Showing posts with label best bike battery charger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best bike battery charger. Show all posts

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Maintaining a bike battery ?




varun





Answer
If you are talking motorcycle buy a battery tender brand smart charger, install the pig tail on the battery and plug it in.

Can I hook up a float charger to my motorcycle battery while it is still hooked up in the bike?

Q. My instructions say to remove battery from vehicle in order to charge. This is what I'm currently doing, but Id like to be able to just leave the battery in the bike and charge it that way. Is this safe? Thanks for the input.


Answer
I use a small trickle/maintenance charger on my motorcycle battery while the bike is in storage for the winter. I've never had any problems with this, and going on 5 years with the current battery.




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Friday, June 20, 2014

Which is the best brand of best battery charger?




turtle mas


and what ampere rating battery charger should I use for a yamaha
yzf-R6? what difference does the ampere rating make?
I'm looking at battery doc, yuasa,battery tender, and they come in all ampere ratings from 750mA to 1.5A.
answers from any owner of these battery charger are appreciated.
Thank you in advance.



Answer
I agree with the other folks who've recommended the Battery Tender,,it's a good charger.

Your question about Amp Rating.....
In simplest terms,,Amp rating determines the SPEED at which a battery can be recharged.

A Higher Amperage will recharge a given battery Faster.

"Speed" or "Faster" is usually considered a GOOD THING.

NOT SO on Battery Charging!!!
SLOWER is Better,,for several reasons.

HEAT is a major concern.
Higher Amp /Charging Rate will always produce Higher Battery Temps,,,even if it's all within acceptable Specs.

The Lower Charging Temps can be,,the Longer the Battery Life.
The Trade off is SLOWER Charge rate.

Time to Full Charge is figured according to Battery Amp capacity.
Example:
A 1A Charger will Fully Charge a 6A Battery in 6Hours(approx)
A 2A Charger would do it in 3Hrs
A 12A would fully charge a 6A Batt in 1/2 Hr or less!!
The same 1Amp Charger would fully Charge an 80Amp Car Battery....in 80 Hours--about 3 1/2 DAYS.

So in Principle(an in practice) ANY 12Volt Charger will Charge ANY 12 Volt Battery.
It's TRUE that "1 Size Fits All".
But there's Huge Differences in the Performance/Effects amongst the various combos of Batt Size/Charger rates.
In REALITY,,,that "rule" includes a huge compromise.

The Trade-off ranges from extreme OVERCHARGING ,,OverHeating,,Boiling out the Electrolyte,& Reducing Battery LIFE,,,,,,
To being simply "TOO SLOW" to be Practical for most situations.
No one wants to wait 2~3 DAYS for their battery to ReCharge when they need to get to work the next morning.

So the matter of determining " Best SIZE Charger/charge rate"
comes down to considering The Intended Use.

The SMALLER/SLOWER the Charger,,the BETTER,,,for Battery Life,,and "personal safety".

The BIGGER/FASTER the charger,,the Better for quick charge,,getting going in a hurry,etc.

In Your instance,,,and choice of 1.5A vs 750mA(3/4A) it doesn't SEEM like that big a difference.
One is TWICE the charge rate of the Other,,
it will Charge TWICE as Fast.
But it'll also (theoretically) be able to Heat the Battery Twice as much,,boil electrolytes Twice as fast,and generate twice the sulfation rate.

I "THINK" Your battey is an 8 Amp job?
From Fully Dead,,a 1.5A charger will fully charge it in 5 Hrs approx.
That's NOT "overcharging" a 7A~12A range Battery,,,but it's nearing Borderline of what's BEST for Battery Life.

A 3/4A~~ .750mA Charger would take about 10 Hours.
That's SLOWER for YOU,,but Much Better for the Battery.

If you,,left lights on and totally Drained Battery,,,
EITHER would Fully recharge it "overnight".
Either would also recharge it "enough" in 20~30 minutes to allow Kickstarting...provided the battery is in decent physical condition.

Which is also a consideration.
You surely want to keep your battery as Healthy & Happy as possible.
But you also want the capability to deal with "worst case" of a Drained battery to be able to get going in a reasonable amount of time.
20 minutes,,to an Hour WAIT might be fine for YOU,,,while a 4hour wait would "ruin your day"...just for example.

It comes down to what an Individual NEEDS /Wants/Expects.
And the choice should be made with the awareness of the Compromises,,the trade-offs that are inevitable.

And as Contrary as it seems to "BIGGER is BETTER" thinking,,,
Smaller Chargers,,LOWER Charge Rates are BETTER for Battery Life and Reliability.

....................................................
I see you're in Illinois,,,and assume your Biking is limited during winter weather.

If that's so,,and you plan to keep your battery on maintenance charger for the several months of downtime,,,here's a suggestion.

Disconnect the battery cables,,to isolate it from the electrical system.

Keep an eye on the "water Level",,,and use ONLY Distilled Water if you need to add some.
Every grocery store,walmart,etc has it,,$1/gal
I know thats been said a Gazillion times over the last 50 million years,,,and we violate the "Distilled Water ONLY" Rule TWICE that many times and get away with it.
But it DOES make a Huge Difference,especially on Small Batteries.
The chemical/mineral elements in Tap Water/Mineral Water are "electrically" the equivalent of putting a steel screwdriver across the 2 battery terminals,,,,and/or Insulating the internal plates from electron flow.
It's a FAINT effect,,so the bad results take Time to kill the battery.
But it DOES have a distinct and CERTAIN bad effect on Batt Life & reliability.
A GOOD batt that wears out,,Gradually gets weakers and Declines in power,,,giving you "fair warning"

A "Bad" battery from effects of Overcharging,,improper maintenace,,and Wrong Water/Electrolytes--Tap Water,,,
They're "Fine" one day,,and DEAD the next...NO warning.
I dont mean run-down/discharged,,I mean DEAD>Deceased.

"Old News" on Distilled Water,we all know that,so just a reminder.

If you Do plan a "total shutdown" thru winter,,,of course you can Manually charge your battery occasionally during that time.
It's not that much hassle.

The Type of chargers your considering are made to be left on for extended periods anyway.

Ideal,,for both personal convenience And Battery health would be a TIMER that switches the Charger Itself on/off.
Switch charger ON a while,,,let the Charger's Circuitry do IT'S job,,then OFF and let both the charger & battery rest a few days.
YOUR requirement would only be maybe a monthly check of Batt's water level.

Multi-Day Timers are somewhat expensive.
You could buy a New battery next spring for "same price".
So it becomes a rather "false economy",,,any NEW battery is always gonna be better than even BEST-maintained one.

One alternative that tends to "split the difference" is the Single day/24 Hr Timers.
They're cheap enough ,,Under $10 at places like Walmart.
You can set them for a few hours of ON-time each day.
1~2 Hrs Daily Run-Time of the "Smart Chargers" will keep your Batt at Optimum Level,,,,while reduce Total Time of Charger operation.
Saves Energy,LegWork,Battery,,and Charger.
It also constitutes a sort of "extra safety" in the event the battery is "forgotten" on the charger.
Instead of Charger running on maintenance mode all day,,it gets switch OFF automatically.

A Small,Frequent Charge will maintain a battery better than Less-Frequent,more extended charge.

Granted,,that may be a Moot Point,,or even Totally Pointless for many folks.
But a cheap,simple On/Off Timer can be a very useful "charging accessory" for SOME situations.

One example,,not "scientific" and not directly comparable is the "Seasonal" Boats down here on Gulf Coast area.
I know a Bunch of people who replace a SET of batteries every Year at season's beginning,,even after "charging them thru the Off-Season"(Innefectively,,Obviously)
Well,,the simple addition of a Timer & leaving the charger connected "Full Time",,,the batteries are now giving 2 and 3 Years of Reliable Service.
In THAT application,,it's a $10~$50 Timer ,,saving $150~200 Battery set annual expense---forestalling that expense a year or 2. They can "live in the boat shed" for 6 months unattended with no worries about ever overcharging,,or going dead & sulphating themselves to death.

.................
Last Small but important point.
Batt VENT HOSE.
Make sure it's open and not pinched anywhere,,obviously.
Also consider it's Routing path,,particulrly where the Open End is positioned.

Batts make a gas(Hydrogen) which gets "blown away" by airflow during riding.
But that gas also Condenses in the tube,,and some LIQUID "battery acid" exits the tube.
Very Corrosive,,so make sure and drips can't be blown onto Bike Parts while Riding.

A Different environment and conditions exist while Charging the batt.
Any "drips" from the vent are gonna go SOMEWHERE.
With No Road Wind,,naturally they'll fall straight down.
If Damage to your FLOORING is a concern,,,use some kinda drip pan----something plastic is best,,,some common Baking Soda sprinkled in it both retains any acid,,And neutralizes it.

The GAS that exits the vent during charging is Hydrogen Gas.
That's not only Flammable,,it's Explosive.
It dont just Burn,,it DETONATES.
Like the difference between lighting a Candle and a Firecracker.

It's WAY lighter than Air,,Lighter than even Helium.
(You may be famliar with the HINDENBURG BLIMP which exloded/Burned in the '40's)It was filled with HYDROGEN.
I can't imagine of a better example.

The implication to a person charging their Battery on a bike is this:
Most all bikes have their Batt Vent Tubes routed Down and exitting at Bottom of Bike.

While sitting still,,and Batt being Charged,,and Hydrogen being produced,,,,
Where's the vented GAS going??
RIGHT,,it's wafting STRAIGHT BACK UP,,"through the Motorcycle".
Your Bike is like a chicken getting smoked on a grille,,,Except it Aint Hickory.
It's Corrosive,Acidic,Flammable Hydrogen Gas.

The "cure" is simple,,,get a length of tubing that'll slip snugly over your existing Batt Vent Tube,,,and route it AWAY from the bike.
Simply to avoid the fumes from drifting straight up back onto your bike.

