Other than the race car, the truck, and the trailer, one of the most universal items in any racers’ track-outing arsenal is their pit vehicle. For some it’s a scooter, others it’s an ATV, a golf cart, or for a growing number of people, side-by-sides and larger off-road vehicles that can carry the entire crew, tools, air tanks, and other essentials. And just like the race car, they need a power supply.
OPTIMA, a source of batteries for racing vehicles the world over, recently launched a collection of new lithium iron phosphate ORANGETOP 12-volt lithium batteries designed specifically for powersports applications, including those already mentioned, along with motorcycles, snowmobiles, and personal watercraft.
Lithium batteries are long-lasting and carry a high energy density, making them well worth their investment, which is traditionally more costly up front than their lead-acid counterparts. They’re also impressively lightweight, and while that matters less for the pit vehicle than it does the race car, the other advantages to lithium certainly make these stand out.
“These are a direct fit for most of the types of applications people are going to use for their pit vehicle, and many folks use these vehicles for recreation outside of the track,” says OPTIMA’s Jim McIlvaine, known to many in the industry as OPTIMA Jim. “For those with a fun motorcycle they have, or a dirt bike or side-by-side they take trail riding often, this can be good investment for them. They offer tons of cranking power and far longer lifespan than a lead-acid battery — many times longer if properly cared for.”
The OPTIMA ORANGETOP has a number of slick features. For one, it sports quad terminals for easy installation across a range of vehicle fitments. This feature ensures that whether you’re customizing your motorcycle or upgrading your ATV, the installation process is seamless. There’s also a microprocessor-controlled Battery Management System (BMS) that autonomously monitors, protects, and controls all battery parameters, enhancing the overall longevity and reliability of the battery.
Another popular feature, the Powerlink system offers the ORANGETOP impressive convenience in controlling the battery, connecting your charger, and monitoring battery condition, by utilizing a wired, LED dongle that can present state-of-charge information to the user. This feature is complemented by OPTIMA CPR, which intelligently disconnects the battery from parasitic loads, preserving sufficient power to kick-start your ride when needed.
“I was out at an off-road racing event last weekend and there was a guy who was racing and he was raving about the ORANGETOP and the PowerLink because of the ease of accessibility,” says McIlvaine. “When you’re talking about a battery for ATV’s and other off-road vehicles, the batteries are sometimes buried, and you have to start taking off panels and lifting stuff up just to access it. But the PowerLink cable that comes off the battery allows you to monitor it remotely, you can see the state of the charge at a glance, so you don’t have to dig in there with a volt-meter, you just press a button on the PowerLink and it’ll tell you. There’s also a connection to plug in a charger so you don’t have to take anything apart to attach clamps to the posts. You can also shut the battery off remotely with the PowerLink, which is great for people who travel a lot and leave bikes sitting for long periods of time — they don’t have to worry about anything drawing it down where it won’t start when they need it to.”
Its lightweight and compact design ensures optimal performance without added bulk, addressing the need for efficiency in powersport applications. According to McIlvaine, depending on whether you’re comparing to a flooded or AGM battery and the size, these lithium batteries are upwards of 50 to 60 percent lighter than their equivalent counterparts, and the cycle life is about five times a traditional flooded battery.
The OPTIMA ORANGETOP comes in six different sizes, catering to 95 percent of all powersports vehicles; these range from 3 to 15 amp/hour capacities, 190 to 800 amps, and weigh in between 1.7 and 7.1 pounds.
The Lineup
- QUAD 7: 3 Ah Capacity, 190A PHCA, 12.8 Voltage, 4.45 x 2.56 x 3.4 Inches, 1.7 lbs.
- QUAD 12: 4.5 Ah Capacity, 380A PHCA, 12.8 Voltage, 5.4 x 2.72 x 5.12 Inches, 2.2 lbs.
- QUAD 14: 7 Ah Capacity, 420A PHCA, 12.8 Voltage, 5.9 x 2.72 x 5.12 Inches, 3.0 lbs.
- QUAD 16: 8 Ah Capacity, 480A PHCA, 12.8 Voltage, 5.9 x 3.43 x 5.7 Inches, 3.6 lbs.
- QUAD 20: 9 Ah Capacity, 540A PHCA, 12.8 Voltage, 6.89 x 3.19 x 6.1 Inches, 4.0 lbs.
- QUAD 30: 15 Ah Capacity, 800A PHCA, 12.8 Voltage, 6.54 x 4.92 x 6.69 Inches, 7.1 lbs..
“Some people might have a cheap scooter or older ATV and they don’t want to spend as much on the battery as they did on the vehicle, but if you’ve got something really nice and you’re looking to keep your motorcycle or your ATV or side-by-side for a long time, this battery is worth the investment,” says McIlvaine. “The ORANGETOP is just like AGM, but it’s AGM on steroids. And it really pays for itself over time.”