As a motorcyclist, you have to brave challenges other motorists don’t. Weather, traffic hazards, and even basic visibility all present a greater difficulty when you are on two wheels. In addition, you have to face ordinary, mundane obstacles as well. Sometimes, these can be as simple as a dead battery.
Small motorcycle batteries can become badly damaged when they are fully discharged. And if they are left uncharged through the winter, they are almost impossible to revive. More often than not, in such a situation, you will need to buy a replacement. Therefore, it is essential to charge your battery properly and keep it charged during the off-season.
Here is a brief and informative guide on how to charge a motorcycle battery.
How you charge your battery will depend first and foremost on what type of battery you are using. Lead-acid, gel, and AGM batteries can all be charged with the devices we are about to discuss.
However, lithium batteries like Lithium-ion and LiFePO4 batteries will require special chargers. For those batteries, you will need to use the charger recommended by your manufacturer.
There are three main types of chargers for everything else: trickle chargers, float chargers, and smart chargers. Let us take a quick look.
Trickle chargers, sometimes referred to as “fully manual chargers,” are the most basic type of battery charger. They consist of an AC adapter that creates a DC current, and it is attached to a pair of leads with alligator clips.
Trickle chargers deliver a constant flow of power to your battery so that they can be wasteful without proper application. They can also damage more sensitive batteries by continuing to supply unneeded electricity. For this reason, you should keep an eye on your battery when using a trickle charger and disconnect it immediately once fully charged.
Float chargers have a built-in sensor that detects when the battery is full. At this point, they will shut off automatically for safety and save power. When left plugged in, they will periodically turn on as needed to keep the battery fully charged.
Smart chargers are the most advanced, modern variant of motorcycle chargers. They have a monitoring meter that keeps track of the charge rate and adjusts the voltage on the fly to keep the rate optimal. Smart chargers can also have a desulfation mode, which uses a series of electrical pulses to knock sulfur buildup off the plates in a lead battery.
Note that smart chargers and float chargers are often designed to activate once connected to a battery. They do this by looking for an electrical charge, which doesn’t work if your battery has been 100% discharged. In this case, you will need to use a trickle charger first to provide a minimal charge and then attach your other charger.
Before you use your charger, remove the battery from the bike. This step is a headache, and a lot of people skip this step. Nevertheless, there are two pertinent reasons why you never want to take that shortcut.
First, power surges and other anomalies can occur, causing a voltage surge to flow through the charger itself. It is bad enough having your battery ruined by a lightning strike. But if your battery is connected to the bike simultaneously, that same surge will flow through the entire electrical system. This can damage your ignition coils, LCD display, and other electronics.
Removing your battery separates your charger from the bike itself, thereby eliminating this risk.
Another reason to take out your battery is that the charging process causes the battery to get hot. If the cells are defective, they can boil over, dripping sulfuric acid all over your bike. Putting the battery on a mat or a piece of cardboard ensures that it won’t damage anything else if it overheats.
If you are using a smart charger with a display, you can quickly determine the status of the battery. Otherwise, you will have to check the voltage manually. A fully charged motorcycle battery should deliver at least 12.73 volts. Below that, and you will need to keep charging. If your battery consistently fails to charge above 12.06 volts, it probably needs to be replaced.
If you are in a jam, you may need to recharge a dead battery on the road or in a parking lot. Thankfully, you can jump-start a motorcycle with another motorcycle the same way you can jump-start a car.
You can also jump-start a motorcycle from a car. In that case, leave the car’s ignition off. Car batteries provide much more power than motorcycle batteries, and starting the car could cause the motorcycle battery to fail entirely.
Connect the red alligator clips on both ends of the cable to both batteries’ positive terminals. Connect the black alligator clip to the negative terminal on the good battery. However, on your bike’s end, clip the black cable to your bike’s frame. Connecting it to your negative terminal can permanently destroy the battery.
Turn on the other bike if you are starting from another motorcycle, and turn your key. Assuming there are no other issues, the bike should start!
When all else fails, it is possible to push-start your motorcycle. It is not fun, nor is it pretty, but it can get you out of a jam.
Start with the bike in first gear, and pull in the clutch. Next, you will need to get the bike moving at a minimum of five miles per hour. If you are alone, the easiest way is to get rolling downhill and pop the clutch when the bike has accelerated. With the transmission engaged, the wheels will supply the energy needed to start the motor.
If there’s no hill nearby, a push start can be more challenging. You will have to get a running start alongside your bike, then jump on and pop the clutch simultaneously. On the other hand, if you have some friends with you, they can assist and give you the needed push.