The Volume of Gas produced by a charging battery is Very Small,as far as Flammability concerns.
In a normal garage,or storage shed,,,the AIR:Gas ratio is really too lean to support combustion.
BUT!!!!,,If You happen to use a COVER,,or Tarp,or whatever which DOESN'T "breathe Freely".....
It's POSSIBLE to Fill it with the extremely LIGHT Hydrogen Gas.
In effect,,a sorta "Hydrogen Balloon".
It WILL displace the Air under such a canopy.
You may not actually be creating a "Little Hindenburg Balloon-Bomb" under Your Bike's Cover,,,
But You would CERTAINLY be storing it in a Cloud of Corrosive Hydrogen Gas,,,at minimum.

Routing the Batt Vent AWAY from the Bike is a simple enough solution....and doesnt need to be anything fancy , elaborate,or expensive.

Zillions of batteries get charged doing "everything Wrong",,,and do just fine anyway,,or at least apparently Good Enough.

But a few small principles can be Better for Bike,it's Battery,,the Charger,the bike's Storage Area,,and owner's convenience ,safety,,and pocketbook.

Quick recap:
**Smaller/Slower Charger is generally Better
**Mind Batt Water Level,,stick with actual Distilled Water to add
**A cheap Timer MIGHT offer convenience & may add maintenance efficiency
**Mind the Battery Vent's Condition And Position
--Under Riding Conditions
--And,,under Parked > Batt-Charging conditions

So,,Just some ideas that may be of use in certain instances.

Take care.

Motorbike Battery Charger?




Duong H


I'm a complete noob who's just got a Honda CBR125r from another owner. This morning when I tried to ride it, the bike did not start. I supposed the cause was the battery, since the previous owner had warned me that the charge might be quite low.

Just want to know what I should do. Should I replace the battery? or should I get a charger? Please give your opinion. All comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!









By the way, I found a battery identical to mine on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Battery-CTX5L-BS-YTX5L-BS-KTM-450-530-EXC-F-EXC-R-electric-start-2005-2011-/190727917308#ht_852wt_1163

and also a charger.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290821746789

are they compatible?



Answer
You need low amps. around 2 would be fine. I use an old bag phone charger but you could hook it up in series with another system. too fast charging will ruin the battery. Does this bike have a kick start? Even if you have a tiny bit of juice in the battery it should still run and charge itself.




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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Maintaining a bike battery ?




varun





Answer
If you are talking motorcycle buy a battery tender brand smart charger, install the pig tail on the battery and plug it in.

Can I hook up a float charger to my motorcycle battery while it is still hooked up in the bike?

Q. My instructions say to remove battery from vehicle in order to charge. This is what I'm currently doing, but Id like to be able to just leave the battery in the bike and charge it that way. Is this safe? Thanks for the input.


Answer
I use a small trickle/maintenance charger on my motorcycle battery while the bike is in storage for the winter. I've never had any problems with this, and going on 5 years with the current battery.




Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Which is the best brand of best battery charger?




turtle mas


and what ampere rating battery charger should I use for a yamaha
yzf-R6? what difference does the ampere rating make?
I'm looking at battery doc, yuasa,battery tender, and they come in all ampere ratings from 750mA to 1.5A.
answers from any owner of these battery charger are appreciated.
Thank you in advance.



Answer
I agree with the other folks who've recommended the Battery Tender,,it's a good charger.

Your question about Amp Rating.....
In simplest terms,,Amp rating determines the SPEED at which a battery can be recharged.

A Higher Amperage will recharge a given battery Faster.

"Speed" or "Faster" is usually considered a GOOD THING.

NOT SO on Battery Charging!!!
SLOWER is Better,,for several reasons.

HEAT is a major concern.
Higher Amp /Charging Rate will always produce Higher Battery Temps,,,even if it's all within acceptable Specs.

The Lower Charging Temps can be,,the Longer the Battery Life.
The Trade off is SLOWER Charge rate.

Time to Full Charge is figured according to Battery Amp capacity.
Example:
A 1A Charger will Fully Charge a 6A Battery in 6Hours(approx)
A 2A Charger would do it in 3Hrs
A 12A would fully charge a 6A Batt in 1/2 Hr or less!!
The same 1Amp Charger would fully Charge an 80Amp Car Battery....in 80 Hours--about 3 1/2 DAYS.

So in Principle(an in practice) ANY 12Volt Charger will Charge ANY 12 Volt Battery.
It's TRUE that "1 Size Fits All".
But there's Huge Differences in the Performance/Effects amongst the various combos of Batt Size/Charger rates.
In REALITY,,,that "rule" includes a huge compromise.

The Trade-off ranges from extreme OVERCHARGING ,,OverHeating,,Boiling out the Electrolyte,& Reducing Battery LIFE,,,,,,
To being simply "TOO SLOW" to be Practical for most situations.
No one wants to wait 2~3 DAYS for their battery to ReCharge when they need to get to work the next morning.

So the matter of determining " Best SIZE Charger/charge rate"
comes down to considering The Intended Use.

The SMALLER/SLOWER the Charger,,the BETTER,,,for Battery Life,,and "personal safety".

The BIGGER/FASTER the charger,,the Better for quick charge,,getting going in a hurry,etc.

In Your instance,,,and choice of 1.5A vs 750mA(3/4A) it doesn't SEEM like that big a difference.
One is TWICE the charge rate of the Other,,
it will Charge TWICE as Fast.
But it'll also (theoretically) be able to Heat the Battery Twice as much,,boil electrolytes Twice as fast,and generate twice the sulfation rate.

I "THINK" Your battey is an 8 Amp job?
From Fully Dead,,a 1.5A charger will fully charge it in 5 Hrs approx.
That's NOT "overcharging" a 7A~12A range Battery,,,but it's nearing Borderline of what's BEST for Battery Life.

A 3/4A~~ .750mA Charger would take about 10 Hours.
That's SLOWER for YOU,,but Much Better for the Battery.

If you,,left lights on and totally Drained Battery,,,
EITHER would Fully recharge it "overnight".
Either would also recharge it "enough" in 20~30 minutes to allow Kickstarting...provided the battery is in decent physical condition.

Which is also a consideration.
You surely want to keep your battery as Healthy & Happy as possible.
But you also want the capability to deal with "worst case" of a Drained battery to be able to get going in a reasonable amount of time.
20 minutes,,to an Hour WAIT might be fine for YOU,,,while a 4hour wait would "ruin your day"...just for example.

It comes down to what an Individual NEEDS /Wants/Expects.
And the choice should be made with the awareness of the Compromises,,the trade-offs that are inevitable.

And as Contrary as it seems to "BIGGER is BETTER" thinking,,,
Smaller Chargers,,LOWER Charge Rates are BETTER for Battery Life and Reliability.

....................................................
I see you're in Illinois,,,and assume your Biking is limited during winter weather.

If that's so,,and you plan to keep your battery on maintenance charger for the several months of downtime,,,here's a suggestion.

Disconnect the battery cables,,to isolate it from the electrical system.

Keep an eye on the "water Level",,,and use ONLY Distilled Water if you need to add some.
Every grocery store,walmart,etc has it,,$1/gal
I know thats been said a Gazillion times over the last 50 million years,,,and we violate the "Distilled Water ONLY" Rule TWICE that many times and get away with it.
But it DOES make a Huge Difference,especially on Small Batteries.
The chemical/mineral elements in Tap Water/Mineral Water are "electrically" the equivalent of putting a steel screwdriver across the 2 battery terminals,,,,and/or Insulating the internal plates from electron flow.
It's a FAINT effect,,so the bad results take Time to kill the battery.
But it DOES have a distinct and CERTAIN bad effect on Batt Life & reliability.
A GOOD batt that wears out,,Gradually gets weakers and Declines in power,,,giving you "fair warning"

A "Bad" battery from effects of Overcharging,,improper maintenace,,and Wrong Water/Electrolytes--Tap Water,,,
They're "Fine" one day,,and DEAD the next...NO warning.
I dont mean run-down/discharged,,I mean DEAD>Deceased.

"Old News" on Distilled Water,we all know that,so just a reminder.

If you Do plan a "total shutdown" thru winter,,,of course you can Manually charge your battery occasionally during that time.
It's not that much hassle.

The Type of chargers your considering are made to be left on for extended periods anyway.

Ideal,,for both personal convenience And Battery health would be a TIMER that switches the Charger Itself on/off.
Switch charger ON a while,,,let the Charger's Circuitry do IT'S job,,then OFF and let both the charger & battery rest a few days.
YOUR requirement would only be maybe a monthly check of Batt's water level.

Multi-Day Timers are somewhat expensive.
You could buy a New battery next spring for "same price".
So it becomes a rather "false economy",,,any NEW battery is always gonna be better than even BEST-maintained one.

One alternative that tends to "split the difference" is the Single day/24 Hr Timers.
They're cheap enough ,,Under $10 at places like Walmart.
You can set them for a few hours of ON-time each day.
1~2 Hrs Daily Run-Time of the "Smart Chargers" will keep your Batt at Optimum Level,,,,while reduce Total Time of Charger operation.
Saves Energy,LegWork,Battery,,and Charger.
It also constitutes a sort of "extra safety" in the event the battery is "forgotten" on the charger.
Instead of Charger running on maintenance mode all day,,it gets switch OFF automatically.

A Small,Frequent Charge will maintain a battery better than Less-Frequent,more extended charge.

Granted,,that may be a Moot Point,,or even Totally Pointless for many folks.
But a cheap,simple On/Off Timer can be a very useful "charging accessory" for SOME situations.

One example,,not "scientific" and not directly comparable is the "Seasonal" Boats down here on Gulf Coast area.
I know a Bunch of people who replace a SET of batteries every Year at season's beginning,,even after "charging them thru the Off-Season"(Innefectively,,Obviously)
Well,,the simple addition of a Timer & leaving the charger connected "Full Time",,,the batteries are now giving 2 and 3 Years of Reliable Service.
In THAT application,,it's a $10~$50 Timer ,,saving $150~200 Battery set annual expense---forestalling that expense a year or 2. They can "live in the boat shed" for 6 months unattended with no worries about ever overcharging,,or going dead & sulphating themselves to death.

