Relocating the battery

I finally got around to starting on the "battery relocation" project. If you've ever seen the underside of a GSXR tank, there's a huge space under there for the air box. Because of the way I want the tail section of the bodywork to look (here's a pic), I'll have to move the battery up into that space. I started by making a model out of cardboard. Others have done this and used a smaller battery to make the job easier, but I have a knack for avoiding the easy way, so I plan to use a stock size battery. It looks like this design will work, but I have a few more measurements to take before I start cutting aluminum. It looks like I'll have to use different air filters, though. I'll grab the ones off of the Katana and see if they'ill give me some more room. The ignitor box and fuse box will also be moved.    I think I'll take a break on this because my brain is starting to hurt.

**1/12/03**    After some further consideration, I picked up the sealed, maintenance free battery, which will give me a lot more flexibility for mounting. Using a conventional battery means I have to mount it vertically, which as you can see, is a bit tricky. I'm also concerned that the terminals on that battery would be so close to the tank, itself. There is clearance, but a crash could cause enough "change" in the shape of the tank that I could end up with a pretty fair sized bomb in my lap. Lowering the battery would help, but the air filters prevent that. The sealed batteries are truly "sealed", so mounting them sideways is no problem. This one is for a late model TL and GSXR and offers a bit lower Cold Cranking Amps capacity than the stocker, but I don't think that will be a problem. I started cutting up some aluminum (1.5" X .125" angle stock) and here's where I am, so far. I still need to pick up some sheet aluminum, the shot on the right is with a piece of cardboard. I'm going to mount the starter solenoid with the battery and the fuse box and Ignitor box will be mounted on a plate in the area where the battery used to be.    This little project would have been a real nightmare to pull off were it not for the bench, vise, and drill bits that were a present from Lauri. A woman that shops in the Craftsman department is truly special!

**1/18/03**    Well, after about 5 design changes, I'm just about finished with this little project. I've just got some more "cleaning up" to do and I need to move the ground connection. The whole thing ended up coming out O.K. and really wasn't as much trouble as I tried to make it in the beginning. The only changes to the wiring harness will be to extend the tail section wiring about 8 inches. Other than that, none of the wiring will have been altered, so if I wanted to go back to the stock arrangement, that would be no problem. Hell, I didn't even drill any holes other than on the aluminum I used for the mount. It is a lot "heavier" looking than I would have liked, but since I don't weld, I was a bit limited in how creative I could get. I cut all of the pieces with a hacksaw and the only power tool that was used was a drill. That's "Old World" craftsmanship for ya'. Overall, I'm happy with how it came out.

I used foam tape on the inside edge of the side pieces to cushion the battery and prevent any vibration damage. For the time being, the hold-down with be a gigantic zip-tie until a get another brain storm. The stock rubber cover on the starter solenoid will be used. The main cicuit breaker will be on the underside of the plate that mounts the fuse box and ignitor as the fuses and breaker need to be accessable without the hassle of lifting the tank.