engine with big displacement?
Strong engine vibrations mean a high mechanical load on your battery.
Due to the swollen separators the intAct Bike-Power AGM and intAct Bike-Power SLA are more vibration resistant than the intAct Bike-Power Classic. The gel-like bound electrolyte of the intAct Bike-Power GEL makes them even more vibration-resistant. Especially designed for vibrations are the intAct Bike-Power HVT based on AGM technology and the intAct GEL HVT-HD based on GEL technology, where the plate packs in the individual cells are compressed and fitted precisely.
Is it important to you that your battery doesn't leak, even if the bike is tilted?
The tilt angle information on your battery tells you how to install it without leaking battery acid.
Why is this important? To protect your battery, your machine and yourself. Battery acid is highly corrosive and can damage your vehicle, including metal parts and electronics.
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Flooded batteries with plugs like the intAct Bike-Power Classic can only be installed upright.
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AGM motorcycle batteries, where the electrolyte is not liquid but bound in the glass fibre mats, differ, depending on whether they are sealed at the factory. The intAct Bike-Power AGM for example is sealed only after the first filling, it can be installed at an angle up to 45°. The intAct Bike-Power SLA and the intAct Bike-Power HVT are our factory sealed AGM batteries. They can be installed at an angle of up to 90° without leaking.
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In GEL batteries the electrolyte is immobilized by a gel-additive. Both our intAct Bike-Power GEL and the intAct Bike-Power GEL HVT-HD are also sealed at the factory and can be installed at an angle of up to 90° without leaking.
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In lithium batteries like our intAct Bike-Power Lithium there is no liquid electrolyte. They cannot leak and can therefore be installed upside down without hesitation.
Do you have little time for maintenance or no desire to do it?
Low-maintenance, flooded lead-acid batteries lose fluid during normal use. They must be maintained, i.e. the fluid level should be checked regularly and the fluid loss compensated with distilled water if necessary. These batteries usually have vent caps on the top and vent holes as well as a vent hose. It is also advisable to check regularly whether liquid has overflown during heavy charging, as acid can lead to corrosion and damage the cables or the vehicle.
In contrast, maintenance-free batteries leak almost no fluid. They don't have vent caps on the top, but a lid that you can't open. In some cases, there is a labyrinth in the lid where rising vapor is condensed and returned to the system. These closed batteries lose liquid if they are tilted heavily or used or charged improperly.
Absolutely maintenance free batteries are designed to produce extremely little gas. The gas produced remains in the circuit of the battery by gas recombination, excess pressure is prevented by a safety valve. Because of this valve, these batteries are also called valve-regulated lead-acid batteries or VRLA batteries. These batteries do not lose liquid during normal operation. Refilling is also not possible, because the battery cannot be opened!
With absolutely maintenance-free batteries, no maintenance is possible or necessary.
Our absolutely maintenance-free motorcycle batteries are: intAct Bike-Power SLA, intAct Bike-Power GEL, intAct Bike-Power HVT and intAct Bike-Power Lithium.
Our maintenance-free intAct Bike-Power AGM with the supplied acid pack by a specialist dealer or workshop before installation. After that, maintenance is no longer possible or necessary.
With low-maintenance batteries such as the intAct Bike-Power Classic, the level of the battery fluid should be checked every 3 months and topped up with distilled water if necessary.
Is there any chance your battery will get wet while running?
Ideally, batteries should be kept dry. Even slight moisture can promote leakage currents.
If you've noticed condensation on your battery frequently in the past, such as with temperature fluctuations, or water can get to your battery, it's worth considering a splash-proof battery.
Whether and what protection a battery offers against dust and water is indicated by the protection class according to the IP code.
Many types of our intAct Bike-Power Lithium motorcycle battery and the intAct Lithium-Power supply battery are splash-proof and jet-proof or even waterproof. You can find the exact specifications for each type.
If you want to learn even more about motorcycle batteries, check out our knowledge section.
There you will find, among other things, information about what damage is typical for motorcycle batteries and how you can recognize and avoid it - so that you can enjoy your battery for as long as possible.