.................
Last Small but important point.
Batt VENT HOSE.
Make sure it's open and not pinched anywhere,,obviously.
Also consider it's Routing path,,particulrly where the Open End is positioned.

Batts make a gas(Hydrogen) which gets "blown away" by airflow during riding.
But that gas also Condenses in the tube,,and some LIQUID "battery acid" exits the tube.
Very Corrosive,,so make sure and drips can't be blown onto Bike Parts while Riding.

A Different environment and conditions exist while Charging the batt.
Any "drips" from the vent are gonna go SOMEWHERE.
With No Road Wind,,naturally they'll fall straight down.
If Damage to your FLOORING is a concern,,,use some kinda drip pan----something plastic is best,,,some common Baking Soda sprinkled in it both retains any acid,,And neutralizes it.

The GAS that exits the vent during charging is Hydrogen Gas.
That's not only Flammable,,it's Explosive.
It dont just Burn,,it DETONATES.
Like the difference between lighting a Candle and a Firecracker.

It's WAY lighter than Air,,Lighter than even Helium.
(You may be famliar with the HINDENBURG BLIMP which exloded/Burned in the '40's)It was filled with HYDROGEN.
I can't imagine of a better example.

The implication to a person charging their Battery on a bike is this:
Most all bikes have their Batt Vent Tubes routed Down and exitting at Bottom of Bike.

While sitting still,,and Batt being Charged,,and Hydrogen being produced,,,,
Where's the vented GAS going??
RIGHT,,it's wafting STRAIGHT BACK UP,,"through the Motorcycle".
Your Bike is like a chicken getting smoked on a grille,,,Except it Aint Hickory.
It's Corrosive,Acidic,Flammable Hydrogen Gas.

The "cure" is simple,,,get a length of tubing that'll slip snugly over your existing Batt Vent Tube,,,and route it AWAY from the bike.
Simply to avoid the fumes from drifting straight up back onto your bike.

The Volume of Gas produced by a charging battery is Very Small,as far as Flammability concerns.
In a normal garage,or storage shed,,,the AIR:Gas ratio is really too lean to support combustion.
BUT!!!!,,If You happen to use a COVER,,or Tarp,or whatever which DOESN'T "breathe Freely".....
It's POSSIBLE to Fill it with the extremely LIGHT Hydrogen Gas.
In effect,,a sorta "Hydrogen Balloon".
It WILL displace the Air under such a canopy.
You may not actually be creating a "Little Hindenburg Balloon-Bomb" under Your Bike's Cover,,,
But You would CERTAINLY be storing it in a Cloud of Corrosive Hydrogen Gas,,,at minimum.

Routing the Batt Vent AWAY from the Bike is a simple enough solution....and doesnt need to be anything fancy , elaborate,or expensive.

Zillions of batteries get charged doing "everything Wrong",,,and do just fine anyway,,or at least apparently Good Enough.

But a few small principles can be Better for Bike,it's Battery,,the Charger,the bike's Storage Area,,and owner's convenience ,safety,,and pocketbook.

Quick recap:
**Smaller/Slower Charger is generally Better
**Mind Batt Water Level,,stick with actual Distilled Water to add
**A cheap Timer MIGHT offer convenience & may add maintenance efficiency
**Mind the Battery Vent's Condition And Position
--Under Riding Conditions
--And,,under Parked > Batt-Charging conditions

So,,Just some ideas that may be of use in certain instances.

Take care.

Motorbike Battery Charger?




Duong H


I'm a complete noob who's just got a Honda CBR125r from another owner. This morning when I tried to ride it, the bike did not start. I supposed the cause was the battery, since the previous owner had warned me that the charge might be quite low.

Just want to know what I should do. Should I replace the battery? or should I get a charger? Please give your opinion. All comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!









By the way, I found a battery identical to mine on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Battery-CTX5L-BS-YTX5L-BS-KTM-450-530-EXC-F-EXC-R-electric-start-2005-2011-/190727917308#ht_852wt_1163

and also a charger.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290821746789

are they compatible?



Answer
You need low amps. around 2 would be fine. I use an old bag phone charger but you could hook it up in series with another system. too fast charging will ruin the battery. Does this bike have a kick start? Even if you have a tiny bit of juice in the battery it should still run and charge itself.




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Friday, May 16, 2014

how can i store or save the electric(from bike generator) to a battery or charger?




Yip Wai


sory, i cant speak english well...
how can i store or save the electric(from bike generator) to a battery or charger?

in solar power, it has solar charger controller, batteries and so on... so im using this concept in bike generator, so how can i store the electric to (something like) charger or batery?



Answer
A human-powered bicycle generator is not very difficult to hook to a battery if you don't mind how large the battery is. You want the battery to be able to absorb many more watts than the generator can produce. You want the battery voltage to be a few volts less than the generator produces when it is disconnected from the battery and being pedaled and measured at the 2 wires ( open circuit voltage output). For a typical bike generator, this voltage is usually 6 volts. If you use some other generator like a car alternator hooked to the bike, it may be more like 14 volts. Good choices for inexpensive batteries that are big enough would be a car or a motorcycle battery of either 6 volts for a bicycle generator or 12 volts for the larger alternator. Solar panels have a fancy charger circuit in front of their batteries because they are concerned about overcharging and burning up the batteries if you keep them charging in the sun for too many hours. With a bicycle, you will stop long before then because you will become tired. You could have a simple light come on to tell you to stop pedaling when the battery voltage got too high and the battery was full. A simple LED light circuit hooked between the positive and negative battery terminals will work. A red LED with a 7 volt Zener diode or a 14 volt Zener diode for the larger battery could be used as your full charge indicator. The light would come on when the battery voltage became higher than the Zener diode voltage. Make sure to put a resistor in line with the LED so the light does not run too bright, 100 Ohms is a good choice.

Which is the best brand of best battery charger?




turtle mas


and what ampere rating battery charger should I use for a yamaha
yzf-R6? what difference does the ampere rating make?
I'm looking at battery doc, yuasa,battery tender, and they come in all ampere ratings from 750mA to 1.5A.
answers from any owner of these battery charger are appreciated.
Thank you in advance.



Answer
I agree with the other folks who've recommended the Battery Tender,,it's a good charger.

Your question about Amp Rating.....
In simplest terms,,Amp rating determines the SPEED at which a battery can be recharged.

A Higher Amperage will recharge a given battery Faster.

"Speed" or "Faster" is usually considered a GOOD THING.

NOT SO on Battery Charging!!!
SLOWER is Better,,for several reasons.

HEAT is a major concern.
Higher Amp /Charging Rate will always produce Higher Battery Temps,,,even if it's all within acceptable Specs.

The Lower Charging Temps can be,,the Longer the Battery Life.
The Trade off is SLOWER Charge rate.

Time to Full Charge is figured according to Battery Amp capacity.
Example:
A 1A Charger will Fully Charge a 6A Battery in 6Hours(approx)
A 2A Charger would do it in 3Hrs
A 12A would fully charge a 6A Batt in 1/2 Hr or less!!
The same 1Amp Charger would fully Charge an 80Amp Car Battery....in 80 Hours--about 3 1/2 DAYS.

So in Principle(an in practice) ANY 12Volt Charger will Charge ANY 12 Volt Battery.
It's TRUE that "1 Size Fits All".
But there's Huge Differences in the Performance/Effects amongst the various combos of Batt Size/Charger rates.
In REALITY,,,that "rule" includes a huge compromise.

The Trade-off ranges from extreme OVERCHARGING ,,OverHeating,,Boiling out the Electrolyte,& Reducing Battery LIFE,,,,,,
To being simply "TOO SLOW" to be Practical for most situations.
No one wants to wait 2~3 DAYS for their battery to ReCharge when they need to get to work the next morning.

So the matter of determining " Best SIZE Charger/charge rate"
comes down to considering The Intended Use.

The SMALLER/SLOWER the Charger,,the BETTER,,,for Battery Life,,and "personal safety".

The BIGGER/FASTER the charger,,the Better for quick charge,,getting going in a hurry,etc.

In Your instance,,,and choice of 1.5A vs 750mA(3/4A) it doesn't SEEM like that big a difference.
One is TWICE the charge rate of the Other,,
it will Charge TWICE as Fast.
But it'll also (theoretically) be able to Heat the Battery Twice as much,,boil electrolytes Twice as fast,and generate twice the sulfation rate.

I "THINK" Your battey is an 8 Amp job?
From Fully Dead,,a 1.5A charger will fully charge it in 5 Hrs approx.
That's NOT "overcharging" a 7A~12A range Battery,,,but it's nearing Borderline of what's BEST for Battery Life.

A 3/4A~~ .750mA Charger would take about 10 Hours.
That's SLOWER for YOU,,but Much Better for the Battery.

If you,,left lights on and totally Drained Battery,,,
EITHER would Fully recharge it "overnight".
Either would also recharge it "enough" in 20~30 minutes to allow Kickstarting...provided the battery is in decent physical condition.

Which is also a consideration.
You surely want to keep your battery as Healthy & Happy as possible.
But you also want the capability to deal with "worst case" of a Drained battery to be able to get going in a reasonable amount of time.
20 minutes,,to an Hour WAIT might be fine for YOU,,,while a 4hour wait would "ruin your day"...just for example.

It comes down to what an Individual NEEDS /Wants/Expects.
And the choice should be made with the awareness of the Compromises,,the trade-offs that are inevitable.

And as Contrary as it seems to "BIGGER is BETTER" thinking,,,
Smaller Chargers,,LOWER Charge Rates are BETTER for Battery Life and Reliability.

....................................................
I see you're in Illinois,,,and assume your Biking is limited during winter weather.

If that's so,,and you plan to keep your battery on maintenance charger for the several months of downtime,,,here's a suggestion.

