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To Find the Battery for your bike go here. find my battery
Question: How Do Motorcycle Batteries Work?
Answer: Motorcycle batteries contain individual cells; each one produces just over two volts. Six-volt batteries have three cells and twelve-volt batteries have six cells. Each cell has stacks of lead plates, which are alternatively charged positive and negative. An insulator usually made from treated paper or fibreglass separates the individual plates.The lead plates in each cell are connected to each other, positive-to-positive and negative-tonegative.Each group is then connected to those in the next cell in series (positive to negative).
Question: Why Are Some Batteries Bigger Than Others?
Answer: The size and number of the lead plates in a cell depends on the output of the battery. The more plates in a cell, or the larger they are, the more current the battery produces the more capacity (amp-hours) it has.
Question: What Is That Fluid That Looks Like Water Inside The Battery?
Answer: Its called electrolyte, and it’s actually a mixture of water and sulphuric acid. The chemical reaction between the lead and acid produces electricity.
Question: How Do Batteries Actually Produce Electricity?
Answer: Electricity is produced when the electrolyte in a battery reacts with the lead plates in the cells. The sulphuric acid changes the lead into lead sulphate and in doing so deposits free electrons on the positive plates to the negative producing electrical current.
Question: What Is That White Substance That Collects In Old Batteries?
Answer: That white substance is lead sulphate; the same compound the lead plates in your battery turn into during this discharge cycle. Lead sulphate is a crystal, and if it is allowed to build up on the plates it can destroy a battery. This process is called sulphation.
Question: If The Electrolyte Is Sulphuric Acid, Then Why Add Distilled Water (And Not Electrolyte) When The Fluid Level Goes Down?
Answer: When the battery is producing electricity, a phase called the discharge cycle; the electrolyte gives up its sulphur and some of its oxygen to the lead plates, and in doing so turns to water. When the battery is recharged, either by the bike’s electrical system or an external charger, the sulphur goes back into the water, turning it into electrolyte again, and the plates change from lead. The sulphur in the electrolyte isn’t used up, it just moves from the electrolyte to the plates and back again as the battery goes through the discharge and charge cycles. The charging cycle produces water vapour, which escapes out of the battery’s vent tube. After a number of charge/discharge cycles, the accumulated water vapour loss causes the fluid level in the battery to decrease, even though the sulphur is still there. Adding distilled water replaces the water vapour lost during the charge cycle.
Question: Can A Low Battery Fluid Level Cause Problems?
Answer: It sure can. The less water there is in the electrolyte, the higher the concentration of acid. If the acid gets too strong, it can corrode the battery’s internal components, causing loose material to collect in the bottom of the battery and short it out. That’s another reason why you should not add acid when the fluid is low.
Question: I’ve Heard That You Shouldn’t Leave A Battery On A Concrete Floor Because It Goes Flatter Faster, Is There Any Truth In That?
Answer: Absolutely none. It doesn’t matter what kind of surface you store a battery on concrete, wood, metal as long as you keep it level, avoid excessively high temperatures and charge it on a regular basis.
Question: What Is The Proper Way To Charge A New Battery?
Answer: You should charge a new battery for three to five hours at a rate equal to one-tenth of it’s rated capacity. Only then should you put it in your bike. If you don’t have a charger at home ask that the shop put your new battery on the charger for you.
Question: What Causes Sulphation?
Answer: In a normal battery operation, lead sulphate never has much of a chance to build up on the plates because the charge cycle returns the sulphur to the electrolyte and turns the plates back to lead. But a battery that’s discharged, or one that’s discharged too deeply, can develop sulphation. Another cause of sulphation is low fluid level in the battery. When the fluid level drops, the lead plates are exposed to air. Under these conditions they will oxidize and sulphate, and the battery will no longer hold a charge.
Question: Why Do I Have To Charge A Battery That Isn’t Being Used, How Can It Run Down If Its Not Hooked Up?
Answer: Batteries, even those that aren’t hooked up, tend to lose their charge. This is a natural process called “self-discharge”. The rate at which a battery self-discharges depends on several factors, including the type of battery and the temperature at which it’s stored. Conventional lead-acid batteries discharge at a rate of about one percent a day. The higher the temperature the faster the battery discharges. Battery manufacturers say a battery stored at 95 degrees discharges twice as fast as a battery at 77 degrees, and that a battery stored at 130 degrees will kill the battery instantly.
Question: Is It OK To Let A Battery Get Cold Then? Won’t It Freeze?
Answer: Water freezes at 32 degrees F, but the electrolyte in a fully charged battery won’t freeze until the temperature reaches –75 degrees F. The more discharged the less resistant to freezing it gets. That’s because in a charged battery a lot of the sulphur in the electrolyte has already moved to the lead plates, leaving mostly water behind. A seriously discharged battery can freeze at only a few degrees below the freezing point of water.
Question: When I Buy A Brand New Battery, The Shop Puts Electrolyte In It For Me. Can’t I Put It Right In The Bike And Ride?
