Are motorcycle batteries made of lead or gold?

 I sold a couple bikes recently, just to thin out the heard. Yesterday
the lady that bought one came to pick it up and the darn thing would not
start, the battery was dead. I knew it was getting old, but was hoping
it would make it one more start. Well you can't sell a bike that won't
start, so I pulled the battery from my 2008 DR650 and put it in the bike
for sale. Of course it started right up, she took it for a test ride,
then paid me cash and away she went.

So today I had to go buy a new battery for my DR650. $76.00. Seventy six
freaking dollars for a little 3x4x6 battery!

I just bought a battery for my dodge van and paid less for it then I did
for the motorcycle! WTF?

 Mike Corey wrote:


Same reason you'll pay more for, say, a battery for a
small aircraft - WAY lower demand for a given type than
is ever the case with car batteries (unless you're talking
something really exotic in your choice of cars).

Bob M.

 Bob Myers wrote:


I don't know...  I can buy small lawn-mower batteries for $25...

 

Actually, some riders will do that if the footprint
matches.

One difference though is the venting. An unsealed
motorcycle battery usually has a fitting for a vent
tube to carry acid fumes away from vital parts.

I'd expect to pay anywhere from $70-$100 for a
motorcycle battery, figuring that it was a lower
volume item and a lot of what I was paying was
for low volume stocking costs.

Same thing for most motorcycle parts actually. It
may be a 3 cent washer when it's made, but by
the time it hits the shelf it's a 30 cent washer with
much of the 30 cents reflecting the dealer's
costs to stock it.

 


Supply and demand, economies of scale and what the market will bear are all
factors.

Want a real shock?  Go into a "real" bicycle shop (as opposed to a
multi-purpose retailer) and shop for simple accessories.....like a cup
holder to clip on the handle bars..........$45.  Other things are equally
ridiculous.  Not surprising, I guess, if you are willing to spend 1K or more
for the bike.