EBL has been making batteries for over 25 years. The company has an extensive line of replacement batteries for powersports vehicles, including motorcycles. The Ultimate Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike OEM battery (YTZ10S) weighs 6.14 pounds; the EBL 12V Lithium Powersport Battery is directly replaceable by the EBL MLIT2-ST050A 12V-5Ah lithium iron phosphate battery that weighs just 2.95 pounds and has an $74 MSRP on EBL’s Amazon store.
The battery comes with an attachable riser baseplate, four screws, and a narrow shaft screwdriver to secure the screws through the baseplate (if needed) and into the bottom of the battery. The terminal screws are included; they screw directly into the copper terminals from either the top, front, or side. It was nice not to have to fumble to connect with a floating nut that is common on lead-acid batteries.
I plan to go deeper into remote areas this summer for some unplugged tent camping, and the Ténéré’s OEM battery is coming up on three years old. I don’t want to take any chances of a dead battery, so I selected the EBL lithium as a preemptive replacement. The EBL battery has dimensions identical to the OEM battery, but half the weight. Being new to lithium batteries, I torture tested it.
I stalled the engine to keep the accessories and high beam on, and then I added my 90-watt First Gear heated jacket on high to accelerate the drain. I watched my LCD Voltage display hang strong at 13 volts before finally succumbing to the heavy drain, shutting off the LCD at 8.2 volts. EBL confirmed it has a battery management system that protects the battery from deep drain, overcharging, and overheating. I couldn’t get any voltage reading from the terminals after it hit 8.2 volts, but when I pressed the power read-out button on the top of the battery, it showed a weak red glow.
The + and – terminals seemed to be shut off, so I wasn’t sure how it would or could recharge. I connected my Lithium battery charger (do not use a lead acid charger on a Lithium battery, ever) and let it sit overnight. In the morning, the battery was charged to 14.1 volts, according to my LCD voltage display. Somehow, the battery management system knew to wake up the battery and take the charge.
With the terminals apparently off, I wondered if it would take a jump when discharged. I again drained the battery, shutting it off at about 9 volts. I attached my jumper battery, and the Yamaha Ténéré 700 fired right up.
Unless you can always park facing downhill, our bikes need a good battery to start. The EBL line of lithium iron phosphate batteries, including the EBL 12V Lithium Powersport Battery, are cost effective, lightweight, self-protecting, and fit in the same space with no modifications. EBL claims a service life of more than five years, though the warranty lasts only one year. While we will have to see how long the EBL battery lasts, every indication is that I can feel confident the Ultimate Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike will start no matter how far from civilization I am.
