charging and jumping, general battery questions??

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  • snowbeard
    #1

    charging and jumping, general battery questions??

    so I have a rather older battery that came on the 850, it may actually hold a charge, but first I'd have to give it one.

    I have a radio controlled car battery charger, a variable amperage from 0 to 15 it looks like, and it says on it that it has trickle charge at 35-70 mA, tho I don't know how that works just yet... what is the amperage required to charge a motorcycle battery? is this just not a high enough voltage?

    also, I've heard bad things can come of jumping your bike??? how true is that and what can you do to avoid damage if you have to jump?

    I've done it two times now, and the old battery seems to be holding a bit of it, I can see a faint glow in one indicator light with just the old one after the jump.

    can you get enough juice to your coils to fire the plugs with a dead battery hooked to the battery of a running bike? or do I really have issues with my firing system?
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    • Jethro
      Forum LongTimer
      Charter Member
      GSResource Superstar
      Past Site Supporter
      • May 2002
      • 17888
      • The only Henniker on earth
      #2
      While both cars and bikes are both 12V systems, the car is gonna be pushing way more amps. I have also jumped my bike with the car and had no problems, but apparently it is a no-no. A fried R/R could be the result.
      Currently bikeless
      '81 GS 1100EX - "Peace, by superior fire power."
      '06 FZ1000 - "What we are dealing with here, is a COMPLETE lack of respect for the law."

      I ride, therefore I am.... constantly buying new tires.

      "Tell me what kind of an accident you are going to have, and I will tell you which helmet to wear." - Harry Hurt

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        • fgh
          #3
          When charging a motorcycle you must use 12V and no more than 2 amps. If after 24 hours at 2 amps it will not crank the bike then the battery is trash. I don't know of a problem with jumping from one bike to the next. Motorcycles historically don't create any real current when idling. You would probably have to set the running bike to about 2K rpm or more to get a good current flow. I have used cars to jump my bikes. If you use a car do not ever connect the bike while the engine is running. The alternator in the car can fry the R/R, stator and battery in the bike.

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            • snowbeard
              #4
              it was a running motorcycle, yes, so I wasnt' sure how it would be bad to jump... good, as that's all I've got right now...

              I'll have to look into the charger to get it's specs.

              thanks!!

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                • Alan Schlosser
                  Forum Mentor
                  Charter Member
                  Past Site Supporter
                  • May 2002
                  • 875
                  • Ontario, New York
                  #5
                  Weren't the R/C chargers typically for 9.6 volt battery packs?
                  1982 GS1100GLZ Sold but still loved
                  2008 Bandit 1250 Crashed (cager on a cell phone)
                  2008 Bandit 1250 #2

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                    • focus frenzy
                      #6
                      do not use a RC battery charger!!!
                      it is made for dry cell batteries and is not made for wet cell lead acid batteries.

                      there are some of the pro RC battery chargers that can produce more than the required voltage but the way they work is not compatable as how a NiCad battery charges is differant.

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                        • snowbeard
                          #7
                          good, that's what I needed to hear! I guess I'll just drop it off at checkers sometime soon!

                          thanks!

                            Comment

                            • snowbeard
                              #8
                              ok, so I took it to checkers to have them test it, but the guy thought they couldn't test motorcycle batteries... they did it before, and sold me the one on the 650, but that was a different fellow...

                              so I had them trickle charge it overnight for me and will pick it up tomorrow.

                              so, does anyone know what the cranking amps are on our bikes to do a load test?? I think the guy said it tested load at 70A??

                              I just wanted to know what to tell them when they've got their heads up....

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                                • argonsagas
                                  Forum LongTimer
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                                  GSResource Superstar
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                                  • May 2002
                                  • 18744
                                  • Toronto, Canada
                                  #9
                                  Small word of advice on the subject


                                  When jump-starting any vehicle from another, the engines of BOTH vehicles must NOT be running. Jumping with one engine running could result in problems for one or both vehicles.



                                  If it has sufficient amperage ability and is of the correct voltage, the size of the battery you use to start your bike is irrelevant.

                                  A car battery is usually much larger than a bike battery, and will normally have the capability to provide or meet a much larger amperage draw, but the key word is "draw"....the bike will only draw whatever is required to meet its immediate needs.

                                  What has probably led to the impression of car batteries overpowering bike systems is the fact that you will likely see a faster-turning starter on your bike when using the car battery.

                                  No magic, just a difference in capacities, as noted above. The larger battery can easily handle ALL the bike's electrical needs at one time without suffering the degree of voltage loss that usually occurs with the smaller unit.
                                  ​

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                                    • snowbeard
                                      #10
                                      hey thanks Ron! that's good info to have!!

                                      ay chance you know what cranking amps our bikes take? say perhaps, an 850?

                                      they loaded my old one after trickling overnight and it read 100% charge and 58 cca

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