Powersports Battery Finder

The code printed on your old battery is the fastest way to the right replacement. Take YTX14AHL-BS. The Y is Yuasa (other brands swap in their own letters, so BS Battery's version starts with a B), the number is the size class, and the letters after it fill in the rest.

H means high performance, a heavier-duty version of the same size. L flips the terminals, so the positive post sits on the other side. -BS stands for bottle supplied: the battery ships dry with its acid in a separate pack. Codes that start with 6N are 6 volt conventional batteries, and 12N and YB codes are 12 volt conventional.

Match the code letter for letter. Two batteries can share a case size and still have the posts on opposite sides, and then your cables won't reach.

AGM is the default for most modern machines: sealed, spill-proof and maintenance-free once it's set up. Yuasa puts the average life of a sealed AGM at 3 to 5 years.

Lithium is the weight saver, up to 70% lighter than lead-acid, with fast recharging and very slow self-discharge. It costs more, gives up more cranking punch in deep cold, needs a lithium-compatible charger and shouldn't be charged below freezing.

Conventional batteries (6N, 12N and YB codes) are the old-school flooded design a lot of vintage bikes were built around. Cheapest up front, more upkeep, and Yuasa puts their average life at 2 to 3 years.

Riding a sled, or anything that starts outside in a Canadian January? AGM is the safer bet.

A -BS battery ships dry so it stays fresh on the shelf. Sealed, Yuasa says a dry AGM keeps for 5 years. Setting one up takes about an hour, plus charging:

1. Battery out of the machine and on a level surface. Use only the acid pack that came with it.
2. Seat the pack upside down on the fill ports, push down to break the seals, and let it drain completely, 20 minutes or more. Don't tilt it.
3. Press the cap strip in by hand until it sits flush with the top of the battery.
4. Let it stand: 20 to 60 minutes for batteries under 18 Ah, 1 to 2 hours for bigger and high-performance (H) batteries.
5. Charge it fully before it goes in. A freshly filled battery is only about 75 to 80% charged, and one left sitting filled without that first charge can sulphate and fail early.

Rather skip the acid? Factory-activated batteries, like Motobatt and Yuasa's GYZ range, arrive filled, sealed and charged.

A battery drains itself just sitting there, up to 0.5 to 1% a day by Yuasa's numbers, and anything left plugged in pulls it down faster. Over a Canadian winter that adds up.

Charge it fully before the machine goes away. If it's parked for more than a month, keep it on a smart maintainer, or pull the battery, store it somewhere cool and dry, and check it every few months.

A charged battery shrugs off the cold: Yuasa says it won't freeze until well below -59°C. A dead one can freeze at about -3°C and crack the case, which is how a lot of batteries die over winter.

Running lithium? Use a lithium-compatible maintainer with no desulphation mode, and only charge it above freezing.

Every battery on a size page is matched to that code's case and terminal layout, which is why Yuasa, BS Battery and Motobatt options sit side by side. Pick on price, type or warranty.

Two things to check when you switch. Motobatt Quadflex batteries have four terminals, so one battery covers several sizes; use the pair that lines up with your cables. Lithium batteries are often smaller than the lead-acid size they replace, so make sure it sits snug in your battery box.

Still not sure? Ask our gear experts with your make, model and year and we will confirm the fit.