Get your OEM batteries

Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
2,158
Location
Wisconsin
Just a FYI, if you need a snowmobile, ATV, or motorcycle battery and want a Yuasa (many OEM are Yuasa), get it now. I needed one for the snowmobile and had a difficult time finding a Yuasa made aftermarket one online, everyone said out of stock. BatteryMart said they would soon have stock so I ordered one, but after 2 months of the arrival date getting pushed back it changed to unknown. I called Yuasa and they said they are still making powersport batteries (they have shifted a lot of production to car batteries) but don't know when production will resume. Said they can't find employees.



I bought an OEM one from a dealer 30 miles away. Only a few dealers out of two dozen within a 100 mile radius had stock.



I wanted Yuasa because they are made in the Rust Belt and the first one lasted 8 years. I noticed some of the Taiwan made ones distributed from the Pittsburgh area that are sold on Amazon (Zipp, Chrome, etc) have been out of stock a lot throughout the summer.
 
I for one, have never felt an "OEM" brand battery was anything special. Being mfgrs buy them for a certain price point, not with consumer longevity in mind. I use Battery mart batteries for my motorcycles because they can be almost 1/2 what the dealer charges, any have been happy withe them. And they seem to last longer than any factory battery's I've owned. I won't buy a battery before I need one, just to have it on hand and ready to go.,,
 
Yuasa has a good reputation for quality. But if availability is an issue, there are other reputable brands to consider. Personally, with gas prices as they are... instead of driving many miles to get my favorite brand, I might put the gas expense toward an even higher quality upgrade, if something better is available nearby.
 
I’ve noticed many of the parts store/Walmart ones are from Vietnam or Taiwan. The US-made AGM Yuasas are my pick for Japanese bikes but I’m gonna push Deka for a friend’s Harley.

You can’t buy a Yuasa car battery in the states - the S46B24L battery in many Prii/hybrid RAV4s and the 46B24L in many Japanese tractors are two exceptions brought over from Yuasa Japan for the dealers.
 
Yesterday, I had to replace the OE battery on my 2019 Kawasaki Mule SX. The original battery was a Yuasa YB14A-A2. It surprised me to have lasted 3.5 years. I replaced it with a Motobatt AGM battery. The battery was made in Malaysia.
I purchased it at the local Powersports dealership. $84 + tax was cheaper than one from a family owned battery distributor.
 
I've got my original Yuasa from Feb of '17 in my sled. Always on a tender when not in use and still works to this day. Almost 6K miles later.
 
I’ve noticed many of the parts store/Walmart ones are from Vietnam or Taiwan. The US-made AGM Yuasas are my pick for Japanese bikes but I’m gonna push Deka for a friend’s Harley.

You can’t buy a Yuasa car battery in the states - the S46B24L battery in many Prii/hybrid RAV4s and the 46B24L in many Japanese tractors are two exceptions brought over from Yuasa Japan for the dealers.
Ive got a US made Super Start Deka AGM on my Vulcan and it starts up decently each time. I wanted to get a Yuasa for my Honda but they moved that battery production out of the USA so it looks like another Super Start for that bike
 
10 yrs out of a Yuasa OEM in my '09 sled. Pulled it due to age. Same with the OEM in my '01 HD, 10 yrs and out due to age. The OEM HD was a East Penn battery.
US Yuasa replacement in the sled, Odessey in the HD. OEM Yuasa still in my '13 sled, still cranking fine. After this season it will get replaced.
All my batteries are on BatteryMinder maintainer / conditioners when in the garage.
All are AGM batteries.
Whenever possible I use Deka / East Penn built batteries. I'm testing the Odessey's still. Have one in a Generac, one in my Tahoe and the one in the HD is 12 yrs old now and cranked up fine all last summer. I've got a digital volt gauge on the HD and haven't seen any abnormal readings as the HD has no kickstart.
Just my results in varying applications. I've got no issues paying the premium price for Odessey replacements in things I'm keeping for the long haul or that need dependable starting power like the Generac. Generac batteries used to last me 3 yrs, the Odessey is going on 4 yrs now.
 
10 yrs out of a Yuasa OEM in my '09 sled. Pulled it due to age. Same with the OEM in my '01 HD, 10 yrs and out due to age. The OEM HD was a East Penn battery.
US Yuasa replacement in the sled, Odessey in the HD. OEM Yuasa still in my '13 sled, still cranking fine. After this season it will get replaced.
All my batteries are on BatteryMinder maintainer / conditioners when in the garage.
All are AGM batteries.
Whenever possible I use Deka / East Penn built batteries. I'm testing the Odessey's still. Have one in a Generac, one in my Tahoe and the one in the HD is 12 yrs old now and cranked up fine all last summer. I've got a digital volt gauge on the HD and haven't seen any abnormal readings as the HD has no kickstart.
Just my results in varying applications. I've got no issues paying the premium price for Odessey replacements in things I'm keeping for the long haul or that need dependable starting power like the Generac. Generac batteries used to last me 3 yrs, the Odessey is going on 4 yrs now.
I’ve got 11 yrs on an Odyssey in a Generac whole house. Still going strong.
 
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