Disconnect the battery cables,,to isolate it from the electrical system.

Keep an eye on the "water Level",,,and use ONLY Distilled Water if you need to add some.
Every grocery store,walmart,etc has it,,$1/gal
I know thats been said a Gazillion times over the last 50 million years,,,and we violate the "Distilled Water ONLY" Rule TWICE that many times and get away with it.
But it DOES make a Huge Difference,especially on Small Batteries.
The chemical/mineral elements in Tap Water/Mineral Water are "electrically" the equivalent of putting a steel screwdriver across the 2 battery terminals,,,,and/or Insulating the internal plates from electron flow.
It's a FAINT effect,,so the bad results take Time to kill the battery.
But it DOES have a distinct and CERTAIN bad effect on Batt Life & reliability.
A GOOD batt that wears out,,Gradually gets weakers and Declines in power,,,giving you "fair warning"

A "Bad" battery from effects of Overcharging,,improper maintenace,,and Wrong Water/Electrolytes--Tap Water,,,
They're "Fine" one day,,and DEAD the next...NO warning.
I dont mean run-down/discharged,,I mean DEAD>Deceased.

"Old News" on Distilled Water,we all know that,so just a reminder.

If you Do plan a "total shutdown" thru winter,,,of course you can Manually charge your battery occasionally during that time.
It's not that much hassle.

The Type of chargers your considering are made to be left on for extended periods anyway.

Ideal,,for both personal convenience And Battery health would be a TIMER that switches the Charger Itself on/off.
Switch charger ON a while,,,let the Charger's Circuitry do IT'S job,,then OFF and let both the charger & battery rest a few days.
YOUR requirement would only be maybe a monthly check of Batt's water level.

Multi-Day Timers are somewhat expensive.
You could buy a New battery next spring for "same price".
So it becomes a rather "false economy",,,any NEW battery is always gonna be better than even BEST-maintained one.

One alternative that tends to "split the difference" is the Single day/24 Hr Timers.
They're cheap enough ,,Under $10 at places like Walmart.
You can set them for a few hours of ON-time each day.
1~2 Hrs Daily Run-Time of the "Smart Chargers" will keep your Batt at Optimum Level,,,,while reduce Total Time of Charger operation.
Saves Energy,LegWork,Battery,,and Charger.
It also constitutes a sort of "extra safety" in the event the battery is "forgotten" on the charger.
Instead of Charger running on maintenance mode all day,,it gets switch OFF automatically.

A Small,Frequent Charge will maintain a battery better than Less-Frequent,more extended charge.

Granted,,that may be a Moot Point,,or even Totally Pointless for many folks.
But a cheap,simple On/Off Timer can be a very useful "charging accessory" for SOME situations.

One example,,not "scientific" and not directly comparable is the "Seasonal" Boats down here on Gulf Coast area.
I know a Bunch of people who replace a SET of batteries every Year at season's beginning,,even after "charging them thru the Off-Season"(Innefectively,,Obviously)
Well,,the simple addition of a Timer & leaving the charger connected "Full Time",,,the batteries are now giving 2 and 3 Years of Reliable Service.
In THAT application,,it's a $10~$50 Timer ,,saving $150~200 Battery set annual expense---forestalling that expense a year or 2. They can "live in the boat shed" for 6 months unattended with no worries about ever overcharging,,or going dead & sulphating themselves to death.

.................
Last Small but important point.
Batt VENT HOSE.
Make sure it's open and not pinched anywhere,,obviously.
Also consider it's Routing path,,particulrly where the Open End is positioned.

Batts make a gas(Hydrogen) which gets "blown away" by airflow during riding.
But that gas also Condenses in the tube,,and some LIQUID "battery acid" exits the tube.
Very Corrosive,,so make sure and drips can't be blown onto Bike Parts while Riding.

A Different environment and conditions exist while Charging the batt.
Any "drips" from the vent are gonna go SOMEWHERE.
With No Road Wind,,naturally they'll fall straight down.
If Damage to your FLOORING is a concern,,,use some kinda drip pan----something plastic is best,,,some common Baking Soda sprinkled in it both retains any acid,,And neutralizes it.

The GAS that exits the vent during charging is Hydrogen Gas.
That's not only Flammable,,it's Explosive.
It dont just Burn,,it DETONATES.
Like the difference between lighting a Candle and a Firecracker.

It's WAY lighter than Air,,Lighter than even Helium.
(You may be famliar with the HINDENBURG BLIMP which exloded/Burned in the '40's)It was filled with HYDROGEN.
I can't imagine of a better example.

The implication to a person charging their Battery on a bike is this:
Most all bikes have their Batt Vent Tubes routed Down and exitting at Bottom of Bike.

While sitting still,,and Batt being Charged,,and Hydrogen being produced,,,,
Where's the vented GAS going??
RIGHT,,it's wafting STRAIGHT BACK UP,,"through the Motorcycle".
Your Bike is like a chicken getting smoked on a grille,,,Except it Aint Hickory.
It's Corrosive,Acidic,Flammable Hydrogen Gas.

The "cure" is simple,,,get a length of tubing that'll slip snugly over your existing Batt Vent Tube,,,and route it AWAY from the bike.
Simply to avoid the fumes from drifting straight up back onto your bike.

The Volume of Gas produced by a charging battery is Very Small,as far as Flammability concerns.
In a normal garage,or storage shed,,,the AIR:Gas ratio is really too lean to support combustion.
BUT!!!!,,If You happen to use a COVER,,or Tarp,or whatever which DOESN'T "breathe Freely".....
It's POSSIBLE to Fill it with the extremely LIGHT Hydrogen Gas.
In effect,,a sorta "Hydrogen Balloon".
It WILL displace the Air under such a canopy.
You may not actually be creating a "Little Hindenburg Balloon-Bomb" under Your Bike's Cover,,,
But You would CERTAINLY be storing it in a Cloud of Corrosive Hydrogen Gas,,,at minimum.

Routing the Batt Vent AWAY from the Bike is a simple enough solution....and doesnt need to be anything fancy , elaborate,or expensive.

Zillions of batteries get charged doing "everything Wrong",,,and do just fine anyway,,or at least apparently Good Enough.

But a few small principles can be Better for Bike,it's Battery,,the Charger,the bike's Storage Area,,and owner's convenience ,safety,,and pocketbook.

Quick recap:
**Smaller/Slower Charger is generally Better
**Mind Batt Water Level,,stick with actual Distilled Water to add
**A cheap Timer MIGHT offer convenience & may add maintenance efficiency
**Mind the Battery Vent's Condition And Position
--Under Riding Conditions
--And,,under Parked > Batt-Charging conditions

So,,Just some ideas that may be of use in certain instances.

Take care.




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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Which is the best brand of best battery charger?




turtle mas


and what ampere rating battery charger should I use for a yamaha
yzf-R6? what difference does the ampere rating make?
I'm looking at battery doc, yuasa,battery tender, and they come in all ampere ratings from 750mA to 1.5A.
answers from any owner of these battery charger are appreciated.
Thank you in advance.



Answer
I agree with the other folks who've recommended the Battery Tender,,it's a good charger.

Your question about Amp Rating.....
In simplest terms,,Amp rating determines the SPEED at which a battery can be recharged.

A Higher Amperage will recharge a given battery Faster.

"Speed" or "Faster" is usually considered a GOOD THING.

NOT SO on Battery Charging!!!
SLOWER is Better,,for several reasons.

HEAT is a major concern.
Higher Amp /Charging Rate will always produce Higher Battery Temps,,,even if it's all within acceptable Specs.

The Lower Charging Temps can be,,the Longer the Battery Life.
The Trade off is SLOWER Charge rate.

Time to Full Charge is figured according to Battery Amp capacity.
Example:
A 1A Charger will Fully Charge a 6A Battery in 6Hours(approx)
A 2A Charger would do it in 3Hrs
A 12A would fully charge a 6A Batt in 1/2 Hr or less!!
The same 1Amp Charger would fully Charge an 80Amp Car Battery....in 80 Hours--about 3 1/2 DAYS.

So in Principle(an in practice) ANY 12Volt Charger will Charge ANY 12 Volt Battery.
It's TRUE that "1 Size Fits All".
But there's Huge Differences in the Performance/Effects amongst the various combos of Batt Size/Charger rates.
In REALITY,,,that "rule" includes a huge compromise.

The Trade-off ranges from extreme OVERCHARGING ,,OverHeating,,Boiling out the Electrolyte,& Reducing Battery LIFE,,,,,,
To being simply "TOO SLOW" to be Practical for most situations.
No one wants to wait 2~3 DAYS for their battery to ReCharge when they need to get to work the next morning.

So the matter of determining " Best SIZE Charger/charge rate"
comes down to considering The Intended Use.

The SMALLER/SLOWER the Charger,,the BETTER,,,for Battery Life,,and "personal safety".

The BIGGER/FASTER the charger,,the Better for quick charge,,getting going in a hurry,etc.

In Your instance,,,and choice of 1.5A vs 750mA(3/4A) it doesn't SEEM like that big a difference.
One is TWICE the charge rate of the Other,,
it will Charge TWICE as Fast.
But it'll also (theoretically) be able to Heat the Battery Twice as much,,boil electrolytes Twice as fast,and generate twice the sulfation rate.

I "THINK" Your battey is an 8 Amp job?
From Fully Dead,,a 1.5A charger will fully charge it in 5 Hrs approx.
That's NOT "overcharging" a 7A~12A range Battery,,,but it's nearing Borderline of what's BEST for Battery Life.

A 3/4A~~ .750mA Charger would take about 10 Hours.
That's SLOWER for YOU,,but Much Better for the Battery.

If you,,left lights on and totally Drained Battery,,,
EITHER would Fully recharge it "overnight".
Either would also recharge it "enough" in 20~30 minutes to allow Kickstarting...provided the battery is in decent physical condition.

