LFX Troubleshooting
- Common vehicle issues that may create drain on the battery or cause poor starting performance
- If the Bike sits Unused for Several Weeks
- If the Battery is Overly Discharged
- Battery Charging
- Shorai LFX SOC Chart
Common vehicle issues that may create drain on the battery or cause poor starting performance
If the bikes charging system is not working properly the battery will be discharged while riding. Using the volt meter check that the charging system output voltage is 13.6V-14.4V at ~2000rpm. See the video for procedure instruction to test your charging system.
If the bike sits for long periods of time it can drain the battery from the bikes electrical parasitic draw.
See the video to test your charging system.
If the Bike sits Unused for Several Weeks
The Shorai battery has a very slow self discharge rate and will hold about 13.1V even after a year of sitting on the shelf. But if installed in a motorcycle and it sits unused the bikes electrical system draw can discharge the battery over time. This is not a manufacturing defect and is not covered under warranty.
If the battery sits in the bike, please charge the battery if the voltage drops below 13.3V. Using a battery tender is okay to recharge the battery but it is not designed to maintain the proper voltage if left connected to the shorai battery. If a charger is to be used on the bike for storage purposes the shorai BMS-01 charger is recommended.
If the Battery is Overly Discharged
When using the Shorai Charger on a deeply discharged battery it is typical for the yellow and green lights to alternate back and forth if the battery voltage is less than 50% (13.1V). It may take several hours to recharge, however you can speed up the recharge process by pressing the charge button periodically and/or disconnecting and reconnecting for the charger to resample the voltage level. Once the voltage gets above 13.1V the charger will work in the normal charge mode(flashing green light). In the charge mode it will deliver the full 2A charge rate and typically finish charging in less than a hour. If you can not recover the battery return it to shorai for us to recondition and test it.
Battery Charging
If using a lead acid style charger, do NOT use if it has an automatic "desulfation mode", "repair", "recondition", or "recovery" mode, which cannot be turned off. Lead acid charger/tenders can be used for regular maintenance charging and then be disconnected after the battery is fully charged. DO NOT leave the lead acid charger connected to store the battery, because most will NOT maintain the proper voltage for lithium batteries. IMPORTANT- if the LFX battery is deeply discharged below 12.86V only a lithium charger with cell balancing can be used to recover the battery. The Shorai BMS01 charger or the Hyperion EOS 720 chargers are the suggested balance type chargers.
When a Shorai LFX battery is fully charged it will measure a peak voltage of ~14.4V. Floating the LFX battery voltage at 14.6-14.8V for 24 hours can help to improve capacity and slow the self-discharge rate. If the batteries self-discharge rate is bench tested for 24hour out of the vehicle and the battery voltage drops below 13.3V, the battery may need additional cell balancing and charge time.
If the battery is left on a shelf for several months it is normal to see the voltage drop to the nominal voltage of 13.2V. If the battery is fully charged to 14.4V and placed on the shelf it can sit for up to 1 year before charging is required.
It is important to note that battery voltage will drop more quickly when connected to a vehicle due to the electrical systems parasitic draw. Most vehicles draw less than 2mA with the key off, but some discharge the battery with up to 350mA. For batteries that are left in bikes that will sit for long periods between rides, it is important to charge the battery if the resting voltage drops to 13.1V. The general rule of thumb is to charge the bike if it sits for more than 1 month. Some vehicles with high key off draw will discharge the battery to 13.1V in only a few days while other bikes with low key off draw can sit for several months before needing to charge.
