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Batteries, keep them well charged!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matchless
  • Start date Start date
M

Matchless

Guest
Hi,
While doing some research on batteries and their use with inverters, I stumbled across some information where it was stated not to use "motor vehicle" batteries as these become damaged if discharged less than 50%.

It was also stated that this is due to the "modern" design of todays batteries. Motor vehicle batteries are designed to provide starting power for a very short period and then mostly sits there fully charged. If you discharge them by more than 50% and recharge them they become less efficient and may fail after a few such cycles.

Deep cycle batteries which are used in boats, golf carts and electric forklifts etc are designed to be discharged up to 80% and still provide a constant voltage and can recover if recharged.

Now someone also told me that older batteries were not designed in the same way as modern ones and that some older batteries (20-30 years ago) lasted for many years in motor vehicles even if abused!


All this is in the design of the batteries. Now I was thinking if our M/C lead acid batteries are of the same design as the motor vehicle batteries then the same problem exists, every time we flatten the battery we are actually damaging it and it could fail even while we think it is still new!!!

Have a read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_cycle_battery

Maybe some battery experts can confirm this?
 
I use a gel cell for this very reason. At times I may be out of town for a month at a time. With the gel cell I don't really need to put it on a battery charger while I'm gone. I can come back after a month and it will still have a 90% charge or better.
 
I use an AGM, and according to all tests, they're even better than the gel-cell, and much better than the lead-acid style. Mine's been flat a few times, hasn't been damaged a bit. It's on it's second year now, showing no signs of weakening........:-D
 
DanTheMan said:
I use an AGM, and according to all tests, they're even better than the gel-cell, and much better than the lead-acid style. Mine's been flat a few times, hasn't been damaged a bit. It's on it's second year now, showing no signs of weakening........:-D
Click to expand...
I stand corrected, mine is a Westco AGM. Old lead acid batteries would have, and have, left me stranded if I treated them the way I do the Westco.
 
If I recall my battery information correctly, virtually none of the batteries in vehicles are "gel-cell" batteries. That's right, even the sealed ones. The sealed batteries are most likely AGM, that's Absorbed Glass Mat, batteries. That means that the liquid electrolyte is fully absorbed into a sponge-like glass mat material, to the extent that it will not spill out. True "gel-cell" batteries do not have the cranking capacity to start and engine, but they are good for long-duration slower discharge. Also note that not all "sealed" batteries are AGM. There are some that are sold as "maintenance free" that minimize water loss during use, but they should still be checked every once in a while.

Oh, Dan, just because your batter does not show signs of weakening, does not mean that it's up to full potential. Also, "on it's second year" isn't much of a comfort, either. The battery in my wife's bike was an AGM battery, and it was showing signs of distress after two years, so it just got replaced. The battery in my Wing (another AGM) is going into its sixth year with no signs of slowing down. Yes, I have a load tester so I can check performance. 8-[

.
 
I would have to agree with your findings.

I had a brand new standard m/c battery in my XS last. I only had it running in the bike a few times before putting the bike to early winter sleep ( couldn't ride it last year due to injury). I had it on trickle charge from last Sept. through to March this year when I started to get her running again. Having a hard time getting it started, I ran the battery down about 5 or 6 times and trickled it back to full voltage every time. Now the battery shows it will charge to about 12.6 volts and discharges in seconds to less than 11 volts when trying to start the bike. Pretty shot I'd say.

They sure don't make em like they used to as 20 years ago I had a m'c battery in my racing sailboat for running lights and radio. It got fully discharged 5 or 6 times a season and worked flawlessly for 4 years or more.

I don't know anything about the gel or AGM batteries but I would hope they work better than the standards...for the price you pay.

Cheers,
Spyug
 
The replies seem to confirm that others are aware of this. I posted this as there have been a few of posts around charging issues and most people claimed that the battery was still new. To me it proves that a bike with a charging problem is quite likely going to mess up a lead acid battery very quickly!! And a messed up lead acid battery is going to give you "charging" problems!!

Maybe we should stay away from the standard lead acid (the cheaper) batteries for our bikes that have weak charging systems.

Steve is right in that the gel types are not designed to give out large amounts of amps at a time such as for starting. We use them around here for solar installations and they also work well in UPS's. I recall a good gel battery of 105AH was used to jump start a truck and the battery failed thereafter. Not sure what our small starters will do to a gel 14AH though.

Thank for the replies, maybe we will get some more suggestions as to what we should use and what is available, especially to us non USA riders.
 
standard lead acid motorcycle batteries:
They WILL die if you abuse them

Standard lead acid sealed car batteries:
You can kill them, but you have to TRY. My current ride sat for at least 3 years before I got it, was D - E - D dead, and after charging it up I have not had any battery trouble since.

However, this may be because it's a Suzuki Samurai. It can be turned over by hand at the crank pulley.
 
Battery Tender

Battery Tender

Anyone hook up a battery tender to their battery? I love mine (on my Road Star). Bike fired right after up after a long winter. I have not put it on my GS yet, as it is in pieces, but I will.

http://www.batterytender.com/
 
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