Motorcycle Batteries
Complete Listing of all our Dry Charge and AGM Batteries
If you need assistance finding the right replacement motorbike battery, please contact us and our customer service team will help you find the correct motorcycle battery for you.
How to Maintain and Protect Your Motorcycle Battery
One of the most over-looked aspects of motorcycles is battery maintenance. For many, there is a time during the year you put your motorcycle away for storage for a few months. Or even let it sit inactive for a longer period of time. This can be a huge problem, as batteries don't respond well to inactivity.
Motorcycle batteries that sit for longer periods of time will build up sulphation on the battery plates. The sulphation will cause your battery's run-time, performance, and life to noticeably decrease. In the more advanced stages, the battery can be difficult (or even impossible) to charge or start your motorcycle.
However, you can prevent this from happening and ensure that your battery holds up after inactivity:
Use an automatic battery charger/maintainer: These units plug into standard 120VAC outlets and provide your battery with a charge current. This will keep the battery fully charged and maintained so that sulphation never builds up. It also helps towards breaking up loose sulphation that already may be present. Automatic chargers like the BatteryMINDer by VDC or Battery Tender by Deltran are perfect for these applications. Both of these brands can maintain your batteries in ways that prevent damage to your battery. It is always recommended if you're using a maintainer on any wet battery to make sure you monitor the water level of the battery. These chargers are fully automatic and can be left connected to your battery all the time.
Keep your motorcycle battery in top shape: There are many types of batteries, and the two most common types for motorcycles are conventional (wet) and dry AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries. In some cases BMW motorcycles use Gel batteries. In these cases a specific Gel charger must be used as standard chargers will not work on Gel batteries. If you have a conventional battery, you'll need to keep an eye on your fluid levels and add distilled water as needed. You should also clean your terminals with cleaning chemicals and protect them with a corrosion preventative.
Do not let your motorcycle battery freeze: Whenever you decide to store your bike's battery, be sure it's in a place that does not consistently fall below freezing. This is an extremely quick way to find yourself with a cracked battery. If you keep a battery maintainer connected to your battery, this also helps work towards keeping the battery from freezing.
If you'd like to look a little more in-depth or see some recommendations, please check out our article on the subject. If you have any questions about battery maintenance and would like to speak with one of our battery specialists, please give us a call at 1-800-405-2121.
Keeping Your Motorcycle Battery in Top Condition
Motorcycle batteries tend to last between 3 and 5 years before needing to be replaced as long as the batteries are properly maintained. As with any battery that sits for longer periods of time without being used such as sitting through the winter months, the battery naturally lose their charge over time & will build up sulphation on the battery plates. This is the number one reason for premature battery failure.
In spite of various opinions once enough heavy sulphation builds up on the battery plates it is very difficult if not impossible to reverse this process. Thus the reason for using a battery maintainer so the sulphation process never starts to begin with and the battery is kept fully charged.
If your motorcycle battery is going to sit unused for longer than a month it is always recommended to use any 1-2 amp fully automatic battery maintainer such as the Battery Tender or Battery Minder. There are two reasons for this:
- Keep sulphation from building up on the battery plates.
- Keep the battery fully charged.
It is also advantageous to remove battery cables from the battery as this eliminates any possible draws from the battery.
There are three types of motorcycle batteries. Wet, Gel, and AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat). Most manufacturers use Wet or AGM batteries. The biggest issue with Gel batteries is they charge at a lower rate then Wet or AGM batteries. Wet and AGM batteries have the same charging characteristics.
If you're using a Gel battery, the charging system must be set up specifically for Gel batteries as with any battery maintainer which also must be set to do Gel batteries.
A Wet battery's biggest draw back is the battery acid which can evaporate if it sits for longer periods of time, especially if connected to a battery maintainer for that time. If you have a Wet battery where you can check the fluid levels then you should always do so and keep the fluid levels topped off.
The positive and negative connections on any battery should always be kept cleaned to ensure maximum transfer of electrical charge. There are special products that are made just for this type of maintenance, although using water and baking soda is effective for most people.
By properly maintaining any battery you can greatly enhance battery life which can result in having a working battery for years to come.
