Who Makes the Best Motorcycle Battery in 2016?

We get asked this question a lot. I wish it were as simple as some of the pundits seem to imply with their Top 10 Best Lists. But perhaps the question would be better asked this way, “What is the best motorcycle battery for me and my situation?” I think that is really what the consumer wants to know.

I believe this form of the question to be better and the most appropriate based on two thoughts. As I recall conversations with our customers, I often hear the question disguised and asked this way, “If you were me, which battery would you buy?” They obviously value my opinion and want to trust my judgment and knowledge concerning the selected options. But they are also asking me to weigh in the balance their current financial standing, what others with similar machines have purchased and their previous experience with batteries. Sometimes there is more to the story than knowing the name on a product, the price on a sticker or reported Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). What’s perfect for one customer may not be the best choice for another. Having the highest CCA, for example, is not the most important factor when buying a bike, UTV, Jet Ski or ATV battery (shocking right!?!). It’s our job as the battery specialist to answer the question between the lines. We need to be able to answer the question not being asked.

Market Leaders

If I were putting together a list of the world's best motorcycle battery brands it would be tempting to base the results on such things as:

• Company revenue
• Global market share
• Original equipment sales
• After-market sales
• Fastest YOY sales growth
• Largest distribution network
• Longest warranty, etc.

Yuasa is best known as the #1 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of batteries for motorcycles, ATV's, motor scooters, snowmobiles, side-by-sides (UTV’s) and personal watercraft. There is no doubt, Yuasa makes a great battery! But is it the best battery? Is a Yuasa motorcycle battery truly the best value for your money? Some brand loyalists would emphatically declare YES! It is not even open for debate. Others, new to the world of powersports, may have more of an open mind and will consider the competition as they gather information. Still others will acknowledge they are a little light on cash and want to extend the perceived value of the purchase as long as possible without breaking the bank. Or they are just selling the bike and want it to work long enough to make the sale!

MotoBatt batteries have been taking the world by storm since about 2009. These premium after-market batteries have a unique look and feel. They utilize a Power Balanced approach, are yellow in color and most have what’s called QuadFlex terminals. There pricing is similar to or slightly less expensive compared to Yuasa, but they come with a two year free replacement warranty. In contrast, the Yuasa battery warranty is often 3-12 months and is determined at the local distributor level. In my estimation, MotoBatt is currently the fastest growing aftermarket powersport battery manufacturer in the world.

Power Sonic does a lot of private label batteries and can make a claim to being one of the top producers based on volume. East Penn Deka (ETX battery line) is the OEM for Harley Davidson and they are known as the world’s largest automotive battery manufacturer. There is a resurgence, so to speak, of the CHAMPION brand motorcycle battery that has a strong automotive presence with an assortment of chemicals, oils, lubricants, filters, wiper blades to name a few. They could be considered the largest or most trust worthy based on the overall breadth of automotive products.

Through some merger and acquisitions Universal Power Group rolled out their Kinetik line of motorcycle and ATV batteries a couple years ago. They look sharp, have a solid 12 month warranty and have pretty good specs when compared to the OEM. Moto Classic currently offers a limited SKU count, but they too have top tier performance specs and an amazingly long 30 month warranty. Braille, considered a premium offering, also has a limited number of SKUs but boasts hefty CCA numbers.

Top Three Motorcycle Battery Brands (Today at Least)

There are so many brands and private labels to pick. I honestly think we could write a novel discussing the similarities and differences. If I were to take into consideration all the contributing factors such as price, battery specs, length of warranty, breadth of selection, and failure rate, to pick my top 3 based on overall best value, I would have to choose: Moto Classic, MotoBatt, MotoCross. Now given certain applications I would easily replace one or two of these choices with a Kinetik, Braille or East Penn. The line is not always so black and white.

#1 Choice – Moto Classic

The Moto Classic powersport batteries find themselves on the top of my list because they have really aggressive pricing right now as they try to grab market share. Couple that with impressive battery specs, the longest warranty in the industry and an incredibly low failure rate; it just seems like a no brainer. The question is, will their early success continue as they have only been around for about 4 years and currently only make the top 12 SKUs? (However, when measuring by volume, those SKUs cover something like 80 or 90% of the market. There have been rumblings that they may expand the sealed AGM line to include some of the older conventional part numbers).

#2 Choice - MotoBatt

Motobatt is also still relatively new on the battery scene coming to market around 2009. Their popularity grows every year and we often find it hard to keep inventory on our shelves. These batteries seem to be perfect for today’s machines with large engines and auxiliary power demands. The Power Balance aspect rises to the occasion and the 24 month full replacement warranty is top tier. MotoBatt's QuadFlex or four post terminal design is fantastic for adding accessories or charging eyelet cables to the battery without buggering up the primary lead to the bike.

#3 Choice MotoCross

MotoCross is made by Yuasa Inc. to allow them to sell into the after-market and not violate any OE agreements (Think Hponda and Yamaha Yuasa labeled batteries). This means consumers get a Yuasa battery without the Yuasa sticker-shock price. The MotoCross labeled version also comes with a standard 12 month warranty. MotoCross offers a full line of conventional, dry charge AGM and sealed AGM batteries and has a record as the OEM manufacturer that can be trusted.

Final Thoughts

It is a pure coincidence that all three brands start with Moto. It is not a coincidence with how close they all are in their output and performance. Let’s take a quick side-by-side look at two very popular sizes known as the YTX20HL-BS and YTX20CH-BS (which is the upgrade for the older version of the YTX16). The 20HL size is listed first

On most all of the conventional wet style of batteries I would have no problem trading the MotoCross version for a Kinetik or PowerSonic. We have had similar results with all of them. I am still not a fan of 'true gel' power sport batteries and think they exist more as a marketing ploy. They are too easily overcharged and perform better in climates around the equator. Find these top brand's OEM motorcycle batteries for your bike.