The Ballistic EVO2 Lithium Battery: An Amazing Performer!

Hello!  This is Rick from Diamond Motor Sports. In this article we are going to look at Ballistic Performance Components' EVO2 lithium batteries. This is a great way to lose a few a pounds, "gain some power" and have an awesome, reliable battery to boot!

The EVO2 five battery lineup

So here's the scoop. Ballistic Performance Components have engineered a battery using lithium ferrous technology...
...which has the ability to store tremendous amounts of energy per unit weight. 

The unique lithium-ferrous technology has many advantages over traditional lead-acid batteries. 


First, they don't self-discharge as quickly as lead-acid batteries (only 10% per year, compared to about 4% per week for lead-acid types), so they stay charged much longer when not in use. 


Also, the battery cells are housed in an impact-resistant ABS case with stout brass hardware that is very durable. 
Next, since the cells are dry, the battery may be mounted in any position without concern - and there's nothing to leak even if the case were to be compromised. 

Another advantage is that cold cranking amps (CCA's) for the 8 cell model, for example, is 275 amps (compared to 130 CCA's for the OEM YUASA).  By the way, this size EVO2 has the widest application; "The 8 Cell EVO2 will work with everything from 450cc MX bikes to 1000cc multi-cylinder motorcycles," says Ballistic on their website.  


At this point, many of you may be thinking "yeah, yeah" it's still "just" a battery... Yes, you are correct it is a battery, however its not just any old battery! Lets look at some more cut and dry facts. 

Here's a big one - the weight. Your conventional battery weighs about 8-10 pounds. The Ballistic EVO2 8-cell battery weighs in at a whopping 1.9 pounds!!! That is quite the difference! I picked up the 8 cell EVO2 pictured below and the lead-acid battery next to it, and I was amazed.  Even without the acid electrolyte added to the lead-acid battery, the EVO2 was very, very much lighter in my hands.  

12 cell EVO2 next to its lead-acid equivalent

Next, the EVO2 battery is substantially smaller than your conventional battery giving you extra room for some goodies (i.e. power commander) in your battery compartment. Ballistic also did a very good job of including foam to fill your battery box area so that your new Ballistic battery is secure and won't be bouncing around. The picture of the Ballistic foam filler below gives you an idea of the comparable size of Ballistic's largest battery, the EVO2 16 cell (slot space), versus the conventional equivalent battery (entire foam block including slot space).

16 cell foam filler

16 cell EVO2

Earlier I had mentioned "gain some power", and you may be thinking, "How is a battery going to increase my motorcycle's power?" Power to Weight ratio my friend! Any time you lose weight your bike will accelerate faster, handle a little better and feel like you may have gained a few horsepower! Truth be told, you don't actually GAIN horse power, however losing a few pounds will certainly make it feel like you did! 

And finally, the EVO2 battery comes with a limited 3-year warranty. That's about as good as there is! Sold!

Okay, now that your wheels are turning on how you are going to explain to your significant other why you must have this battery, CHECK THIS OUT!

Ballistic has engineered a special "intelligent" charger to maintain your amazing battery's peak performance. Keep in mind any automotive or motorcycle-based charger is acceptable to recharge your Ballistic EVO2 lithium battery as long as it has an automatic shut-off at 14.4V to prevent over charging.

BUT, with an EVO2 Battery Management System Professional Intelligent Digital Balance Charger you can actually "balance charge" your battery!

EVO2 BMS Balance Charger

Sounds cool right? But, what is so great about a balance charged battery? Heck, What does that even mean??

Here is the low down, common to every battery system with series cells is the problem of cell imbalance. Cell balancing is a method of designing safer battery solutions that extends the battery run time as well as battery life! The Balance mode balances the voltage of each cell or cell pack while charging. By balance charging your Ballistic Performance Battery you ensure the battery is operating at its maximum power.  


The Ballistic charging system not only will balance charge your battery giving you 100% of its power, 100% of the time, it also functions as a battery tender to maintain your battery in the times that you're not riding.  


I should mention all its other cool functions: quick charge feature, a discharge feature, and a data storage program that allows you to store up to 5 different battery charging modes. I must say Ballistic Performance Components really hit the nail on the head with this all-in-one charger!

So, there you have it! Ballistic Performance Components are leading the pack with their lithium ferrous technology. So, when it comes time for your Sunday morning ride be sure you are not the one whose bike falls victim to a "bad battery."  