Which is also a consideration.
You surely want to keep your battery as Healthy & Happy as possible.
But you also want the capability to deal with "worst case" of a Drained battery to be able to get going in a reasonable amount of time.
20 minutes,,to an Hour WAIT might be fine for YOU,,,while a 4hour wait would "ruin your day"...just for example.

It comes down to what an Individual NEEDS /Wants/Expects.
And the choice should be made with the awareness of the Compromises,,the trade-offs that are inevitable.

And as Contrary as it seems to "BIGGER is BETTER" thinking,,,
Smaller Chargers,,LOWER Charge Rates are BETTER for Battery Life and Reliability.

....................................................
I see you're in Illinois,,,and assume your Biking is limited during winter weather.

If that's so,,and you plan to keep your battery on maintenance charger for the several months of downtime,,,here's a suggestion.

Disconnect the battery cables,,to isolate it from the electrical system.

Keep an eye on the "water Level",,,and use ONLY Distilled Water if you need to add some.
Every grocery store,walmart,etc has it,,$1/gal
I know thats been said a Gazillion times over the last 50 million years,,,and we violate the "Distilled Water ONLY" Rule TWICE that many times and get away with it.
But it DOES make a Huge Difference,especially on Small Batteries.
The chemical/mineral elements in Tap Water/Mineral Water are "electrically" the equivalent of putting a steel screwdriver across the 2 battery terminals,,,,and/or Insulating the internal plates from electron flow.
It's a FAINT effect,,so the bad results take Time to kill the battery.
But it DOES have a distinct and CERTAIN bad effect on Batt Life & reliability.
A GOOD batt that wears out,,Gradually gets weakers and Declines in power,,,giving you "fair warning"

A "Bad" battery from effects of Overcharging,,improper maintenace,,and Wrong Water/Electrolytes--Tap Water,,,
They're "Fine" one day,,and DEAD the next...NO warning.
I dont mean run-down/discharged,,I mean DEAD>Deceased.

"Old News" on Distilled Water,we all know that,so just a reminder.

If you Do plan a "total shutdown" thru winter,,,of course you can Manually charge your battery occasionally during that time.
It's not that much hassle.

The Type of chargers your considering are made to be left on for extended periods anyway.

Ideal,,for both personal convenience And Battery health would be a TIMER that switches the Charger Itself on/off.
Switch charger ON a while,,,let the Charger's Circuitry do IT'S job,,then OFF and let both the charger & battery rest a few days.
YOUR requirement would only be maybe a monthly check of Batt's water level.

Multi-Day Timers are somewhat expensive.
You could buy a New battery next spring for "same price".
So it becomes a rather "false economy",,,any NEW battery is always gonna be better than even BEST-maintained one.

One alternative that tends to "split the difference" is the Single day/24 Hr Timers.
They're cheap enough ,,Under $10 at places like Walmart.
You can set them for a few hours of ON-time each day.
1~2 Hrs Daily Run-Time of the "Smart Chargers" will keep your Batt at Optimum Level,,,,while reduce Total Time of Charger operation.
Saves Energy,LegWork,Battery,,and Charger.
It also constitutes a sort of "extra safety" in the event the battery is "forgotten" on the charger.
Instead of Charger running on maintenance mode all day,,it gets switch OFF automatically.

A Small,Frequent Charge will maintain a battery better than Less-Frequent,more extended charge.

Granted,,that may be a Moot Point,,or even Totally Pointless for many folks.
But a cheap,simple On/Off Timer can be a very useful "charging accessory" for SOME situations.

One example,,not "scientific" and not directly comparable is the "Seasonal" Boats down here on Gulf Coast area.
I know a Bunch of people who replace a SET of batteries every Year at season's beginning,,even after "charging them thru the Off-Season"(Innefectively,,Obviously)
Well,,the simple addition of a Timer & leaving the charger connected "Full Time",,,the batteries are now giving 2 and 3 Years of Reliable Service.
In THAT application,,it's a $10~$50 Timer ,,saving $150~200 Battery set annual expense---forestalling that expense a year or 2. They can "live in the boat shed" for 6 months unattended with no worries about ever overcharging,,or going dead & sulphating themselves to death.

.................
Last Small but important point.
Batt VENT HOSE.
Make sure it's open and not pinched anywhere,,obviously.
Also consider it's Routing path,,particulrly where the Open End is positioned.

Batts make a gas(Hydrogen) which gets "blown away" by airflow during riding.
But that gas also Condenses in the tube,,and some LIQUID "battery acid" exits the tube.
Very Corrosive,,so make sure and drips can't be blown onto Bike Parts while Riding.

A Different environment and conditions exist while Charging the batt.
Any "drips" from the vent are gonna go SOMEWHERE.
With No Road Wind,,naturally they'll fall straight down.
If Damage to your FLOORING is a concern,,,use some kinda drip pan----something plastic is best,,,some common Baking Soda sprinkled in it both retains any acid,,And neutralizes it.

The GAS that exits the vent during charging is Hydrogen Gas.
That's not only Flammable,,it's Explosive.
It dont just Burn,,it DETONATES.
Like the difference between lighting a Candle and a Firecracker.

It's WAY lighter than Air,,Lighter than even Helium.
(You may be famliar with the HINDENBURG BLIMP which exloded/Burned in the '40's)It was filled with HYDROGEN.
I can't imagine of a better example.

The implication to a person charging their Battery on a bike is this:
Most all bikes have their Batt Vent Tubes routed Down and exitting at Bottom of Bike.

While sitting still,,and Batt being Charged,,and Hydrogen being produced,,,,
Where's the vented GAS going??
RIGHT,,it's wafting STRAIGHT BACK UP,,"through the Motorcycle".
Your Bike is like a chicken getting smoked on a grille,,,Except it Aint Hickory.
It's Corrosive,Acidic,Flammable Hydrogen Gas.

The "cure" is simple,,,get a length of tubing that'll slip snugly over your existing Batt Vent Tube,,,and route it AWAY from the bike.
Simply to avoid the fumes from drifting straight up back onto your bike.

The Volume of Gas produced by a charging battery is Very Small,as far as Flammability concerns.
In a normal garage,or storage shed,,,the AIR:Gas ratio is really too lean to support combustion.
BUT!!!!,,If You happen to use a COVER,,or Tarp,or whatever which DOESN'T "breathe Freely".....
It's POSSIBLE to Fill it with the extremely LIGHT Hydrogen Gas.
In effect,,a sorta "Hydrogen Balloon".
It WILL displace the Air under such a canopy.
You may not actually be creating a "Little Hindenburg Balloon-Bomb" under Your Bike's Cover,,,
But You would CERTAINLY be storing it in a Cloud of Corrosive Hydrogen Gas,,,at minimum.

Routing the Batt Vent AWAY from the Bike is a simple enough solution....and doesnt need to be anything fancy , elaborate,or expensive.

Zillions of batteries get charged doing "everything Wrong",,,and do just fine anyway,,or at least apparently Good Enough.

But a few small principles can be Better for Bike,it's Battery,,the Charger,the bike's Storage Area,,and owner's convenience ,safety,,and pocketbook.

Quick recap:
**Smaller/Slower Charger is generally Better
**Mind Batt Water Level,,stick with actual Distilled Water to add
**A cheap Timer MIGHT offer convenience & may add maintenance efficiency
**Mind the Battery Vent's Condition And Position
--Under Riding Conditions
--And,,under Parked > Batt-Charging conditions

So,,Just some ideas that may be of use in certain instances.

Take care.

Motorbike Battery Charger?




Duong H


I'm a complete noob who's just got a Honda CBR125r from another owner. This morning when I tried to ride it, the bike did not start. I supposed the cause was the battery, since the previous owner had warned me that the charge might be quite low.

Just want to know what I should do. Should I replace the battery? or should I get a charger? Please give your opinion. All comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!









By the way, I found a battery identical to mine on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Battery-CTX5L-BS-YTX5L-BS-KTM-450-530-EXC-F-EXC-R-electric-start-2005-2011-/190727917308#ht_852wt_1163

and also a charger.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290821746789

are they compatible?



Answer
You need low amps. around 2 would be fine. I use an old bag phone charger but you could hook it up in series with another system. too fast charging will ruin the battery. Does this bike have a kick start? Even if you have a tiny bit of juice in the battery it should still run and charge itself.




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Friday, March 14, 2014

Motorcycle battery charger?




kari


My husband has a harley dyna and he has told me a couple times about a part he wants to put on his bike that would continuously charge the battery/ keep it at full charge constantly. Not a tender bc from what I gathered it is meant to be left on the bike even when you're riding it. I think... any help?


Answer
The standard answer is http://batterytender.com/battery-tender-plus-12v-at-1-25a.html -- a Battery Tender Plus. If you look at the picture (check the site, above) you can see that the motorcycle gets a cable to connect to it's battery, the charger sits plugged in the garage where the bike normally sits, and, and the Battery Tender keeps the battery on a float, ready to go. When ready to ride, unplug the Tender and he is ready to ride. Return home, intending to not ride for a month or more, just plug back into the motorcycle.

If his wants, he can leave the Tender in a saddlebag, and use a 120vac (standard house extention cord) to plug in an outlet in a garage, whatever.

Makeing a battery charger from a bike?




Caleb


Useing the pedal from a bike to charge a cellphone wired via usb right under the handle bar how could i do this, would i use a generator or what? how much power would i need and how would one go by designing it in solid edge...


Answer
It would be cheaper and easier to get a solar charger with a back up battery.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_19/180-0040572-1428930?url=search-alias%3Dmobile&field-keywords=solar%20phone%20charger&sprefix=solar+phone+charger%2Caps%2C211




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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Whats a good solution to charge a small lawn mower battery on a bike?

best bike battery charger on The Best Value YB7-A Yuasa motorcycle battery
best bike battery charger image



Z


Ok my bicycle has dual 55 watt fog lights on there i use at night (there VERY bright), and i was wondering what i could use that is self contained on the bike to keep the battery charged up?

