How to Charge an Electrical Motorcycle Battery

Batteries must be charged on a motorcycle.

Motorcycle batteries are small and lose electrical charges easily. Over time, if a motorcycle is not run on a weekly basis, the battery loses its electrical charge altogether. Keeping a motorcycle battery charged extends the storage device's longevity. Fully discharging a battery several times will permanently damage it. Trickle charging a motorcycle battery is often better than supplying it with a higher amperage for recharging. Trickle charging eliminates the rapid application of electrical power to the device, which can boil out the electrolyte, or acid, material.

Things You'll Need

• Distilled or deionized water
• Trickle battery charger

Instructions

1. Remove the battery from the motorcycle, using the method recommended by your motorcycle's manufacturer. Various makes and types of motorcycles will have different positions and mounting methods for the battery. Do not charge a battery while it is still installed on the motorcycle.

2. Place the battery on a flat and firm surface in a well-ventilated area.

3. Remove all of the individual cell top caps. In most cases, there are six caps on a 12-volt battery. Check the fluid level in each of the six cells. Add distilled water or deionized water to the level of the lower plastic ring indicator inside each battery cell. Place the caps back into each cell. Do not tighten the caps in place.

4. Connect the red clamp from the battery charger to the positive (+) battery connector. Attach the black clamp from the battery charger to the negative (-) battery connector.

5. Plug the battery trickle charger into a power source to charge the battery. In most trickle charger applications, a red light indicates charging and the green light indicates power applied from the power source. Blinking lights indicate a problem. Check with the battery charger's manufacturer for the individual charging codes. Once the red light goes out, the battery is charged.

6. Remove the power source from the battery charger. Pull the clamps from the battery terminals. Tighten the individual cell caps. Place the battery back on the motorcycle.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not expose the charging battery to open sources of flame. The battery off-gasses hydrogen, which is highly explosive.

References

• Total Motorcycle: Battery Guide
• Dans MC: Batteries