Battery

When I first got the Traveller it seemed somewhat reluctant to start. Now I am not sure if this was down to an old battery ( no idea of its age or condition, but even a long time on the charger didn’t improve it ) or if it was simply that the bike hadn’t been run for a while ( the previous owner having brought a Harley Sportster so stopped using it ) or if t was simply bad technique on my part, but I repeatedly managed to flatten the battery when trying to start the thing.  Even when fully charged the standard battery didn’t seem to turn the engine over very enthusiastically.
So a new battery was in order. Following some recommendations I found on the forums I went for the more expensive Gel battery. Reports all suggested that it had more power, lasted well and was maintenence free, sounded good to me so I went for the Odyssey PC310 brought online from Knight batteries.

Fitted Odyssey PC310  http://www.knightbatteries.com/popup.cfm?p_n=298012&p_i=298012

Costly - I think I paid £68 in January 2008 -  but gives fantastic starting. Worth every penny.

Starting is now hugely improved, usually first time. But even if the bike has been standing for some weeks in the cold damp garage this battery has so much more cranking power that it still has no trouble turning over and starting the bike.
The photo shows it in situ. Physically it is slightly smaller than the standard so fits easily but doesn’t rattle around. It is much shorter which gives easier access to the terminals and more space for other odd wiring. ( You can see my new larger fuse box here too ). Fitting was easy using the same connectors as the battery came with a full set of alternative connections suitable for most applications.The photos show the srew in terminals with the shrouds peeled back/removed.