Order up your Ballistic EVO2 battery and charger today and be ahead of the pack!

I assure you, I will be rocking one!   

Rick Allara

Diamond Motor Sports

Parts & Accessories Specialist

Join Diamond Motor Sports on a trip to Lost Trails ATV Park!

Diamond Motor Sports is sponsoring a trip to the Lost Trails ATV Park March 24-25.  


Why?  After I took my first trip to the Lost Trails ATV Park just after Thanksgiving last year, we decided it would be a great place for a group ride.  So join us for some fun!  

The park currently has roughly fifty miles of trails and they are adding more. The scenery is great including a couple of reservoirs that are very picturesque...





The trails range from very muddy to very rocky and everything in between.  One of the trails has a 100 yard-long tunnel through the side of the mountain - that’s definitely cool. 

I rode on about half the available trails which ranged from easy to intermediate, nothing the average ATV rider can’t handle.  The trails are well mapped and well marked; we only got lost once and were back on track in ten or fifteen minutes.

The park is located in Dunmore, PA, about three hours from Dover.  That's basically straight up the North East extension, I-476 to Scranton. 


They are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (9 to 5) in the winter and Thursday through Sunday the rest of the year. All in all, it’s a great place to ride at a reasonable price ($35 per adult), and it's not too far from Dover.  They also have child rates, two-day passes, and group rates.

They do have "Wildcat Tours", which is a two-hour UTV experience for a driver and passenger that looks like a blast.  ATV tours may also be available this spring.

We will be spending the night at the Best Western less than a half mile from the park and returning on Sunday evening. If you are interested in going with us, let us know...  We'd love to ride with you!

Steve Graybeal

Parts Manager @ Diamond Motor Sports
302-697-3222 ext. 237
www.rideDMS.com

Dungey Debuts Fox Racing's Latest 360 Gear, a Future A1 Limited Edition

While Ryan Villopoto ran away from the pack, another Ryan (Dungey, that is) held his own finishing in style against the competition to capture a spot on the podium at Anaheim 1 earlier this month. KTM must be pleased to see their bike take a first ever place on the podium at A1.  Even more recently Dungey took first in Arizona.

So Fox Racing has reason to be pleased too. 

Dungey debuted  the latest version of their 360 gear @ A1, a jersey and pant combo as bright as the sun that must have blinded guys like Chad Reed (right) who finished second overall, or James Stewart, who struggled to finish at 6th.

The great news here is that this latest edition of Fox 360 Gear will be available to the masses some time in February 2012.  And there will be yet another surprise soon...a second color scheme, in addition to the one worn by Dungey at A1.  Look for the latest Enterprise Limited Edition gear at then Supercross!

This gear is available for sale on January 24th.  In the meantime, check out the slide show at our YouTube channel.  Or take a look at Fox gear on our site www.rideDMS.com.

Work Hard, Play Harder

John @ Diamond Motor Sports

Enterprise Jersey

Synthetic oil for your motorcycle? Yes, it's a great idea.

Ask 10 savvy motorcyclists about synthetic engine oil and you’ll likely get 10 different opinions. Old timers will tell you that converting an old machine to synthetic will create problems, and to some extent, that may be true. There are certain instances where the use of synthetic oil may take some wise consideration.  However, today’s synthetic oils made for piston engines have more superior chemical and mechanical properties than traditional petroleum-based products.  Synthetics will give your engine added life and protection.

Years ago, my father worked at Dover Air Force Base for General Electric (G.E.) as an engineer on jet engines. The giant C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft was originally powered by four huge G.E. TF-39 engines.  They ran on synthetic oil.

Dad told me a story about a few of the guys in the jet engine shop who decided to use the synthetic oil from the TF-39 in their personal vehicles. Every single engine failed catastrophically because (as I recall) it was straight 5-weight oil that did not contain the necessary additive package to function in a reciprocating engine.

So if you ask one of those fellas about synthetic oil, you’ll likely get a negative response!

In years past, synthetic oil was an exotic product made for specialized purposes.  This has simply not been the case in recent decades, as more of our vehicles demand high performance.

For instance, some may still tell you that you can’t mix synthetic with petroleum-based oils. That was true 40 years ago, but not today. As an example, Honda currently sells a ‘petroleum blend,’ which is indeed synthetic and petroleum-based stocks mixed together.

