Rebel 1100 LITHIUM battery upgrade

[@stokergeneral4611]

Always appreciate your videos!

[@ontherebel11]

I'm happy to hear that, thank you for your kind feedback! 🍻

[@johnmitchell9705]

You should have a short discussion on proper lithium battery chemistry for lithium batteries used in vehicles.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi John, Thank you for the recommendation, i will keep that in mind for the follow up!

[@my2wheels]

Thanks Gus, that will be my next battery! You are the best!!!!👍

[@ontherebel11]

Hi Anthony!! I'm glad you liked it brother, you won't be disappointed!!

[@IOSARBX]

On the Rebel 11, This made me laugh so much! Thanks for sharing!

[@ontherebel11]

hahahahhaa a bloody mess that tray!! i HATE IT!!!

[@MiroVaclav]

Hi Gus, I had also lithium battery in my older bikes. As I have been told from the seller, its biggest advantage is, that these batteries do not loose voltage in time as fast as normal batteries does so they withstand a longer time charged. And second very good thing is that they should be fully charged faster than lead ones. Not in this case, but they can work in any possition and they are much lighter. Only disadvantage is that you can not charge them with all standard chargers. But definitelly good choice👍👍👍👍👍

[@ontherebel11]

Hi Miro!!! Yes, you are absolutely correct, there are many positives regarding Lithium batteries, since i had the Noco charger, it was an easy switch for me!! Always a pleasure to see your comments Miro, Thank you!

[@QuasiMotard]

First! I put that exact same battery in my Rebel a couple of months ago. 😉👍 --QM

[@ontherebel11]

You da MAN Quasi!!!

[@ontherebel11]

Man That's awesome! wish i had known i would have done it right away!!! 🤣 Quasi approved!! I'm happier now!

[@tkstylem]

Finally!!! Been running lithium antigravity for the last 3 years

[@ontherebel11]

🤣🤣Better late than never hahahaha

[@tkstylem]

@@ontherebel11you'll love it... just never let it run to zero and let lit warm itself by running lights for a while In freezing temps

[@ontherebel11]

@@tkstylem Thank you for the heads up T!!!!

[@BenjaminSturm]

Switched mine out about a year ago and this battery is great.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi Ben!!!! That's awesome brother, so glad you chimed in man!!!

[@BenjaminSturm]

@@ontherebel11 I'd love to get an invite to the next outting? I'm Jonesing to get out for a few days.

[@ontherebel11]

@@BenjaminSturm wait, are you not coming to the LOB meetup next sat?!!!!!

[@BenjaminSturm]

@@ontherebel11 my wife is having surgery so I'll be with her. ;) she says, "hello".

[@ontherebel11]

@@BenjaminSturm Oh bro, i hope for a speedy recovery! She is in my thoughts and prayers, send her my warmest regards Ben.

[@jamescampolo7824]

You said that Quasimotard had his battery go "flat". The BMS will only let the battery drain down to 20% but it will read 0vdc. This is to protect the battery. Some lithium batteries have a button you can push to access the last 20% so you can get the bike started and recharge it. Revzilla's Antigravity batteries have this feature.

[@ontherebel11]

That's great to know James, maybe that's why he was able to revive it!

[@michelevolz7769]

Thank you for the review! love Noco products

[@ontherebel11]

Hi Michele! I couldn't agree more, they make excellent quality products!!

[@jamescampolo7824]

The zip tie idea is great. I lost my left side cover after I took the battery box out. I don't know if I forgot to put the plug back in or it just came out. I ordered a new side cover, $40. I'll use zip ties on both sides. Those plugs suck.

[@ontherebel11]

Sorry to hear that James, i had the same thing happen to me.... in my case both fell off cause i was test riding the bike after doing some work on the battery a couple of years ago.... had to buy 2 new ones...

[@jamescampolo7824]

I was looking at the Noco battery box. It says 12V 500A, that must be the max momentary current draw it is capable of. The 4Amp hours (51Watt hours) is the actual storage capacity. Current draw and actual storage capacity can be confusing. In this case, the 500A is like CCA on a car battery. CCA~30 seconds at 0F, -18C before dropping below 7.2V. A lithium battery's BMS (Battery Management System ~ built into the battery) will not allow it to drop below 10V or 20% to save the battery from damage. Lead acid batteries don't have BMSs.

[@ontherebel11]

So far so good with mine, no issues to report, i'll definitely report back if i have any issues with mine!

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 I put a Chrome Pro AGM battery in my Valkyrie 1520cc on March 30, 2020, has a built in volt meter for $55. They're $44 now. YTX14-BS Never had to jump it and sometimes I leave the bike sit for months when I'm riding the Rebel.

