Extracting best battery life

[luvtoride]

So, reading a post made by another member got me to thinking since, I too just bought a new battery that I have yet to install. Will trickle charging the battery @ 1 amp to a full charge heed the longer lasting battery?

Please help a girl out, Heidi

 

[Ignacio]

I personally think it's voodoo like what oil is "best".

I went 6 years on the same stock battery never once putting it on a trickle charger...and leaving it in my 30-40 degree garage for several months over the winter before.

But, others swear by trickle chargers.

I bet like everything in life it's many variables including temperature, time between charges, personal perception, and luck. We're probably all right...and probably all wrong.

 

[luvtoride]

Thanks Ig,

I'm not normally a trickle charger user during dormant periods although I do have one. I am just wondering if starting with a "full charge" might help battery life. I'm getting ready to go on my 3rd battery. Original lasted a long time. 2nd... I guess it wasn't horrible if you want to count the amount of time between when I "noticed" it was leaving this world until it actually did. I didn't have the battery but maybe 2.5 years when I noticed it was going butt bye. It took at least another year to year & a half until it finally gave up the ghost. It was a slow, slow death.

I am just wondering if it's in my best interest to start with the battery charge "full" as opposed to just dropping it in and riding.

 

[Bounce]

I only have personal, anecdotal evidence, but i've found that i usually have a longer-lived battery if i give it a full charge before the first use, never deep cycle (drain) it, and top it off with a battery tender "type" charger instead of depending on the bike's systems to do it for me.

 

[Zorlac]

I'm in the charge it camp, whataya got to loose?

 

[luvtoride]

That's the information I'm wondering about, Bounce. Thanks. I have a trickle charger & was thinking that I'd just hook the battery up to it overnight charging @ 1 amp. I figure that it cannot hurt.

Update: I just hooked my battery up. The charger has indicator lights on it. The indicator is glowing green which indicates a full charge.

I guess that I'm likely good to go.

Thanks for the info, Heidi

 

[SLK50]

New batteries should be charged before use.

Its usually stated right on the packaging.

On a side note, 1 amp may be a bit much for a trickle charge

on a mc battery. I occaisionally use 1 amp to bring a battery back

from the dead, like on my lawn tractor that sat idle for six months,

but even that battery begins to "boil" after a couple of days.

This would definately be too much for long term use on the bike.

 

[RaYzerman19]

Here is an older link I keep bookmarked, it is dated info but useful... Yuasa used to have some very comprehensive reading as well, but the links I have are no longer valid. Will keep looking.

https://www.mcnews.com/mcnews/articles/battery.htm

Edit - Yuasa videos https://www.yuasabatteries.com/videos.php

 

[luvtoride]

New batteries should be charged before use.

Its usually stated right on the packaging.

On a side note, 1 amp may be a bit much for a trickle charge

on a mc battery. I occaisionally use 1 amp to bring a battery back

from the dead, like on my lawn tractor that sat idle for six months,

but even that battery begins to "boil" after a couple of days.

This would definately be too much for long term use on the bike.

Noted Robert.

Actually, I was looking at the literature that's in the box with the charger. It appears that the unit shuts itself down when the battery is fully charged. I'm assuming it was not charging since indicator light was green indicating a full charge. Also, 1 amp is the lowest setting on the charger. Other setting.. 2 amps.

Edited to add: Box says nothing about charging battery before use.

 

[luvtoride]

Here is an older link I keep bookmarked, it is dated info but useful... Yuasa used to have some very comprehensive reading as well, but the links I have are no longer valid. Will keep looking.

https://www.mcnews.com/mcnews/articles/battery.htm

Edit - Yuasa videos https://www.yuasabatteries.com/videos.php

Thank you, RaYz

 

[TomInPA]

I think if you receive a battery where you need to add the acid, it absolutely needs to be charged at less than 1.5 amps to provide the deep charge that only filling electrolyte cannot do. Pretty much everything youwant to know about your motorcycle battery can be downloaded here YUASA Technical Manual

Newly activated sealed VRLA batteries require an initial charge. After adding electrolyte, a new battery is approximately 75-80% charged. Fully insert cap strip over the filling holes as shown in drawing above. Immediately charge your battery after the “stand” period, to bring it to a full state of charge. See “Charging a Newly Activated Sealed VRLA Battery” on page 31.

I have gotten 5+ years of service from batteries properly setup. As was said before, it sure can't hurt to follow directions. It can make the battery last longer, and is easier on your charging system.