When Chevrolet first introduced the Corvette ZR1, they had problems with camshaft failures early on. The fix???  Fill the engine with Mobil 1.   The following year they came factory filled with Mobil 1 and it voided the warranty if you used anything else.

Ask just about any race team what they run? They run synthetic because it provides superior protection under extreme racing conditions. In 1983, Honda Racing Corporation had numerous crankshaft failures on their VF750F Superbike engines. The only way they could get one to last the full race distance was to use synthetic oil.

You may remember the old Mobil 1 TV commercial from years ago. They put Mobil 1 and the leading petroleum-based oil in separate frying pans and turned up the heat. The petroleum oil turned into thick, black sludge while the Mobil 1 was unaffected. That was actually a very good demonstration of synthetic oil’s ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

Let’s say your engine loses all its coolant. You don’t notice until you stop and see the steam billowing out of the overflow tank. In this case, synthetic oil would not break down like petroleum oil, potentially saving you thousands of $$$$ in engine repairs.

Here are some wise things to consider before you convert.  As a general rule of thumb, if your engine consumes oil, (either by leaking externally or by leaking past the rings in to the combustion chamber), it will consume more oil once converted to synthetic. In other words, it’s not a good idea. 

The other caveat concerns clutch slippage. There have been instances where an older ‘oil bathed’ clutch begins to slip immediately after converting to synthetic oil. More than likely it was near the end of its service life anyhow…

When can you convert a new vehicle to synthetic? 

I have contacted all our OEM’s and they all state it is OK to convert at the first service!

I personally put synthetic oil in everything I own and suggest you do the same!

Mike Rush

Service Manager @ Diamond Motor Sports

Product Review: Joe Rocket Atomic 4.0 Jacket

Stewart Crouch

If you are considering a versatile, functional, good looking, water-proof textile jacket you have to consider this from Joe Rocket. I had the opportunity to give one a try for 2 days during a recent trip to the Smoky Mountains.


Each morning the temperature was in the high 50s to low 60s and even without the removable, insulated, full-sleeve liner the jacket was very comfortable (and I get cold easily). I am confident that with the liner installed and the waterproof membrane zipped, I could easily stand temperatures in the mid to upper 40s.

Men's Atomic 4.0 Jacket in Red

In the afternoon, the temperature would climb to the mid 80s. There are six zippered vents, 2 on the arms, 2 on the chest and 2 on the back that made it easy to adjust as the mercury climbed. I found I could open or close the front 4 as I needed while riding down the road. (Although, I do recommend you always pull off the road to a safe parking spot before attempting to adjust any zippers.) The zippers are a little stiff, but that is understandable since they are waterproof.

I got caught in one typical mountain deluge that lasted about 10 minutes. Had I stopped to zip up the waterproof membrane liner, my upper body would have remained completely dry. But it was hot out and the cool rain actually felt good. I like the idea of having a waterproof jacket (should I get caught in a storm and want to actually stay dry).  This way I don't have to carry a separate rain suit jacket.

Ladies Atomic 4.0 Jacket in White

I also like the style and look of the jacket. It is flashy without being gaudy.

Ok, so we have a 600 Rock Tech outer shell with removable armor in the elbows and shoulders as well as a back protector. There is also great ventilation and it is 100% waterproof with waterproof zippers. You can customize the fit with the adjustable waistband and snap adjustments on the sleeves. If you ever had an issue with a jacket rising up as you ride, they have that covered also with a zipper for attaching the jacket to a pair of Joe Rocket pants or snap hooks for your belt.

This really is an incredible jacket but I still have not mentioned the best part. It is only $159.95 retail in black, red, blue, gray and neon. Two years ago a jacket like this would have easily been $250 or more.  There's also a Joe Rocket Ladies Atomic 4.0 Jacket that retails for $134.99 in black, white, pink or purple.

You want a versatile jacket, loaded with features for a great price?


I did, so I bought one.


The mercury is on the rise again soon...so go ride!


Stewart


By the way, during the month of January 2012, if we see you "Reshare" anything Diamond Motor Sports posts on our Facebook fan page between now and January 31st, you'll earn an entry to win a Joe Rocket Atomic 4.0 Jacket.  The more you Reshare DMS Facebook posts, the more entries you earn, the more chances you get to win!  We'll stop counting entries at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January 31st.  Then we'll randomly choose a winner from all Reshare entries.  We'll announce the winner on our Facebook page before 7 pm on the 31st.