...
While I was there, I was at parts counter ordering a new battery for my AK550, they couldn't find the Yuasa # also ordered a 5 gallon pail of VP 50:1 premix for my chainsaw, while I was there, the owner heard my voice and came out to talk to me. He's sold a dozen AK550s at his other dealership and expects to sell another dozen by the end of the month. I made him aware of the parasitic drain issue that AKs seem to have, he's bound to make some noise with Kymco. He doesn't sell a lot of scooters at his dealership local to me, but a few, the local dealership sells more 4wheel ATVs & SxSs and fewer 2wheel, and vice versa at the other location.
Was he trying to find the OEM exact match part number for the battery?
The original OEM/Yuasa battery is a TTZ12s
My AK 550 has the YTZ14S (preferred)
An alternative would be the YTX14BS
All are Yuasa batteries and can be found on Amazon, so don't know why your parts guy couldn't find it unless looking for the Kymco part number. Go with the Yuasa number. The TTZ series might not be found from USA sources and comes with an acid pack that must be first emptied into the battery and then the battery is sealed. TTZ batteries also cannot be tilted as much as the YTZ batteries. They won't leak, but I think it has something to do with what happens inside the battery.
Some YTZ batteries also come with an acid pack separate though most I've bought over the years are pre-activated at the factory. YTZ batteries generally have a higher CCA than YTX batteries but both will have the same Ah rating. Also, YTX batteries generally cost a little less.
I've always found that aftermarket brand name batteries work better than OEM batteries even though they may have the same branding and model number on the battery... for some reason. Maybe the bike manufacturer lets them sit on a shelf too long?
When it comes time to replace my battery I intend to buy a Yuasa YTZ14S and I hope that will have better performance than the OEM/Yuasa battery.
