Do I have a VRLA battery in my new 2023 FJR? If so, does it need a special trickle charger?

[trialsguy]

Do I have a VRLA battery in my new 2023 FJR? If so, does it need a special trickle charger?

The reason that I ask is - on page 7-24 of my Owner's Manual - it states what a VRLA battery is, and that it needs a special constant voltage battery charger. ? I included a pic of that page. But it does not actually say that my bike has that type of battery. ? I'm wondering if I can occasionally use my battery tender on it.

 

[escapefjrtist]

OE Yuasa is a sealed AGM type battery. It's considered a form of VRLA. Use your choice of smart charger, Battery Tender or Optimate are known brands. Lots of examples at Battery Stuff.

~G

 

[RossKean]

The FJR comes with an AGM battery which is a type of VRLA

What are SLA, AGM and VRLA batteries?
Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) and Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) are two different abbreviations for the same cell. Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) is a form of SLA/VRLA in which the electrolytes are soaked into dividers across plates made out of sponge-like thin glass fibre matting.

You shouldn't have any issue with a battery tender. Some battery tenders have different settings for AGM and flooded lead-acid batteries. Charging algorithm and/or float voltage may differ slightly.

Edit to add: The owner's manual comment regarding damage caused by a "conventional" charger is most likely because a charger designed to charge a typical automotive battery will charge your motorcycle battery at too high a rate. Generally recommended that optimum charge rate should be around one tenth the ampere-hour capacity or 1.2 amperes for the Yuasa OEM. Probably OK even at two amps but a car battery charger might be several times that.

Also important that whatever charger you use is monitoring voltage and will switch to a properly regulated maintenance or "float" voltage once the battery is fully charged - ideally a voltage that is temperature compensated as float voltage varies as a function of battery temperature.