Please forgive the new guy if this has been covered before, or if this is the wrong place to ask this, but is there a preferred motorcycle equivalent to Rock Auto? When it comes to OEM (and upgrades) they can't be beat when it comes to four wheeled vehicles, but I have no experience with parts for a bike.

Just as an FYI Summit Racing has genuine Yuasa batteries, no throwing the dice on what you might get from Amazon. Add a spark plug to your order and the shipping is free.

Craig

Your local shop, if worthwhile.

RonAyers.com

BikeBandit.com

Boats.net

Procycle.com

RockymountainATV.com

Also try our sponsor's link at right. As for batteries, shop Amazon carefully. We just got two genuine Yuasa batteries model YTZ7S from Amazon Prime. Some ads are deceptive, however.

You know... for some reason I'd always thought that link on the right was to Procycle.

How can you tell if it's a real Yuasa battery?

Yuasa batteries are made in Japan not China. The photo should be clear and show the Yuasa name, model, etc. Here's an Amazon link to a Yuasa Battery. We noticed that prices for some Amazon products can vary like the weather. In general Yuasa batteries are expensive. Cheaper batteries are available but you generally get what you pay for.

The XT225 doesn't need a battery to run. If you ride in the day and can pop start your bike a dead battery won't strand you. Not sure how well the lights work without a battery to stabilize the electrical system. Might be fine but I don't have any experience with this. Point being, a low end battery isn't as risky as a cheap spark plug which would shut you down if it suddenly failed.

I thought maybe someone was selling batteries labeled Yuasa but weren't Yuasa. Thanks

We didn't find this to be the case. That said, some companies engage in deceptive advertising on the heels of well known brands to promote sales. Casual or uniformed buyers can push the buy it now button. To their dismay when the box arrives. Making products look like something they aren't isn't a new selling tactic. The usual buyer beware comments apply here.

pj - You're an honest stand up guy. I like that!

I can confirm this from experience - I managed to detach the battery terminal connector from the cable on my 225. I could hold it in place to start the engine, but had to tuck it safely out the way to ride. The bike ran fine.

I don't remember having any problems with the lights, but it was dalight and a few years ago now - at least I got home safely without any mishaps due to lack of signaling/brake lights, that much I can say!