The bike was sitting over win ter and now the battery is dead how long does it need to be charged and at what amp? I think 2 amp but im not sure. I want the bike to be able to reliably turned on the off quickly at least 3 times without the battery dying how long does it take to get a good full charge?
2007-03-27 06:22:53 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
Hi rc1honda,
2 amps is the limit. Don't go any higher than that or you can damage the battery. About 1.5 to 2.0 amps is the best.
If you look at the writing on the battery, there will be something there that will tell you the amp rating of the battery. Most of the bike batteries are about 14 to 20 amps. Divide that number by, say, 2.0 amps and you have how long it will take to fully charge it. Say 20 amp battery with a 2.0 amp charge = 10 hours.
But.... if the battery has sat for too long, it might be ruined. If it was outdoors over the winter and was frozen, it is trashed. If it sat for more than 3 months, it is in a grey area where it can go either way.
I would pull it out and go to a motorcycle dealer and have it checked. They can tell you if it is bad or not. If it has a dead cell or worse, all you can do is replace it.
Once you have a new battery or the old one is OK, keep it charged up by riding the bike regularly (Best of all!) or putting it on a "Battery Tender" type charger. These are low amp, computer controlled chargers that sense when the battery needs a charge and they won't over charge the battery.
If you do get a new battery, give it a full charge, over night, on low amperage. This is the only way to give that battery a chance for a long life. New batteries come "Dry Charged" and the electrolite is added by the dealer. This brings the battery up to about 80%. Most dealers stop right there. They give it to you and send you home to install it and ride away. But it is the best way to kill a battery. It will probably only last a year or so. If the dealer puts it on a charger at all, it is usally not long enough to do the job right and the battery will still lose some of that life that you paid for. Do your own charging at home and it will pay you back.
Also, keep in mind that motorcycle batteries are not as long lived as car batteries. They are much smaller and have to do a harder job than car batteries. Most bike batteries will give up in about 2 or 3 years. There are some that make it into the 5, 6, 7, or even 8 year range but they are rare. Those great ages are due to maintenance and luck and not to be counted on.
I hope that this is some help.
Jim
2007-03-27 12:10:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the battery has been dead for months it will charge, but it won't last very long. You should replace it. Despite what everybody knows about only using 2 amp chargers, any fully automatic charger of 15 amps or less will work fine. The alternator charges your battery at a lot more than 2 amps. In fact, a cheap 2 amp charger will keep increasing in voltage when the battery is charged and ruin it if you leave it on too long.
2007-03-27 12:34:36 · answer #2 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Theoretically you are supposed to charge a battery at 1/10 its amp hour rating (IE 14 amp hour battery 1.4 amp charge), but 2 amp charger will work just fine, and yes just leave it overnight this will be no problem. The problem will be if it has set dead for an extended time, this will cause them to sulfate which ruins the battery, hopefully yours has not set long enough to go bad. If you have the kind of battery with the caps add water to any cells which need it, don't add acid you only put acid in a battery ONE time.
2007-03-27 09:51:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
After checking and topping off the water, leave it on the charger overnight (or at least a couple of hours).
However, if you live in a cold area, and the battery (or bike) is stored in an unheated garage, it's probably not going to hold a charge.
If you have a problem charging it, or it won't hold the charge, then purchase a new battery AND a battery tender http://batterytender.com/ at the same time.
You can leave the battery in the bike, and the plugged into the Battery Tender all winter.
We get at least 3 years on batteries with this arrangement.
2007-03-27 11:08:45 · answer #4 · answered by ducatisti 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2 amp is the proper charge.
I normally just let it charge overnight on a charger that shuts its self off when full charge is met. However 6 to 8 hours should be plenty of time to ensure a good charge.
2007-03-27 06:38:57 · answer #5 · answered by dreamwever4u2 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bike batterys, for the most part only last a yr.-16mons. and you only get the xtra 4 if you disconnect thru the winter. And no....150$ batterys dont last much longer than 40$ batt. Not sure about the new dry-cells..........
oh, and dont put water in them, go buy some batt. acid........
2007-03-27 06:41:44 · answer #6 · answered by DennistheMenace 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
about 30 min
2007-03-27 06:27:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