Filling new battery - question/weirdness

[Guest]

Red Bandit came over today to help me with a couple things on the 550. After discovering how lousy a third passenger a new boxed battery makes on a Bandit, we got back here and filled it up with the supplied acid.

Each cell had an appropriate amount between the low and high. After charging, three of the cells, some of the ones in the middle that actually had lower amounts, are now well over the high line. One looks like it's right up to the top now. I tapped for bubbles and that didn't make any difference. When we first put the acid in, the battery got warm (I assume this is normal) and it was no warmer after charging than it was when it was filled.

So, is this a typical occurrence? Do I need to drain some of those cells, or will they go back to normal shortly? Why is it that simple things so often become mind boggling?? Ok... rhetorical question on that last one...

Anyway, thanks in advance!!

[Grandpa]

To make things really, simple, MissFabulous, you should've bought a maintenance-free battery, the kind you don't have to fill. Just charge and go.

[MissFabulous]

To make things really, simple, MissFabulous, you should've bought a maintenance-free battery, the kind you don't have to fill. Just charge and go.

Not many options in my town and I didn't want to hit Wallyworld - I avoid it like the plague (and since they expanded, they have less and less useful merchandise anyway), so I got what they had that fit!!

[Dave8338]

Sounds like all is normal. If the acid level is too high, you may want to drain some out of just that cell or two and recheck the level. As far as the heat created while filling, tis normal. :-D

[Grandpa]

Not many options in my town and I didn't want to hit Wallyworld - I avoid it like the plague (and since they expanded, they have less and less useful merchandise anyway), so I got what they had that fit!!

MissFabulous, I don't think Walmart has that kind of battery, the sealed kind, available for sale. At least not in my neighborhood. I get mine from Motorcycle Batteries USA, http://www.motorcyclebatteriesusa.com/ . These batteries are not cheap, but this place ships promptly and their website makes it easy to select the right battery and have it shipped.

I live in the country, where options are also limited. That's why I seldom if ever do any retail shopping in person (yeah!).

Dave8338 is correct. The condition you described is normal.

[rustybronco]

So, is this a typical occurrence? Do I need to drain some of those cells, or will they go back to normal shortly? Why is it that simple things so often become mind boggling?? Ok... rhetorical question on that last one...

Anyway, thanks in advance!!

It's gassing from being charged that is what raised the levels, let it set for a while and the levels should return to normal.

[jimcor]

Shirley, the battery getting warm is completely normal. After you filled it with acid solution (you should have filled all the cells to the upper level indicated on the case). You should have waited about 1/2 hour and then hooked it up to a 1/2 to 1 amp trickle charger for 12 to 18 hours. Then tipped the battery back and forth to allow gas to escape and let set for at least 2 hours, then any cells that were below the low limit should have been replenished with distilled water. Any that were above the upper limit line should have been drained with an eyedropper to the upper limit. I think you'll find that after the battery sets for two hours that cells that were above the upper limit line have returned to about normal.

Caution: After the initial fill you are done with the electrolite solution and SHOULD NOT be used to top off the battery ever again. Distilled water only.

I have found out that this initial charge procedure alone can add many, many months to a battery's life. An undercharged battery is a very unhappy battery.

[MissFabulous]

Shirley, the battery getting warm is completely normal. After you filled it with acid solution (you should have filled all the cells to the upper level indicated on the case). You should have waited about 1/2 hour and then hooked it up to a 1/2 to 1 amp trickle charger for 12 to 18 hours. Then tipped the battery back and forth to allow gas to escape and let set for at least 2 hours, then any cells that were below the low limit should have been replenished with distilled water. Any that were above the upper limit line should have been drained with an eyedropper to the upper limit. I think you'll find that after the battery sets for two hours that cells that were above the upper limit line have returned to about normal.

Caution: After the initial fill you are done with the electrolite solution and SHOULD NOT be used to top off the battery ever again. Distilled water only.

I have found out that this initial charge procedure alone can add many, many months to a battery's life. An undercharged battery is a very unhappy battery.

Ok... you need to completely copy and paste that and post it to Tips and Tricks section of the forum. Seriously, it deserves a sticky... as much as I've read about batteries, that is as thorough and clear as anything I've read. I've copied and pasted it to a Word Pad document and saved on my PC for future reference. THANK YOU.

Thanks for the replies... we didn't get into batteries much in any of my chemistry classes, so I wasn't sure... warmth and expansion didn't seem far fetched to me, but I wanted to make sure before I did anything else. Like I told Bob (red bandit) earlier today... "you ever notice Jethro's signature that says 'I ride, therefore I am... always buying tires?' Well something tells me it's the same thing with batteries" so now once again, thanks to you guys, I'm armed with more knowledge. Now if you can just tell me how to make tires last forever...

[txironhead]

Now if you can just tell me how to make tires last forever...

No problem. Turn your bike into a trailer queen and use plenty of Armor All on the tires. Of course, you won't get to ride it and all of the real bikers will laugh at you, but your tires should last at least a couple of decades!

Honestly, though, try Cheng Shin HiMax. I've had Dunlop, Avon and Continental and the only tire that came close to lasting as long as the HiMax was a Continental MileMarker, and the CS still beat it by a couple hundred miles.

Back to batteries, my brother-in-law (about the only other true bike rider in the family) swears by lawn tractor batteries. Haven't tried this myself, but he had a riding lawnmower battery from Tractor Supply in his Moto Guzzi, daily ridden and with aftermarket light bars and a functional AM/FM/8-track player, for over three years. All he did was find one with the closest dimensions and slapped it in (after charging, of course). The battery was still fine when the u-joints went out and he sold it.