Also i have a battery charger but i dont wanna be dependent on it for my bike lights.



Answer
for 29 dollars at Northern tool you can buy a solar battery charger that puts out 1.8 amps during the daytime. If you can park your bike in the sun or just the battery and charger...I have used this system successfully on 12volt boat batteries for years...but it is just a trickle charger

Just bought my first motorcycle, what maintenance is needed for the battery?




Joshua


bike-2009 Suzuki GS500F
Do I need to buy a battery charger for it?



Answer
You can buy a battery tender that will include connections that you screw on with your (+) and (-) connectors. Then the other end will have a plug on that. Install that (it is easy) and then tuck it where it wont get in the way of anything (zip ties work great). Then you can plug the battery tender in every time you park your bike. It will make you battery last longer if you get into the habit of placing the tender on it. I have two bikes and an atv... all three are on tenders everytime I put them away. Two of them are 2004's and one is a 2005 all with factory batteries.

If you do take the battery out of the bike as some have suggested. Do put it on a tender and place it on a piece of wood or something. Do NOT place it on the concrete. It is very hard on the battery.




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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Which is the best brand of best battery charger?

best bike battery charger on 48v battery charger images - best 48v battery charger photos from ...
best bike battery charger image



turtle mas


and what ampere rating battery charger should I use for a yamaha
yzf-R6? what difference does the ampere rating make?
I'm looking at battery doc, yuasa,battery tender, and they come in all ampere ratings from 750mA to 1.5A.
answers from any owner of these battery charger are appreciated.
Thank you in advance.



Answer
I agree with the other folks who've recommended the Battery Tender,,it's a good charger.

Your question about Amp Rating.....
In simplest terms,,Amp rating determines the SPEED at which a battery can be recharged.

A Higher Amperage will recharge a given battery Faster.

"Speed" or "Faster" is usually considered a GOOD THING.

NOT SO on Battery Charging!!!
SLOWER is Better,,for several reasons.

HEAT is a major concern.
Higher Amp /Charging Rate will always produce Higher Battery Temps,,,even if it's all within acceptable Specs.

The Lower Charging Temps can be,,the Longer the Battery Life.
The Trade off is SLOWER Charge rate.

Time to Full Charge is figured according to Battery Amp capacity.
Example:
A 1A Charger will Fully Charge a 6A Battery in 6Hours(approx)
A 2A Charger would do it in 3Hrs
A 12A would fully charge a 6A Batt in 1/2 Hr or less!!
The same 1Amp Charger would fully Charge an 80Amp Car Battery....in 80 Hours--about 3 1/2 DAYS.

So in Principle(an in practice) ANY 12Volt Charger will Charge ANY 12 Volt Battery.
It's TRUE that "1 Size Fits All".
But there's Huge Differences in the Performance/Effects amongst the various combos of Batt Size/Charger rates.
In REALITY,,,that "rule" includes a huge compromise.

The Trade-off ranges from extreme OVERCHARGING ,,OverHeating,,Boiling out the Electrolyte,& Reducing Battery LIFE,,,,,,
To being simply "TOO SLOW" to be Practical for most situations.
No one wants to wait 2~3 DAYS for their battery to ReCharge when they need to get to work the next morning.

So the matter of determining " Best SIZE Charger/charge rate"
comes down to considering The Intended Use.

The SMALLER/SLOWER the Charger,,the BETTER,,,for Battery Life,,and "personal safety".

The BIGGER/FASTER the charger,,the Better for quick charge,,getting going in a hurry,etc.

In Your instance,,,and choice of 1.5A vs 750mA(3/4A) it doesn't SEEM like that big a difference.
One is TWICE the charge rate of the Other,,
it will Charge TWICE as Fast.
But it'll also (theoretically) be able to Heat the Battery Twice as much,,boil electrolytes Twice as fast,and generate twice the sulfation rate.

I "THINK" Your battey is an 8 Amp job?
From Fully Dead,,a 1.5A charger will fully charge it in 5 Hrs approx.
That's NOT "overcharging" a 7A~12A range Battery,,,but it's nearing Borderline of what's BEST for Battery Life.

A 3/4A~~ .750mA Charger would take about 10 Hours.
That's SLOWER for YOU,,but Much Better for the Battery.

If you,,left lights on and totally Drained Battery,,,
EITHER would Fully recharge it "overnight".
Either would also recharge it "enough" in 20~30 minutes to allow Kickstarting...provided the battery is in decent physical condition.

Which is also a consideration.
You surely want to keep your battery as Healthy & Happy as possible.
But you also want the capability to deal with "worst case" of a Drained battery to be able to get going in a reasonable amount of time.
20 minutes,,to an Hour WAIT might be fine for YOU,,,while a 4hour wait would "ruin your day"...just for example.

It comes down to what an Individual NEEDS /Wants/Expects.
And the choice should be made with the awareness of the Compromises,,the trade-offs that are inevitable.

And as Contrary as it seems to "BIGGER is BETTER" thinking,,,
Smaller Chargers,,LOWER Charge Rates are BETTER for Battery Life and Reliability.

....................................................
I see you're in Illinois,,,and assume your Biking is limited during winter weather.

If that's so,,and you plan to keep your battery on maintenance charger for the several months of downtime,,,here's a suggestion.

Disconnect the battery cables,,to isolate it from the electrical system.

Keep an eye on the "water Level",,,and use ONLY Distilled Water if you need to add some.
Every grocery store,walmart,etc has it,,$1/gal
I know thats been said a Gazillion times over the last 50 million years,,,and we violate the "Distilled Water ONLY" Rule TWICE that many times and get away with it.
But it DOES make a Huge Difference,especially on Small Batteries.
The chemical/mineral elements in Tap Water/Mineral Water are "electrically" the equivalent of putting a steel screwdriver across the 2 battery terminals,,,,and/or Insulating the internal plates from electron flow.
It's a FAINT effect,,so the bad results take Time to kill the battery.
But it DOES have a distinct and CERTAIN bad effect on Batt Life & reliability.
A GOOD batt that wears out,,Gradually gets weakers and Declines in power,,,giving you "fair warning"

A "Bad" battery from effects of Overcharging,,improper maintenace,,and Wrong Water/Electrolytes--Tap Water,,,
They're "Fine" one day,,and DEAD the next...NO warning.
I dont mean run-down/discharged,,I mean DEAD>Deceased.

"Old News" on Distilled Water,we all know that,so just a reminder.

If you Do plan a "total shutdown" thru winter,,,of course you can Manually charge your battery occasionally during that time.
It's not that much hassle.

The Type of chargers your considering are made to be left on for extended periods anyway.

Ideal,,for both personal convenience And Battery health would be a TIMER that switches the Charger Itself on/off.
Switch charger ON a while,,,let the Charger's Circuitry do IT'S job,,then OFF and let both the charger & battery rest a few days.
YOUR requirement would only be maybe a monthly check of Batt's water level.

Multi-Day Timers are somewhat expensive.
You could buy a New battery next spring for "same price".
So it becomes a rather "false economy",,,any NEW battery is always gonna be better than even BEST-maintained one.

One alternative that tends to "split the difference" is the Single day/24 Hr Timers.
They're cheap enough ,,Under $10 at places like Walmart.
You can set them for a few hours of ON-time each day.
1~2 Hrs Daily Run-Time of the "Smart Chargers" will keep your Batt at Optimum Level,,,,while reduce Total Time of Charger operation.
Saves Energy,LegWork,Battery,,and Charger.
It also constitutes a sort of "extra safety" in the event the battery is "forgotten" on the charger.
Instead of Charger running on maintenance mode all day,,it gets switch OFF automatically.

A Small,Frequent Charge will maintain a battery better than Less-Frequent,more extended charge.

Granted,,that may be a Moot Point,,or even Totally Pointless for many folks.
But a cheap,simple On/Off Timer can be a very useful "charging accessory" for SOME situations.

One example,,not "scientific" and not directly comparable is the "Seasonal" Boats down here on Gulf Coast area.
I know a Bunch of people who replace a SET of batteries every Year at season's beginning,,even after "charging them thru the Off-Season"(Innefectively,,Obviously)
Well,,the simple addition of a Timer & leaving the charger connected "Full Time",,,the batteries are now giving 2 and 3 Years of Reliable Service.
In THAT application,,it's a $10~$50 Timer ,,saving $150~200 Battery set annual expense---forestalling that expense a year or 2. They can "live in the boat shed" for 6 months unattended with no worries about ever overcharging,,or going dead & sulphating themselves to death.

.................
Last Small but important point.
Batt VENT HOSE.
Make sure it's open and not pinched anywhere,,obviously.
Also consider it's Routing path,,particulrly where the Open End is positioned.

Batts make a gas(Hydrogen) which gets "blown away" by airflow during riding.
But that gas also Condenses in the tube,,and some LIQUID "battery acid" exits the tube.
Very Corrosive,,so make sure and drips can't be blown onto Bike Parts while Riding.

A Different environment and conditions exist while Charging the batt.
Any "drips" from the vent are gonna go SOMEWHERE.
With No Road Wind,,naturally they'll fall straight down.
If Damage to your FLOORING is a concern,,,use some kinda drip pan----something plastic is best,,,some common Baking Soda sprinkled in it both retains any acid,,And neutralizes it.

The GAS that exits the vent during charging is Hydrogen Gas.
That's not only Flammable,,it's Explosive.
It dont just Burn,,it DETONATES.
Like the difference between lighting a Candle and a Firecracker.

It's WAY lighter than Air,,Lighter than even Helium.
(You may be famliar with the HINDENBURG BLIMP which exloded/Burned in the '40's)It was filled with HYDROGEN.
I can't imagine of a better example.

The implication to a person charging their Battery on a bike is this:
Most all bikes have their Batt Vent Tubes routed Down and exitting at Bottom of Bike.

