08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

I've done a lot of reading through old threads and have seen reference to converting a 4 -12 volt system to a 6 - 8 volt (or even 8 - 6 volt) system, but can't find any pictures, directions, etc to prove it can be done. Can anyone point me to a place to figure out how to do it? Thanks in advance.

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

I would also be interested in this as well.

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

I do not have pictures but you can install the extra 2 batteries opposite of the ones there in the middle and they will fit. I bent a piece of sheet metal to stop the batteries from sliding forward and backward then used a old style hold down in the middle. These 2 batteries will be sitting higher than the others.

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

Awesome. I figured it was fairly simple. What kind of batteries and cables did you go with? Have you noticed improvement over the 12 volts?

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

Trojan t875 standard cables. No noticeable difference in the short ride I took with them. But you should get longer ride time between charges and more years of service if maintained properly.

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

Do you have a picture Craig? Yamaha came up with a "retro fit kit", very expensive and a nightmare to make work (from a freind that is a yamaha tech for 25 years).

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

The way I did was simple and used some scrap sheet metal and old battery hold downs.
I will draw a pic and post of what I did. I didn't take any pics.

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

Here's a few pics and drawings(they are not to scale).

The 8 volts are a little narrower than the 12v so this will give you more room to turn the 8 v the other direction. I built a sheet metal plate to hold the 2 center batteries from moving back and forth since there rear battery hangs over a little and tries to slide back with a hold down between them.

If you use the 12 v hold downs you may have to flip the batteries around so that the post are not in the way.

I think I had about a inch of clearance between the battery post and bottom of seat.

Hope this explains it better.

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

Does the standard controller and motor work okay with the additional amperage of the battery pack?

Re: 08 YDRE (Yamaha Drive) battery conversion -any instructions?
 

Does the stock controller and motor work OK with the additional amperage of the battery pack?

thanks,

Richard