[@cruisinwithpapasteve4907]

Have you had good performance out of the Noco battery since you installed it?

[@ontherebel11]

Hi Papa Steve! It's great to hear from you! Yes sir, it's been good strong since I've installed it! I'm excited to test it out over the winter in temps in the 30s. This is the first time I use Lithium batteries. 👍

[@jamescampolo7824]

There are some Lithium batteries that have bluetooth to connect to your phone so you can see what's going on in the battery. Some also have a low temperature sensor that connects to the BMS so the battery won't accept a charge below certain temperatures. This battery may have the low temp sensor.

[@ontherebel11]

Now that would be awesome to have! There is an aftermarket accessory that does that, but that means more crap attached to the battery.....

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 I have only researched LifePo4 RV batteries, 100Ah and up. The bluetooth and BMS draw on these is nothing. I leave my RV batteries sit disconnected for months and don't lose .1vdc. But as I said before, who know what phantom draw the Rebel has on it's battery. I'd check yours every couple weeks if you aren't riding. Oh, another thing the BMS does is make sure you can't over charge the battery, it will cut off the charge once full. It will still allow discharge/cranking as needed.

[@therideofalifetime]

Awesome video Gus!! Love it !

[@ontherebel11]

Thank you Jermiah!!!

[@SLIGHT_]

Let’s go!! Great video Gus. Battery shims are common enough. Love how you explain the positive of this. That and of course to mounting fix to the terminals. Would love to get a performance review in a few mths. Few questions though… What was the state of charge in the OEM? Also the agm battery should be at 12.6v with the tester reading more… I would assume this is the surface charge. Most battery’s will read about 12.6-13.0v at 100%… Definitely pros and cons to both styles. Love the channel brother, keep up the awesome work!

[@ontherebel11]

Thank you Slight!!! tested it out for 200 miles and really like it so far! learnt very quickly that i needed spacers (shims) hahahhaha

[@SLIGHT_]

Very cool. Yeah dude I’m interested to hear your thought on this after it’s been in the bike for some time. Be sure to keep us posted :) Thank you for this brother.

[@ontherebel11]

@@SLIGHT_ Will do Brother! Quasi commented and said he did the same thing on his rebel a couple of months ago, so we'll have lots of valuable information from him!!!

[@jamescampolo7824]

I did some research and it seems that the side stand switch PN 35700-MLA-A01 can go bad. If that is my problem, it is intermittant right now. If it goes bad completely, you can short across the contacts as shown on page 22-24 of the shop manual. However, if it goes bad while riding, it will be like putting the side stand down and it will kill the motor and it won't start again because the bike thinks the side stand is down when in reality it is the switch causing the problem.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi James! I'm sorry to hear that you are having this issue man... thank you for sharing your findings, safety and technology have trade offs i suppose....

[@JeffOwen-e8m]

Do you know if the Noco NLP14 can be jumped if it dies? I've seen conflicting information that lithium batteries shouldn't be jumped, however the NOCO support site notes that the NLP line is safe to use with the NOCO Boost products (not sure about other booster packs). I would like to go to a Lithium battery but also don't want to end up stranded if there is an issue with the battery and it can't be jumped easily.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi Jeff! Great question buddy! I had the same exact question! After research and seeing Noco answer the question by stating that it can be jumped with a noco jump pack, it also stated that one might need to press the boost button, that's what comforted me since I have the noco booster along with the cable to attach it from outside. I haven't needed to try it, but rest assured if I have a dead battery, I will do my best to document jumping it with the noco like I did with the oem battery. Thank you for asking this question, it will help others. 🙏🍻

[@jamescampolo7824]

I have another question. Have you checked the voltage at the battery when you first turn off the bike after it sat over night. It should be 13.2vdc. I'm thinking that maybe I should install a toggle switch on a pigtail that would disconnect the battery from the bike when it is going to be sitting for a while. The pigtail and switch would have to be rated for starting current.