Answer: You can, but not if you want the battery to last. When you buy a battery and the shop puts electrolyte in it, the battery is only about 80 percent charged. It will never hold more than that if you don’t give it abooster charge before installing it in your bike.
Question: How Do You Keep A Battery From Sulphating?
Answer: Make sure your bike’s electrical system is functioning properly so that it replaces the charge lost to starting and running lights and accessories. Keep the battery terminals clean, and disconnect them when the bike is in storage. Most importantly, charge the battery regularly when it’s not in use (according to theinstructions that come with the battery and charger).
Question: What About Those High Rate Chargers Used To Charge Car Batteries In A Hurry?
Answer: Don’t use a high rate automotive type charger on a motorcycle battery. This type of charger forces a high current into the battery quickly, leading to overheating and plate damage. Motorcycle batteries just aren’t built to take that king of strain. Modern batteries come with specific charging rate instructions. You should slow-charge a battery at one-tenth its Amp/Hour rating. The rate for a one-hour quick-charge is usually a bit less than half the Amp/Hour number (e.g. 5 amp on a 12 A/H battery).
Question: What’s The Story On Sealed Maintenance-Free Batteries? How Are They Made, And Why Don’t They Need To Be Refilled Now And Then? Should Maintenance-Free Batteries Be Charged And Stored The Same Way As Conventional Batteries?
Answer: Maintenance-Free batteries are similar to lead acid batteries, but it’s unnecessary to replenish them with water on a regular basis. The separators between the lead plates are made of an absorbent glass material that looks like very fine cotton wool. There is no free flowing electrolyte it is completely contained within the sponge-like separators. The separators also have tiny air pockets that trap the gases given off during the charge cycle and allow them to recombine into water to maintenance-free batteries. Battery manufacturers call this gas recombinant technology, or GRT. A maintenance-free battery is a closed system, which is why the battery case is sealed and should never be opened. In most other respects, maintenance-free batteries should be treated like conventional batteries. They need to be checked periodically and recharged when necessary, procedures that vary according to the type of charger consultthe battery and charger instructions for specific details.
Question: The Battery In My Bike Has Lost Some Of Its Charge. How Do I Recharge It?
Answer: First make sure there are no open flames or sparks near the area where you are charging a battery. The charging process gives off hydrogen and oxygen, which can explode. Make sure the area is ventilated to prevent build up of explosive gases. Next, loosen the vent caps and make sure the battery vent is free of obstructions. Then attach the charger leads to the battery, positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative. Don’t plug in the charger until the leads are connected to the battery; this reduces the chance of sparks. Charge the battery according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. If the battery becomes hot to the touch at anytime during the charging process, disconnect the charger and let the battery cool down before reconnecting it. Hot batteries can explode. Finally always wear safety goggles or some kind of eye protection when you work with batteries and clean up any electrolyte on your hands, wash them immediately. If you get it in your eyes wash them for several minutes with water and contact a doctor.
Question: What Type Of Charger Should I Use?
Answer: Just about any charger designed for motorcycle batteries will get the job done. But some chargers are faster and easier to use than others. Trickle chargers, for instance, charge a battery at a fixed rate, but you have to keep an eye on them. They don’t know when the battery is fully charged and if you leave themhooked up then they will damage the battery. They’re also slow. Taper chargers decrease the amount of current going to the battery as the battery’s voltage rises. But you still have to monitor the battery for overheating as it charges. Taper chargers are slow too. Pulse chargers are the easiest way to charge a battery, or to store one for that matter. The pulse charger monitors the battery’s voltage during the charge cycle and drops to standby mode once the battery is fully charged. Later, when self-discharge reduces the charge to specified level, the pulse charger senses it and returns to charging mode, shutting off again when the battery is back to its normal charge level. A battery hooked up to a pulse charger can be left unattended except for periodic fluid level checks for long periods of time.
Question: How Do I Know When A Battery Is Fully Charged?
Answer: The most common way to test a battery’s charge is to use either a hydrometer or a voltmeter. There are two types of hydrometers, the floating ball and the calibrated float. The calibrated float is generally more precise than the floating ball. Both types measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell, which is indicative of that cell’s charge. Since specific gravity can change with temperature its best to take you’re reading at about 77 degrees. A few degrees one way or the other won’t make too much difference, but extremes of temperature either way will. Voltmeters are easier to use than hydrometers, and are the only option when testing sealed or maintenance-free batteries. The voltmeters must be capable of reading DC voltage and should be hooked up positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative. The method of testing just described is called unloaded testing. Load testing can also test batteries, which is done in two ways.The first is to put a low load on the battery by turning on the light and ignition and taking a reading at the battery with a voltmeter. A 12-volt battery should put out at least 11.5 volts DC in this situation (5.75 volts for a 6-volt system). Anything less and its time for a change. High load testing requires a load tester, which most well equipped shops should have. This method tests a battery’s charge under starting loads, and is a more accurate indicator of a battery’s charge and overall state of health.
To Find the Battery for your bike go here. find my battery
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