While sitting still,,and Batt being Charged,,and Hydrogen being produced,,,,
Where's the vented GAS going??
RIGHT,,it's wafting STRAIGHT BACK UP,,"through the Motorcycle".
Your Bike is like a chicken getting smoked on a grille,,,Except it Aint Hickory.
It's Corrosive,Acidic,Flammable Hydrogen Gas.

The "cure" is simple,,,get a length of tubing that'll slip snugly over your existing Batt Vent Tube,,,and route it AWAY from the bike.
Simply to avoid the fumes from drifting straight up back onto your bike.

The Volume of Gas produced by a charging battery is Very Small,as far as Flammability concerns.
In a normal garage,or storage shed,,,the AIR:Gas ratio is really too lean to support combustion.
BUT!!!!,,If You happen to use a COVER,,or Tarp,or whatever which DOESN'T "breathe Freely".....
It's POSSIBLE to Fill it with the extremely LIGHT Hydrogen Gas.
In effect,,a sorta "Hydrogen Balloon".
It WILL displace the Air under such a canopy.
You may not actually be creating a "Little Hindenburg Balloon-Bomb" under Your Bike's Cover,,,
But You would CERTAINLY be storing it in a Cloud of Corrosive Hydrogen Gas,,,at minimum.

Routing the Batt Vent AWAY from the Bike is a simple enough solution....and doesnt need to be anything fancy , elaborate,or expensive.

Zillions of batteries get charged doing "everything Wrong",,,and do just fine anyway,,or at least apparently Good Enough.

But a few small principles can be Better for Bike,it's Battery,,the Charger,the bike's Storage Area,,and owner's convenience ,safety,,and pocketbook.

Quick recap:
**Smaller/Slower Charger is generally Better
**Mind Batt Water Level,,stick with actual Distilled Water to add
**A cheap Timer MIGHT offer convenience & may add maintenance efficiency
**Mind the Battery Vent's Condition And Position
--Under Riding Conditions
--And,,under Parked > Batt-Charging conditions

So,,Just some ideas that may be of use in certain instances.

Take care.

Whats a good solution to charge a small lawn mower battery on a bike?




Z


Ok my bicycle has dual 55 watt fog lights on there i use at night (there VERY bright), and i was wondering what i could use that is self contained on the bike to keep the battery charged up?

Also i have a battery charger but i dont wanna be dependent on it for my bike lights.



Answer
for 29 dollars at Northern tool you can buy a solar battery charger that puts out 1.8 amps during the daytime. If you can park your bike in the sun or just the battery and charger...I have used this system successfully on 12volt boat batteries for years...but it is just a trickle charger




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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

This Pocket Bike has a 12V battery terminal, can I plug it into a wall outlet?

best bike battery charger on ... Articles | What Is the Best Battery Charger for My Motorcycle Battery
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Deo V


This pocket bike takes a rechargeable 12V battery, can I plug the bike directly into the wall outlet using a 12V battery charger so that the bike pulls power directly out of the wall? Just to test if my battery is the cause of the bike not starting? If not, how would I check If the original battery is bad? I don't have any special instruments that would help me tell.


Answer
hook the battery charger up to the +- terminals, thatll do you.the guage on the charger should read atleast 2 amps.if it reads none, replace the battery.

I have a 2002 BMW r1200c motorcycle and need to find an adapter to use with my battery charger. Thanks?




dtdoylesc


Would like to find this adapter or inexpensive battery charger that has the adapter that will fit this bike.


Answer
you take the battery out and charge it
the port on the bike is a 12v dc outlet like a cigarete lighter in a car.

by a standard battery charger for about $30




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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Whats a good solution to charge a small lawn mower battery on a bike?

best bike battery charger on been a while since you bought a new battery, the variety of battery ...
best bike battery charger image



Z


Ok my bicycle has dual 55 watt fog lights on there i use at night (there VERY bright), and i was wondering what i could use that is self contained on the bike to keep the battery charged up?

Also i have a battery charger but i dont wanna be dependent on it for my bike lights.



Answer
for 29 dollars at Northern tool you can buy a solar battery charger that puts out 1.8 amps during the daytime. If you can park your bike in the sun or just the battery and charger...I have used this system successfully on 12volt boat batteries for years...but it is just a trickle charger

Just bought my first motorcycle, what maintenance is needed for the battery?




Joshua


bike-2009 Suzuki GS500F
Do I need to buy a battery charger for it?



Answer
You can buy a battery tender that will include connections that you screw on with your (+) and (-) connectors. Then the other end will have a plug on that. Install that (it is easy) and then tuck it where it wont get in the way of anything (zip ties work great). Then you can plug the battery tender in every time you park your bike. It will make you battery last longer if you get into the habit of placing the tender on it. I have two bikes and an atv... all three are on tenders everytime I put them away. Two of them are 2004's and one is a 2005 all with factory batteries.

If you do take the battery out of the bike as some have suggested. Do put it on a tender and place it on a piece of wood or something. Do NOT place it on the concrete. It is very hard on the battery.




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Sunday, December 1, 2013

How much is a battery going to cost me on my 2003 Honda CBR600rr?

best bike battery charger on Bike USB Charger Pedals Power to Your iPhone
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Bob


I just tried to fire my bike up, battery is dead. Charged it with my trickle charger, didn't hold a charge for more than one start. How much is a battery going to cost me?


Answer
Yuasa High Performance Maintenance Free Battery (YTZ10S)
More lead plates in each battery for highest cranking amps and reserve capacity.
This product fits 2003 Honda CBR600:

$148.46 from Bike Bandit dot COM

I've had a Walmart battery in a '99 Honda Magna for two years now that didn't cost near that.

2000 Kawasaki ZX6 CAN I JUMP START MY BIKE OR DO I NEED TO GET A BATTERY CHARGER?




mark


I let my bike sit too long over the winter without starting it at all. Now the battery is dead. Is it safe to just take it down a hill and jump start it? Or should i get a battery charger?


Answer
you should do both...jump started for now if it holds charge then you're fine but if it doesn't then you'll have to buy a new one...also get a battery charger to use for winter / storage ... so you won't have to worry about it




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Monday, November 4, 2013

Whats a good solution to charge a small lawn mower battery on a bike?

best bike battery charger on ... BIGHIT-ELECTRIC-BIKE-BATTERY-CHARGER-KEYS-ETC-best-torque-crank-drive
best bike battery charger image



Z


Ok my bicycle has dual 55 watt fog lights on there i use at night (there VERY bright), and i was wondering what i could use that is self contained on the bike to keep the battery charged up?

Also i have a battery charger but i dont wanna be dependent on it for my bike lights.



Answer
for 29 dollars at Northern tool you can buy a solar battery charger that puts out 1.8 amps during the daytime. If you can park your bike in the sun or just the battery and charger...I have used this system successfully on 12volt boat batteries for years...but it is just a trickle charger

Just bought my first motorcycle, what maintenance is needed for the battery?




Joshua


bike-2009 Suzuki GS500F
Do I need to buy a battery charger for it?



Answer
You can buy a battery tender that will include connections that you screw on with your (+) and (-) connectors. Then the other end will have a plug on that. Install that (it is easy) and then tuck it where it wont get in the way of anything (zip ties work great). Then you can plug the battery tender in every time you park your bike. It will make you battery last longer if you get into the habit of placing the tender on it. I have two bikes and an atv... all three are on tenders everytime I put them away. Two of them are 2004's and one is a 2005 all with factory batteries.

If you do take the battery out of the bike as some have suggested. Do put it on a tender and place it on a piece of wood or something. Do NOT place it on the concrete. It is very hard on the battery.




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Thursday, October 31, 2013

How much is a battery going to cost me on my 2003 Honda CBR600rr?

best bike battery charger on Battery Charger for Electric Bikes Scooters KS2025-in Electric Bicycle ...
best bike battery charger image



Bob


I just tried to fire my bike up, battery is dead. Charged it with my trickle charger, didn't hold a charge for more than one start. How much is a battery going to cost me?


Answer
Yuasa High Performance Maintenance Free Battery (YTZ10S)
More lead plates in each battery for highest cranking amps and reserve capacity.
This product fits 2003 Honda CBR600:

$148.46 from Bike Bandit dot COM

I've had a Walmart battery in a '99 Honda Magna for two years now that didn't cost near that.

2000 Kawasaki ZX6 CAN I JUMP START MY BIKE OR DO I NEED TO GET A BATTERY CHARGER?




mark


I let my bike sit too long over the winter without starting it at all. Now the battery is dead. Is it safe to just take it down a hill and jump start it? Or should i get a battery charger?


Answer
you should do both...jump started for now if it holds charge then you're fine but if it doesn't then you'll have to buy a new one...also get a battery charger to use for winter / storage ... so you won't have to worry about it




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Friday, August 2, 2013

Can I charge a Power wheels 12 v battery with a conventional charger?

best bike battery charger on ... batteries it is helpful to know how rechargeable lead acid batteries
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I have a 12/24v battery charger with aligator clips. Can use this with a Power Wheels Battery?
The port is the problem. Can I hook the clips to the Power Wheels connection on the battery?



Answer
it all depends if you put in to much volts into the battery you rune it and if you put to little it doesn't charge if you can find one that puts in the same amount of volts then it should charge. don't use any phone chargers or bike chargers they alwas put out more volts then it says. 12 v wheel needs a 12 v charger that has the same type of port.

Which is the best brand of best battery charger?




turtle mas


and what ampere rating battery charger should I use for a yamaha
yzf-R6? what difference does the ampere rating make?
I'm looking at battery doc, yuasa,battery tender, and they come in all ampere ratings from 750mA to 1.5A.
answers from any owner of these battery charger are appreciated.
Thank you in advance.



Answer
I agree with the other folks who've recommended the Battery Tender,,it's a good charger.

Your question about Amp Rating.....
In simplest terms,,Amp rating determines the SPEED at which a battery can be recharged.

A Higher Amperage will recharge a given battery Faster.

"Speed" or "Faster" is usually considered a GOOD THING.

NOT SO on Battery Charging!!!
SLOWER is Better,,for several reasons.