[@ontherebel11]

@@jamescampolo7824 yes I have and that is the voltage I'm seeing

[@jamescampolo7824]

I take back what I have said about Honda Engineering being excellent. It seems that with the Rebel they totally under engineered the starting system, probably to save money, maybe to save weight but how much weight would an adequate battery and starter add to the bike? My Rebel is less than three years old and today, after the bike sat for about five weeks, the starting system wouldn't start it. The bike lights and gauges lit up but the starter didn't have enough power to start the bike. The electronics either have a severe "phantom" drain or the battery is just under rated. As you know, even when the bike was new, it struggled to start. (it sounded like a Harley trying to start). I am hesitant to go to the lithium battery because the extra voltage may be too much stress on the starter. So, I am going to move my Valkyrie battery into the Rebel because it is almost twice the battery. Yes, I'll have to get rid of the storage box that sits above the existing battery and tie the side covers to something to keep them from flying off but at least it will be dependable. The existing OEM battery in the Rebel is pretty much useless. With every bike I have had over the last 30 years, the OEM battery lasted a solid six years, not less than three.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi James, Thank you for sharing your experience with the community, this will help many in the future!! it's fun for all of us to be going through this journey together!!!

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 I think I am going to trade in my Rebel on a Kaw Z900RS Cafe. I prefer the smooth of the four vs the twin. To me, the 270 degree crank/twin shakes too much. I'd rather ride a 4 banger sewing machine. lol I'm due for a battery, oil change and tires anyway.

[@ontherebel11]

@@jamescampolo7824 That's a beautiful bike James!!!!

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 108HP, 140mph. lol And it only weighs 474lb wet.

[@jamescampolo7824]

Another thing to consider, is the Rebel starting system (starter relay and starter) robust enough to handle the extra current. The starter motor looks kind of dinky to me. An issue probably will not arise for a while.

[@ontherebel11]

That's a great point you bring up James, only time will tell, but i'm not worried about it at all.

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 Anytime you push more voltage/current (wattage) through a device than it was designed for you stress it.

[@ontherebel11]

@@jamescampolo7824 Agreed!

[@jamescampolo7824]

Hi Gus, How are you doing? How is the Noco battery and your charging system doing. I may have to get one of those batteries. My bike is just 3 years old and the OEM battery is junk. After the bike sitting for less than 2 weeks, it wouldn't start. The lights lit up and it tried to turn over but there was not enough juice to get it started. I think they under rated the OEM battery. The other bikes I bought with a Yuasa battery, lasted about 7 years. I can leave my Valkyrie sit for 6 months and it has enough power to start it.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi James, I'm doing well brother, thanks for asking! I hope you are as well! The battery is still going strong, I took a trip to Canada with the new battery recently and it didn't let me down! I'm very happy with the decision to upgrade! I don't have it long enough to know it's Longevity, but so far so good! 👍

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 I'm fine, thanks. My concern was not with the battery holding up but rather any affect on the charging system or starting system since the NOCO is a bit higher voltage. I gather that since you've been riding with the NOCO installed for three months, all is well. When I get a new battery, I will put the OEM one in my ATV since it is easier to start and when the key is off, all draw on the battery is disconnected. The issue with the Rebel is that there is always a current draw on the battery even when the key is off. One question, have you left the Rebel sit for a few weeks and then tried to start it? If I ride mine every day things are ok, it is only when it sits for a couple weeks that it won't start.

[@ontherebel11]

@@jamescampolo7824 so far I haven't experienced anything with the bike's starting system and electronics due to the higher voltage. I have left the bike sitting for a couple of weeks without starting and it started right up, but QuasiMotard has the same battery and left his bike sitting for several weeks which led to the noco going flat on his bike, but he was able to get it charged and it is still working on his. 👍

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 That is what I was suspecting. There is a big draw on the battery even when it is off. Since you like to "tinker", how about checking the current draw between one of the battery polls and the battery cable when it is off to see what the current draw is. Try it with the negative connection since it is easier to get to.

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 I put a charger on the battery for a couple hours and the bike started. So, I surmise that it is the "fantom" voltage draw on the battery and not the battery itself. However, the NOCO does have a larger capacity so it would take longer to get drained enough to make it not start. After sitting about 2 weeks, my OEM battery was down to 12.0vdc, not enough to start.

[@jamescampolo7824]

You show the Lipo4 battery has a charge of 13.3vdc. This will settle to 13.2 in a few hours or over night. This is normal for a Lipo4 battery just like 12.8vdc is normal for a SLA, AGM, or FLA battery.If this battery was not connected, in months it would still read 13.2vdc however, since the computer in the Rebel poses a continuous draw on the battery, this may not be the case with it left installed. One thing to note, the Lipo4 Group 24 batteries are not recommended as a "starting" battery. Maybe Noco does something different.

[@ontherebel11]

Always good to consider the pros and cons, everything will be some sort of compromise in the end. Education is key to help future owners make the right decision for their situation, thank you for sharing your knowledge James.

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 "pros and cons". The designers at Honda are the pros.

[@ontherebel11]

@@jamescampolo7824 Agreed!

