NEW CA78 Owner Need to Know Battery Type

WHonda · Post by **WHonda** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:24 am

Just bought a 1964 CA78, and I need to know what kind of battery I should purchase. (It also needs an air filter element, bolt, tube to connect to the carb, and a horn)

Will any 12V 9A battery do?

Thanks!

OldStan · Post by **OldStan** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:59 pm

Will any 12V 9A battery do?

No, size and shape is an issue, as well as which side the ground is located. That being said, there are plenty of bikes out there with the wiring redone to accommodate the swapped polarity. I actually went with a smaller (size and amp hour) AGM battery which works fine. It's a YTX7L. Stock ground may not fit directly, I just made a metal adapter for both posts and insulated the area to be safe.

FluteTears · Post by **FluteTears** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:21 pm

12N9-3A is what you need you can find them on ebay.
I got my last one at Batterys + they are being made again so they are not so hard to find now.

FluteTears · Post by **FluteTears** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:24 pm

12N9-3A is what you need you can find them on ebay.
I got my last one at Batterys + they are being made again so they are not so hard to find now.

Tinman · Post by **Tinman** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 9:49 pm

WHonda, as FluteTears said, get yourself a group 12 battery, they can be found at WalMart for around $35. If you have the old battery, measure it and compare it to what you're buying.

I bought mine at WalMart and the negative post was on the right, which is opposite of what you really want. Try to find one with the negative post on the left as you're looking at it. I needed to make a new negative cable anyway so I kept the battery. If I had to do it all over again, I'd get a battery with the negative post on the correct side. Wasn't a big deal, just a little added work. Good luck.

Tinman

WHonda · Post by **WHonda** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:45 am

Thanks guys. I was able to get a battery and put in this morning. All the lights worked except the neutral indicator light.

Unfortunately, the electric starter cranks the motor, but I'm not getting any spark at the points, so on to the next thread...

I don't know anything about the electrical system, so I have a lot to learn!