Maintenance motorcycle battery

Motorcyclebattery.shop is the largest specialist and authority in the field of motorcycle batteries in the Netherlands. Here you will find the right motorcycle battery and the answer to the most frequently asked questions when it comes to the use and maintenance of motorcycle batteries. If your question is not listed, please feel free to Contact Us. We are happy to help you.

How can I measure the state of charge on a motorcycle battery?

When a motorcycle battery is charged, the specific gravity of the acid is 1.28 kg / m3. All sulfur in the engine battery is now present in the acid. When discharged, the sulfur moves from the acid to the battery plates and this reduces the specific gravity of the acid. In this way, the charge status of the car battery can easily be measured with an acidometer. Because with a battery that is discharged, the specific weight of the battery acid is approximately 1.1 kg / m3. The state of charge can also be determined by measuring the voltage of the motorcycle battery. This voltage varies from resp. 2.12 to 1.94 volts per cell. This cell voltage can only be properly measured when the battery is in rest condition. To properly test a motorcycle battery, a battery test device is necessary. If desired, we can test your motorcycle battery. This test takes at least 24 hours.

When is a motorcycle battery worn out?

This is usually difficult to predict. Unfortunately, the battery breaks down, usually after the winter, preferably at a time when you just thought about going for a nice ride. During the check, there may be signs that the battery is no longer 100 percent, such as:

  • More water consumption in one or more cells. (only seen with conventional motorcycle batteries);
  • The battery gets hot during charging;
  • A cell whose top has risen or bulges;
  • Leaked battery acid;
  • Different acid weight between one or more cells. (only seen with conventional motorcycle batteries);
  • High self-discharge.

How do I know what battery I need?

Motorcyclebattery.shop has an unique search function, which always ends up with the right motor battery. First select the brand, type and year of your motorcycle and you will automatically be referred to the correct motorcycle battery. If it does not work or if your motor is not (yet) listed, please contact us at [email protected] or call +31 73 200 80 29. We are happy to help you. The search function can be found on the homepage.

If I do not charge a motorcycle battery and haven’t connected it, it will still run down. How does that happen?

Self-discharge of motorcycle batteries: We've all been there. The motorcycle has stood still for a while and the battery is empty. This problem is caused by self-discharge. Normally, a motorcycle battery discharges itself because a closed circuit is externally connected to it, in the form of a dynamo with voltage regulator or a battery charger. Self-discharge occurs in any motorcycle battery without an external circuit and is caused by the slow decomposition of lead oxide in the vicinity of sulfuric acid. The rate of self-discharge depends on the acid concentration, the temperature and the design of the battery. As a rule of thumb, you can say that a wet lead-acid battery loses about 1% capacity per day. The only way to combat this problem is to use a trickle charger that keeps the engine battery constantly at a full charge. Keeping the motorcycle battery active is therefore very important. In this case, stagnation literally declines!

What is the lifespan of a motorcycle battery?

The lifespan of a motorcycle battery is primarily dependent on the number of hours of charge given to the battery. So it is certainly important to "continue" charging the engine battery. Furthermore, the material used in the battery is important, the purer the lead, the longer the battery will last. Motorcyclebattery.shop only sells premium-brand batteries of the purest lead, so that you can use your battery longer. A high-quality starter battery that is 100% charged will still have 50% of its charge after six months at 10 ° C and can be left alone during this time without recharging. But since the current motorcycles have so much electronics on board, it is very wise to keep the motorcycle battery in good condition by using a trickle charger. .

Temporarily not using a motorcycle battery (storage of a motorcycle battery)

From a practical point of view, we often leave a battery in our motorcycle during winter storage. Given the above, this does not have to be a problem with a good quality battery. But nevertheless, the safest way to make sure that the motorcycle battery is and remains 100% charged is to remove it and store it in a cool place and connect a trickle charger.

Regulations for motorcycle battery use:

It is important to make sure your motorcycle battery:

  • never discharges too deeply. Regular charging is therefore an absolute necessity;
  • not overcharging, so make sure your voltage regulator is properly adjusted and use a good battery charger, this especially applies to gel motorcycle batteries;
  • Regularly checks for "dryness" (if necessary top up the battery with distilled water). Only applies to conventional motorcycle batteries;
  • During the period that you aren’t using it, store it in a cool place (do not forget to regularly charge the battery with a trickle charger!).

Replacing a motorcycle battery yourself:

Replacing a motorcycle battery is generally very easy, you can often do it easily yourself.
Below are a few steps and a few helpful tips:

  • Always read the operating instructions of your battery first.
  • Switch off all power consumers and remove the ignition key.
  • First disconnect the battery connection from the - pole (this is often a black cable).
  • Then disconnect the battery connection + pole (this is often a red cable).
  • Remove the old motorcycle battery from your motorcycle. This is normally attached with an elastic, clamp or bracket.
  • Now compare the dimensions and the position of the poles of the old motorcycle battery with those of the new motorcycle battery.
  • Place the new motorcycle battery in the correct position.
  • Now mount the elastic, clamp or bracket in the same way as you removed it.
  • -Now first attach the battery clamp to the + pole (this is often a red cable).
  • Then attach the battery clamp to the - pole (this is often a black cable).
  • The battery is now ready for use and you can start your motorcycle with the new battery.

We always recommend that you check the charging voltage of your motorcycle: (it can be done with a simple multimeter)
This voltage must be between 13.6 volts and 14.8 volts (depending on the model).
If this is too high or too low, this is probably due to the alternator and / or the voltage regulator.
We recommend that you have this repaired immediately, otherwise it will again result in a broken battery.

Types of motorcycle batteries:

At Motorcyclebattery.shop you will find all types of motorcycle batteries, such as the Conventional motorcycle batteries , Maintenance Free motorcycle batteries , Gel motorcycle batteries and the Lithiumion motorcycle batteries

Technical terms:

CCA

CCA stands for the English term Cold Cranking Amps, roughly translated as the cold start. This is the amperage that a battery can deliver for 30 seconds at 0 degrees Fahrenheit (0 ° F = -18 ° C). The performance of a battery drops sharply when the temperatures drop. The CCA is therefore a good indicator to see what the starting capacity of a battery is. The voltage must remain above 9.6 volts during this test. The CCA value therefore indicates the value of the battery as a starter battery. Sometimes it is thought that the number of Ah relates to the starting capacity of a battery. This is not always the case. A 20Ah (10h) battery can have a greater starting power than a 40Ah (10h) battery.