 

[JR'SFJR]

I seldom use a tender and only if one of my bikes has sat for a while. In Fl. heat, batteries on my regular driven vehicles die around 4 yrs., so I have learned to just replace them at that time, especially on a touring bike. Saving a few dollars trying to go beyond 4 years, isn't worth it for me.

 

[luvtoride]

Duh, I guess that I should've said this originally. This is a sealed Westco AGM type battery. Upon investigating (by hooking the battery up to a tender) It appears to be fully charged as it sits. Thanks greatly for all of the good information folks,

Heidi

 

[huron52]

I have one battery tender that I move between 3 batteries. Once I plug one in I leave it on for three or four days (no rocket stuff here) Then I take it off and wait another few days maybe sometimes a week... Then I plug in the next battery. Same stuff of time frame and then so on.... and so on.

Does it work? maybe... Is it the best.... don't know.

Now two are motorcycle batteries and one is a trailer battery (deep cell stuff)

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

...I too just bought a new battery that I have yet to install. Will trickle charging the battery @ 1 amp to a full charge heed the longer lasting battery?Please help a girl out, Heidi

First -- "Do No Harm".

The modern, VRLA, AGM, battery that is used in the FJR (and is the only type specified) needs very little attention -- it should be clean, well mounted, and the cables tightly attached -- that's about it...

If, you're (for some reason...?) worried about your battery? -- check its 'at rest' voltage: it should be 12.8 V.

If it's not? (old battery/something left 'on'/ ? ) charge it w/small (low amp) charger only enough to get it back to 12.8 V.

The FJR battery cannot have its electrolyte (fluid) replaced (it's not designed to -- "recombinant" technology) so any excess charging has (only) the ability to harm the battery.

I personally think it's voodoo like what oil is "best".

Sadly, that's (often) TOO true...

To be fair: (some/many) M/C batteries of decades past weren't very good -- but, today, in the FJR, there's a very good battery -- "state-of-the-art."

(well, "SOTA" 10 ~ 15 years ago)

It now appears to be only a 'way-station' on the road to even better, future, batteries -- like Lithium Ion...?

 

[ionbeam]

...I too just bought a new battery that I have yet to install. Will trickle charging the battery @ 1 amp to a full charge heed the longer lasting battery?
Please help a girl out, Heidi

...the road to even better, future, batteries -- like Lithium ION...? :wub: Now, how could that NOT be good?

Trickle charge the new FJR battery at 1.2 amps or less if the battery is below 12.8 volts. Trickle charging, when done at the correct current is never a bad thing. Trickle charging is usually defined as 10% or less of the AH rating of the battery.

All battery designs have a specification typically called cell durability or cycle durability which is usually a trade-off between longer battery life/energy and power. Straight from the box your battery has an estimated death rate based on the number of charge cycles. Fewer cycles and shallow cycles supports longer battery life. If you start your bike a dozen times a day and don't give the battery a chance to fully recharge between cycles you have an abusive relationship that will result in your battery leaving you sooner than later.

Temperature is important to batteries - hot storage bad, cool storage and starting good, cold starting bad. High temperature drives the chemical reactions more rapidly than cooler temps which is damaging to the battery. If a battery is going to stand for a protracted length of time it is best done with the cables disconnected and the battery held at cool temps and trickle charged roughly every 3 months. If the cables remain connected on a FJR the battery would be best served by a trickle charging roughly every 30 days.

Deep discharging is bad. Deep discharging a battery when it is cold is very bad.

A bunch of things will determine best battery life, beginning with selecting a battery with acceptable energy ratings and best cycle durability. Most batteries don't show the durability specification, ask your battery supplier and see if they know or are willing to tell you. For VRLA batteries expect someplace around 900 cycles. After starting, try to let the battery fully recover before shutting the engine off. Try not to let the battery get to the point that it is so depleted it won't spin the engine. If you are storing a battery, try not to let the voltage drop below 12 volts. Try to keep the battery cool. If you do these things then you have been a good steward to your battery and its life is up to its genes.

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

Great information folks, especially the Yuasa videos. I just got around to checking my battery voltage on the new FJR in January before installing a permanent serial pigtail for charging and accessories. I was horrified to find that my voltage had dropped to below 12 volts because of my procrastination. In the future I will insure all six bikes, four wheeler and mower are regularly charged with a charger / maintainer.

 

[FJRMGM]

Ride - often.

 

[blueman]

I have always used a general rule of thumb to replace the battery every three years. I have seen batteries work strong one day,dead the next. What is the best battery available for the FJR??