HOW TO CHARGE YOUR MOTORCYCLE BATTERY

The best thing to do, if you haven’t already done it, is to get a decent, dedicated motorcycle battery charger that matches the requirements of your battery, and intelligent chargers are by far the best type as they can read the condition of the battery and give it only what it needs and stop when it has had enough.

Do not use a car battery charger. Lithium batteries require a higher charging voltage than lead-acid batteries, and so only use a dedicated lithium charger or one that has a lithium setting on it.

How long you need to charge a battery depends on the state of charge when you charge it, determined by measuring its voltage. A battery showing 10 volts is going to need a lot longer than one showing 12 volts.

When fully charged, a battery should show at least 12.8 volts. When you buy a battery, and when you buy a charger, they will come with information and instructions. Keep these safely stored and use them to determine how long you need to charge the battery.

Using an intelligent charger takes away the anxiety of leaving a battery on charge overnight and ensures you cannot overcharge it.

Lead-Acid Batteries

Lead-acid batteries discharge quickly when not in use, so they need a charge every 4 to 6 weeks. You can usually recover heavily discharged lead-acid batteries with intelligent chargers, but not always. The best practice is to keep them charged. They like to be used, and the more you use them, the longer they last.

Sulfation, a build-up of lead sulfate crystals, occurs naturally over the lifetime of a battery but will increase if a battery is unused, undercharged or overcharged. A sulfated battery will discharge more quickly and take longer to charge, causes heat build-up, and will reduce battery life.

If left it will ruin a battery, but if caught in time gentle charging can treat it. When charging a conventional flooded battery remove the cell caps and rest them on the tops of the holes to improve venting.

Gel Batteries

Gel batteries have a lower internal resistance than lead acid batteries, and so they require a specific charger. When looking for a charger, ensure that is has a gel specific mode, or is applicable for gel batteries.

AGM Batteries

Much like gel, AGM batteries require a specific charger. Using a regular battery charger on an AGM battery can result in damage to the battery or a reduced service life. Most modern ‘smart’ chargers will have an AGM mode – but you will need to confirm this with the supplier of the charger. 

Lithium Batteries

Lithium batteries discharge slowly when not in use and may only require a charge every six months. Do not let a lithium battery discharge fully, as it will not be recoverable, though if it is a decent quality one with a BMS (battery management system) this should not happen, and likewise it should not be possible to overcharge it.