Spending big money for premium batteries is folly.
I can't speak for the motorcycle battery world, but in the alternative energies world (think solar panels and living off grid), the quality of your batteries is extremely important.
My moto is "heavy batteries are better batteries", when is comes to longevity.
All automotive batteries are designed to deliver maximum cold cranking amps.
A battery with lots of plates/matts can deliver the most cold cranking amps, but are also less tolerant of a deep discharge. Batteries with fewer (but heavier) plates have fewer cold cranking amps but last much longer in the same circumstance.
In the Solar power world, forklift batteries are best. The are big, weigh a ton and last 20-25 years.
They have minimum number of very thick lead plates.
I wonder if anyone makes a 'deep cycle' marine battery in the same format our bikes use.
They would be a good choice for longevity, as they have fewer (but heavier) plates/mats.
In short, purchase the heaviest battery you can afford and don't 'deep discharge' it if you can avoid it.
My 2 cents on battery value. :cool smiley:
Glenn