[@jamescampolo7824]

Gus, do you know if the starter motor on the Rebel is "brushless"? The brushes are the first thing to go on an electric motor. Of course if a bike is not kept running well, it may be hard starting and therefore overheat the starter which could cause several problems from starter brushes to starter bearings to the reduction gears in the starter assembly.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi James, I believe it is not brushless based on my research, so you make a good point 👍

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 I mention this just because I fried the brushes on one of my cordless impact drivers and the brushes were not replaceable. I only buy brushless tools now. They're a little more expensive but less to worry about.

[@slowbutstilllearning9938]

Thanks for sharing

[@ontherebel11]

Sure thing!! I'm glad you found it helpful!!! 👍

[@jamescampolo7824]

Hi Gus, my Rebel has a Gremlin. I wonder if you heard of this. This started a few days ago. I'll start up the bike, put up the stand and it won't go into "D". It just sits there in "N". So I'll put down the stand and then back up and the same thing, it won't go into gear. So I'll turn off the key, turn the key back on, start the bike, put the stand up and it will go into gear. I don't get it. It is like something in the ECU isn't ready to go. Then when I turn off the bike and back on, it is like rebooting your PC, and it works. I don't think it is a power issue since the bike is running when this problem occurs. This has happened several times over three days. I'll try a DCT reset. Haven't done on in a year or so. When you have time check out this video "Honda Rebel DCT failure" on KZbin. This is quite disturbing.

[@jamescampolo7824]

Resetting the DCT didn't help. I reset the DCT, when it was done and showed "N", I put it in "D" just fine. I turned the key off, turned it back on, started it, put the stand up and pushed "D" and it stayed in neutral. It acts like it doesn't recognize the side stand is up, that is how it acts. This thing is so complicated, who knows what it could be. I wonder if there is a TSB on this.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi James, i'm sorry to hear that James..... I might have heard something similar in the past from another owner, i seem to remember it was related to a bad battery or something like that..... keep us posted!

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 After I reset the DCT, this problem happened once and not since. Sure is wierd. I am sure that if I took it to a dealer, they would find NTF (no trouble found) and charge me labor to look at it. On another note, I had this issue on my Valkyrie one time, the side stand switch was bad. The work around was just to hold the clutch in to get it to start. I cant find the clutch lever on the Rebel. lol To jump the side stand switch on the Rebel, the connector is behind the left side cover. That will get you down the road until you can get a new switch (if the switch is the problem, that is). The switch is about $35 on Revzilla.

[@ontherebel11]

@@jamescampolo7824 Hi James, i'm happy to hear that, thank you for the update man! The Valyrie is in a league of it's own, i wonder if they will ever bring it back

[@ontherebel11]

@@jamescampolo7824 On a side note, i took a nice trip of around 500 miles on the blue ridge parkway, so i've put a apx 1,000 miles total so far on the viking bags, so far so good with the mounts, hope you had better luck with the new mounts they sent you.

[@jamescampolo7824]

"cold weather protection". What that means is that if the ambient temperature is below 32F, the BMS will not allow charging. If the battery is already charged, you are fine however, if the battery needs to be charged, you will need to warm it up for a while to charge it. I have done tons of research with lipo4 batteries and use them in solar applications. This is another one of the nightmares for Tesla ownes. The car sits ovenight when it is below 32 degrees, the battery has to run heaters to keep the battery warm. This in turn discharges the battery. And it may get discharged to the point it needs a charge to run the car. In this case, the owner has to plug the car in, wait for the battery to warm up before the battery can be charged. I'll stick with AGM or SLA.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi James, yeah that is also one of my concerns, but the coldest I'll ride is 30s I suppose, but I think this one is rated for - 4F to 140F. I haven't tested it at those temps, nor will I ever 🤣🤣 But like you advised, one needs to educate themselves on how to workaround the limitations of this product, education is empowering so thank you for contributing to the community James! 👏👏👏👍

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 I have done a ton of research on this before I put them in my RV to support the solar. Every source states that charging a LiPo4 battery when it is below 32F will damage it. This is why you will see these batteries with a "low temperature" sensor. This tells the BMS not to accept a charge. Also, there is no need for a trickle charger. I have left my LiPo4 batteries sit for three months without losing .1VDC. You can discharge it all you want at any temperature. Also, all EVs lose performance/range as the temperature drops. (These may be Lithium Ion batteries).

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 Being "rated for -4F to 140F" can mean a few things. Is that the "storage" temperature range, is that the temperature range where it will still have an output or can it also be charged throught that range. I'll bet that that is the storage temperature where the battery will not be harmed. No one is going to ride when it is 140F or -4F. When I was a kid, I would ride when it was above 10F to 120F. Where I live now it doesn't get below 25F and I won't ride if it is over 100F.

