Charging a battery

[Anonymous]

How long does a new battery take to fully charge on a 1 amp trickle charger?

Thanks. Brian

81 GS650G

[mdole]

Brian,

If the battery is totally discharged it will take at least an hour on the charger for every amp-hr the battery is rated for, so a 12AH battery will take at least 12 hours on a 1 amp charger.

If the battery is at some intermediate state of charge it will take less time.

I usually put a new battery on a 1/2 amp charger over night to make sure it is fully charged before use. I do this because a battery has a memory for charge and if they aren't charged fully at the initial charging before they are used they will never take a full charge.

Mike

[Redman]

- Answer you most hear is that 14 amp-hour battery with 1 amp charger, 14 AmpHour divide by 1amps equalls 14 hours. Leave it on overnight. (assuming new "dry" battery, and you have to add the "acid" solution.)

- Check "water" level after initial charging. Tap on side to make any air bubbles break loose and float to top. Top off with the "acid" solution that was provided with new battery. (Used distalled water thereafter.)

- But if you are impatiently waiting to go for ride, as I can imagine you might be, a few hours will probably do. If bike starts easly and you keep it running.

- Do use a 3/4 or 1 amp "trickle charger", not a 10 or 12 or 14 amp charger ment for automotive. With "trickle charger" you can leave it on for day or so without problem. Use automotive charger only as last resort and for just a few minutes or you will "boil it dry" and cause premature problems.

[Redman]

Now I see Mikes posting.
Yup, fully charging it before using it is best.

[MichaelHoward]

My 2 cents.

I agree with Mike. I usually bring home the new battery and fill it up level with acid, wait awhile then top off with more acid. I let that settle for a hour or so then, hook it up to my 1amp trickle charger overnight, atleast 8 hrs. It will work after a few hours, but like was said before, the memory thing comes into play, so I charge all night.

[Anonymous]

Mike
i never knew a car/bike battery had a memory. I will be more carefull when installing a new battery from now on

[Anonymous]

On a related note: I ride my bike very infrequently, mostly it sits in the garage. The guy I bought my bike from (he's a bike mechanic) reccomended that I leave a charger with a "float" mode connected to the battery whenever it's sitting. He also stated that there was no need to disconnect the battery from the electrical system. I use a 900 mA charger with a float mode to accomplish this.

The bike got a new battery when I bought it, and I have been doing this for about a year and a half, with no apparent adverse effects.

Any thoughts? Is this a good idea?

[mdole]

jgalak,

I ride most of the year here but have used battery tenders in the past, which basically do just what you described. If you have a bike that you leave in this mode often the battery tender comes with pigtails that you leave on the bike and then just plug into the charger.

I made some of my own in the past with 18 gauge wire and crimp ring lugs to go onto the battery terminals then whatever form of connector you have on your charger. I was using a charger that had alligator clips and I put female bullet connectors on the bike and then used a short piece of 2-conductor flat trailer wire with bullet connectors on one end to connect to the bike. This eliminates messing with the battery wiring and as it only takes a minute to hook it up tends to stop those of us who procrastinate from putting off hooking the charger up and then forgetting.

Mike

[Anonymous]

mdole: Do you disconnect the battery from the bike electrical system when you put it on the tender?

The charger came with both alligator clamps, and ring terminals, either of which connect to the unit via a standard 12V disconnect. Within 20 minutes of buying the charger I managed to loose the ring-terminal harness, so I've been using the clips. Just last weekend, I built a new harness along the lines you describe.

Only thing is, I only used 20ga wire - I think that's enough: it's a 900mA charger and I think 20ga is good to about 1.5A.