I've got a little, literally, project. It's a 1982 Honda MB5. It's a 50 cc two stroke street bike. Basically a glorified moped that you have to shift. It's a kick start, but has to be run with a battery or you'll blow out all the bulbs. Including the discontinued sealed beam headlight. It has a 12v electrical system.

The battery mounts to the left side of the airbox. Which some one hacked up, and clamped on an air filter. All that remains is a third of the airbox holding the battery. The side cover is missing, has been discontinued for quite some time, and is like gold on eBay. So for astheatic purposes, I'd like to remove the airbox completely and relocate the battery. At the same time, saving some weight would be nice.

I'd like to replace the YB2.5L-C Lead Acid battery with something that can be mounted in the rear tail section on it's side. An AGM equivalent of the YB2.5L-C is an easy approach. But doesn't save any weight, and might weigh more if I can beleive the specs I found online.

What about a NiCD or NiMH battery pack commonly used for RC cars? I haven't found any clear answers on the web about this. Will it charge, and provide whatever little electricity the bike needs? Will it prevent the bulbs from blowing out? Baja Designs sells a NiCD battery that they use in their dual sport kits. But most of these bikes didn't have a battery to begin with and the NiCD is there to keep the lights temporarily lit with the engine off for DOT reasons. Plus it's $40 and I can find an RC car pack cheaper.

Thanks.

A LiPo battery made of four A123 cells will work fine.

From what I can tell LiPO and A123 are two different technologies?

have you considered a Shorai or Ballistic lithium battery? a 4cell should be adequate? it would save weight, and be more efficient.

Going to get a Shorai for my DRZ 400 when the time comes. But for this little Honda I don't need something that fancy. I don't need a battery to start the bike or power the lights. Mostly just to absorb power surges and prevent blown out bulbs.  A capacitor might work but won't keep the lights on with the engine off.

duners99, on 06 July 2012 - 09:18 AM, said:

I think he meant LiFePo4, four A123 cells in series should give you the voltage you need (3.3v each) and LiFePo4 is easily the safest cell to use. you arent using the battery for starter motors or lights so 2300 mAh should be fine.

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item564d754703