HEAT is a major concern.
Higher Amp /Charging Rate will always produce Higher Battery Temps,,,even if it's all within acceptable Specs.

The Lower Charging Temps can be,,the Longer the Battery Life.
The Trade off is SLOWER Charge rate.

Time to Full Charge is figured according to Battery Amp capacity.
Example:
A 1A Charger will Fully Charge a 6A Battery in 6Hours(approx)
A 2A Charger would do it in 3Hrs
A 12A would fully charge a 6A Batt in 1/2 Hr or less!!
The same 1Amp Charger would fully Charge an 80Amp Car Battery....in 80 Hours--about 3 1/2 DAYS.

So in Principle(an in practice) ANY 12Volt Charger will Charge ANY 12 Volt Battery.
It's TRUE that "1 Size Fits All".
But there's Huge Differences in the Performance/Effects amongst the various combos of Batt Size/Charger rates.
In REALITY,,,that "rule" includes a huge compromise.

The Trade-off ranges from extreme OVERCHARGING ,,OverHeating,,Boiling out the Electrolyte,& Reducing Battery LIFE,,,,,,
To being simply "TOO SLOW" to be Practical for most situations.
No one wants to wait 2~3 DAYS for their battery to ReCharge when they need to get to work the next morning.

So the matter of determining " Best SIZE Charger/charge rate"
comes down to considering The Intended Use.

The SMALLER/SLOWER the Charger,,the BETTER,,,for Battery Life,,and "personal safety".

The BIGGER/FASTER the charger,,the Better for quick charge,,getting going in a hurry,etc.

In Your instance,,,and choice of 1.5A vs 750mA(3/4A) it doesn't SEEM like that big a difference.
One is TWICE the charge rate of the Other,,
it will Charge TWICE as Fast.
But it'll also (theoretically) be able to Heat the Battery Twice as much,,boil electrolytes Twice as fast,and generate twice the sulfation rate.

I "THINK" Your battey is an 8 Amp job?
From Fully Dead,,a 1.5A charger will fully charge it in 5 Hrs approx.
That's NOT "overcharging" a 7A~12A range Battery,,,but it's nearing Borderline of what's BEST for Battery Life.

A 3/4A~~ .750mA Charger would take about 10 Hours.
That's SLOWER for YOU,,but Much Better for the Battery.

If you,,left lights on and totally Drained Battery,,,
EITHER would Fully recharge it "overnight".
Either would also recharge it "enough" in 20~30 minutes to allow Kickstarting...provided the battery is in decent physical condition.

Which is also a consideration.
You surely want to keep your battery as Healthy & Happy as possible.
But you also want the capability to deal with "worst case" of a Drained battery to be able to get going in a reasonable amount of time.
20 minutes,,to an Hour WAIT might be fine for YOU,,,while a 4hour wait would "ruin your day"...just for example.

It comes down to what an Individual NEEDS /Wants/Expects.
And the choice should be made with the awareness of the Compromises,,the trade-offs that are inevitable.

And as Contrary as it seems to "BIGGER is BETTER" thinking,,,
Smaller Chargers,,LOWER Charge Rates are BETTER for Battery Life and Reliability.

....................................................
I see you're in Illinois,,,and assume your Biking is limited during winter weather.

If that's so,,and you plan to keep your battery on maintenance charger for the several months of downtime,,,here's a suggestion.

Disconnect the battery cables,,to isolate it from the electrical system.

Keep an eye on the "water Level",,,and use ONLY Distilled Water if you need to add some.
Every grocery store,walmart,etc has it,,$1/gal
I know thats been said a Gazillion times over the last 50 million years,,,and we violate the "Distilled Water ONLY" Rule TWICE that many times and get away with it.
But it DOES make a Huge Difference,especially on Small Batteries.
The chemical/mineral elements in Tap Water/Mineral Water are "electrically" the equivalent of putting a steel screwdriver across the 2 battery terminals,,,,and/or Insulating the internal plates from electron flow.
It's a FAINT effect,,so the bad results take Time to kill the battery.
But it DOES have a distinct and CERTAIN bad effect on Batt Life & reliability.
A GOOD batt that wears out,,Gradually gets weakers and Declines in power,,,giving you "fair warning"

A "Bad" battery from effects of Overcharging,,improper maintenace,,and Wrong Water/Electrolytes--Tap Water,,,
They're "Fine" one day,,and DEAD the next...NO warning.
I dont mean run-down/discharged,,I mean DEAD>Deceased.

"Old News" on Distilled Water,we all know that,so just a reminder.

If you Do plan a "total shutdown" thru winter,,,of course you can Manually charge your battery occasionally during that time.
It's not that much hassle.

The Type of chargers your considering are made to be left on for extended periods anyway.

Ideal,,for both personal convenience And Battery health would be a TIMER that switches the Charger Itself on/off.
Switch charger ON a while,,,let the Charger's Circuitry do IT'S job,,then OFF and let both the charger & battery rest a few days.
YOUR requirement would only be maybe a monthly check of Batt's water level.

Multi-Day Timers are somewhat expensive.
You could buy a New battery next spring for "same price".
So it becomes a rather "false economy",,,any NEW battery is always gonna be better than even BEST-maintained one.

One alternative that tends to "split the difference" is the Single day/24 Hr Timers.
They're cheap enough ,,Under $10 at places like Walmart.
You can set them for a few hours of ON-time each day.
1~2 Hrs Daily Run-Time of the "Smart Chargers" will keep your Batt at Optimum Level,,,,while reduce Total Time of Charger operation.
Saves Energy,LegWork,Battery,,and Charger.
It also constitutes a sort of "extra safety" in the event the battery is "forgotten" on the charger.
Instead of Charger running on maintenance mode all day,,it gets switch OFF automatically.

A Small,Frequent Charge will maintain a battery better than Less-Frequent,more extended charge.

Granted,,that may be a Moot Point,,or even Totally Pointless for many folks.
But a cheap,simple On/Off Timer can be a very useful "charging accessory" for SOME situations.

One example,,not "scientific" and not directly comparable is the "Seasonal" Boats down here on Gulf Coast area.
I know a Bunch of people who replace a SET of batteries every Year at season's beginning,,even after "charging them thru the Off-Season"(Innefectively,,Obviously)
Well,,the simple addition of a Timer & leaving the charger connected "Full Time",,,the batteries are now giving 2 and 3 Years of Reliable Service.
In THAT application,,it's a $10~$50 Timer ,,saving $150~200 Battery set annual expense---forestalling that expense a year or 2. They can "live in the boat shed" for 6 months unattended with no worries about ever overcharging,,or going dead & sulphating themselves to death.

.................
Last Small but important point.
Batt VENT HOSE.
Make sure it's open and not pinched anywhere,,obviously.
Also consider it's Routing path,,particulrly where the Open End is positioned.

Batts make a gas(Hydrogen) which gets "blown away" by airflow during riding.
But that gas also Condenses in the tube,,and some LIQUID "battery acid" exits the tube.
Very Corrosive,,so make sure and drips can't be blown onto Bike Parts while Riding.

A Different environment and conditions exist while Charging the batt.
Any "drips" from the vent are gonna go SOMEWHERE.
With No Road Wind,,naturally they'll fall straight down.
If Damage to your FLOORING is a concern,,,use some kinda drip pan----something plastic is best,,,some common Baking Soda sprinkled in it both retains any acid,,And neutralizes it.

The GAS that exits the vent during charging is Hydrogen Gas.
That's not only Flammable,,it's Explosive.
It dont just Burn,,it DETONATES.
Like the difference between lighting a Candle and a Firecracker.

It's WAY lighter than Air,,Lighter than even Helium.
(You may be famliar with the HINDENBURG BLIMP which exloded/Burned in the '40's)It was filled with HYDROGEN.
I can't imagine of a better example.

The implication to a person charging their Battery on a bike is this:
Most all bikes have their Batt Vent Tubes routed Down and exitting at Bottom of Bike.

While sitting still,,and Batt being Charged,,and Hydrogen being produced,,,,
Where's the vented GAS going??
RIGHT,,it's wafting STRAIGHT BACK UP,,"through the Motorcycle".
Your Bike is like a chicken getting smoked on a grille,,,Except it Aint Hickory.
It's Corrosive,Acidic,Flammable Hydrogen Gas.

The "cure" is simple,,,get a length of tubing that'll slip snugly over your existing Batt Vent Tube,,,and route it AWAY from the bike.
Simply to avoid the fumes from drifting straight up back onto your bike.

The Volume of Gas produced by a charging battery is Very Small,as far as Flammability concerns.
In a normal garage,or storage shed,,,the AIR:Gas ratio is really too lean to support combustion.
BUT!!!!,,If You happen to use a COVER,,or Tarp,or whatever which DOESN'T "breathe Freely".....
It's POSSIBLE to Fill it with the extremely LIGHT Hydrogen Gas.
In effect,,a sorta "Hydrogen Balloon".
It WILL displace the Air under such a canopy.
You may not actually be creating a "Little Hindenburg Balloon-Bomb" under Your Bike's Cover,,,
But You would CERTAINLY be storing it in a Cloud of Corrosive Hydrogen Gas,,,at minimum.

Routing the Batt Vent AWAY from the Bike is a simple enough solution....and doesnt need to be anything fancy , elaborate,or expensive.

Zillions of batteries get charged doing "everything Wrong",,,and do just fine anyway,,or at least apparently Good Enough.

But a few small principles can be Better for Bike,it's Battery,,the Charger,the bike's Storage Area,,and owner's convenience ,safety,,and pocketbook.

Quick recap:
**Smaller/Slower Charger is generally Better
**Mind Batt Water Level,,stick with actual Distilled Water to add
**A cheap Timer MIGHT offer convenience & may add maintenance efficiency
**Mind the Battery Vent's Condition And Position
--Under Riding Conditions
--And,,under Parked > Batt-Charging conditions

So,,Just some ideas that may be of use in certain instances.

Take care.




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