Battery dead?

[valibal]

Hi all,

I have a 1982 GS 300. I'm not sure how old the battery is, but this morning i went to test a new headlight without igniting the bike. I guess i was testing the light off the battery, and while I was turning the high beams on and off, the lights turned off, and not even the oil light turned on. I'm assuming the battery is out of juice. The bike has only been ridden once in 3 weeks and for only 20 minutes.


I'm thinking of purchasing a charger since it does have a charging system installed and in working condition. Question is, how often should one charge a bike battery? and how long can one expect a battery to last between charges?

many thanks

[Macguyver]

Good day Valibal, and welcome to the GSR!

A 20 minute ride isn't really enough to charge a weakened battery, unless you are screaming down the road at high RPM!

If you will not be riding the bike for a long stretch of time, then a battery charger/tender would be more appropriate than a dedicated battery charger.

The difference is that the battery tender had dedicated circuitry which will keep your battery topped up over long periods of time without over charging it, and subsequently ruining it.

A standard battery charger will only charge the battery, and not trickle charge it to keep it topped up. At that point, you run the risk of overcharging it.

As long as your bike has no draw on the battery when turned off, there is no reason to charge it more than once every couple of weeks. If your bike does have a current draw when turned off, it will discharge the battery over time, and there is something amiss with the wiring, causing the current draw when off.

I hope this helps,

[tom203]

Macguyver is spot on. Try to get a 2 amp charger with a battery maintenance feature; this will charge a weak battery in a few hours and can be left on to trickle. But once charged, your battery should last a few weeks.

[valibal]

Thank's yall
would i still need to get this stuff if instead i chose to purchase a new battery? How long would a new battery last?

Macguyver is spot on. Try to get a 2 amp charger with a battery maintenance feature; this will charge a weak battery in a few hours and can be left on to trickle. But once charged, your battery should last a few weeks.

[Steve]

With proper care, a new wet-cell battery should last two to four years.

Without regular riding, yes, you should still use a battery tender or you will be doing all of this again.

.

[Macguyver]

A new battery should hold a charge for roughly the same length of time. It should also have a lifespan between 1-5+ years, depending on what type of battery you go with. Most of the small "fill it yourself" batteries only have a 1-4 year expected lifespan, but with a properly working charging system, you should see many years of use.

I would recommend an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery since they have a much higher energy density than the typical battery, due to their construction, and materials used therein. As always though, if you want high quality, there is a price. An AGM will be more expensive in the short term, but last much longer in the long term. Some members here have so far used an AGM for more than 9 years, which easily makes them less expensive in the long run.

One word of caution, if it gets cold in the winter where you live, take the battery out of the bike, and store it inside until you are ready to put the bike back on the road in the spring. Cold temperatures slow down chemical reactions within the battery, temporarily decreasing the level of charge. A battery with a low charge will freeze, and this is extremely bad for batteries. It will usually kill a battery dead as a doorknob in as little as 1 freezing cold night, maybe 2. Once this happens, there is nothing you can do but replace the battery.

I hope this clears things up a bit for you. If not, feel free to ask more questions.