[@Julio-bc7pj]

Dang u fast boy 😆

[@ontherebel11]

hahahahha Hi Julio!!!!

[@Julio-bc7pj]

@@ontherebel11 😆

[@RollWithSoul317]

Did you have any problems with the lights or fuses after installing this battery like I see other buyers have reported on Amazon?!? Also I noticed that Amazon states “that this does not fit your 2022 Honda Rebel CMX1100 DCT” in so many words! It then recommends that TYCOOL lithium battery that has a low rating by customers! 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@ontherebel11]

I dealt with growing pains for sure! Needing a longer screw, i didn't add spacers (shims) initially which created problems with my thunderbox, it stopped working due to poor contact on the terminals, i quickly realized my mistake and added washers to take up the slack, after doing so, everything worked like a charm. I tested it for 200 miles in warmer weather to force the fan to kick in, and it worked, no blown fuses and i had all my lights on as well as the dashcam running. Time will tell, but after a 200 mile run, all good!

[@RollWithSoul317]

@@ontherebel11 Thank you as always! 👍

[@ontherebel11]

@@RollWithSoul317 Anytime!!!

[@johnpark8465]

What kind of dash cam do you have?

[@ontherebel11]

Hi John! I have the Vantrue F1 bro, Here's everything you need to know about it kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJSoiGOcfLKia5I

[@BenPereira]

Did this battery swap on my bike and my ABS light keeps flashing... Anyone else have this problem?

[@ontherebel11]

Hi Ben try riding the bike for a few minutes and turn off the bike completely, wait for 1 minute and ride again. Do it 3 times. It might reset it. Let us know if it works brother 🤙

[@BenPereira]

@@ontherebel11 I just needed to keep riding and the light eventually went off. Took like 4 rides.

[@ontherebel11]

Thanks for sharing your experience Ben! 🙏 This will help others as well! 🤙

[@jamescampolo7824]

I think that Honda really under rated the Rebel OEM battery for the compression it takes to get past TDC. Sometimes, you wonder if the engine will keep turning over or just stop BTDC. The pistons are much bigger on the Rebel than on my Valkyrie but the OEM battery on the Valkyrie is much bigger. The 6 cylinder 1520CC engine on the Valkyrie spins real easy, you can't tell when any piston is in compression stroke. On another note, I would use the smallest spacer on the Lipo4 battery to provide more room under the seat for other stuff.

[@ontherebel11]

Hi James, I agree that the battery seems weak.... It always concerns me that one day it won't have enough juice to start the bike while on a trip, hence the previous project of adding the harness to jump start the bike. It's too soon to pass judgment on the Lithium battery as I haven't tested it long enough, but I will definitely report back with any issues. Thanks for sharing your idea about not using the spacer, one can use that space to store something, the only concern is that the battery will move around, but we can work around it by adding Velcro to the bottom of the battery I suppose. 👍

[@jamescampolo7824]

@@ontherebel11 You could also put spacers on the sides of the battery. The cables and gravity will keep it down.

[@Julio-bc7pj]

wait a minute, i though bigger is better LOL ask candy ;) thx man i will switch with this one once my (BIGGER) battery dies ;)

[@ontherebel11]

Even though it is a small battery, it identifies as very strong!

[@Julio-bc7pj]

@@ontherebel11 Well and I cant even put my battery cover without pushing down hard, so many devices cables connected (denali lights, dashcam, heated grips, denali soundbomb, brake light sensor) so it will be a space solution for sure :)

[@ontherebel11]

@@Julio-bc7pj EXACTLY Brother!! it is so frustrating!!! I had enough, that's why i got this battery!

[@capicapuchino5675]

Dang that battery is expensive

[@ontherebel11]

Hi man! If my memory serves me right, I think it is cheaper than the oem battery I got....

[@jamescampolo7824]

Check out this 7 minute video. The SHOCKING Facts About Lithium | Lithium Batteries 101 - Motorcycle, ATV & UTV , it will give you some tips on LiPo4 battery use and maintenance.

[@ontherebel11]

The more information the better, thank you for the suggestion James!

[@Briansgate]

I hate that damn tray

[@ontherebel11]

hahahahha you felt my pain, even when filming this video i managed to cut myself, i hate the damn tray!!!!

[@AndrewPify]

When you said apple im out

[@ontherebel11]

hahahahha you should be able to tell that such quality can only be captured with an Android device LOL