Maintenance Free battery

G'day, can you charge a maintenance free battery using a standard battery charger or can you charge one of these or do I have to buy a new one.
Les

Yes, u can charge it wif a battery charger.
Yes, u can charge one of those.
Yes, u might need to get a new one.
Yes, u need to tell us more in details.

I just tried to start it and got a clicking noise, started alright last week, funny thing tho, push the starter button and the tacho needle went to about 8000 RPM without the bike running, just washed it too, could I have gotten something wet ??.
Les

I just tried to start it and got a clicking noise, started alright last week, funny thing tho, push the starter button and the tacho needle went to about 8000 RPM without the bike running, just washed it too, could I have gotten something wet ??.
Les

YES! U have to change the battery!

Why? Coz it happened to me before...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!! BWAAAAAAAAAAAA
ok thanks.
Les

What bike is it?

red_dave is our in-house battery expert, he will offer u some advise if u buy him a beer.

Having said that, I think I owe him alot of beer...

G'day, it's a 93 ZXR750 L model.
Les

yep...battery is stuffed. Happened to me a few weeks ago. New battery and hasnt skipped a beat since.

G'day, can you charge a maintenance free battery using a standard battery charger or can you charge one of these or do I have to buy a new one.
Les

yes
provided you can run low amps..1A or 2A thru it
I have a low maintenance battery in the 12R
and keep it topped up with 1A out of the charger

hth

Thanks, I just went and checked the bike again, I have a taillight but have lost my headlights, when cranking it drops from 11.3 volts to around 7.5 to 8 volts, the ignition light and neutral light dim slightly but that's it, any ideas ??. my battery charger has a high and low charge setting as well as a 6 volt and 12 volt setting, i'm guessing 12 volts on low charge.
Les

here's a couple tips..

1. If you couldn't charge it it would go flat..
2. That's why vehicles have alternators to charge the system and run the vehicle.


Maintenance free just means you don't top up the water levels.. it's basically a sealed battery, hence no maintenance.


The next step is whether you battery holds charge and how long for which really determines whether or not the battery has had it.

If you battery is struggling to charge because you can't get a charger on it long enough you can try this... it's not legal but can get you out of trouble in the long run... disconnect the headlights so that there is less power drain and the current can be absorbed by the battery.

You'll find a battery will draw current required and not be fed it, hence a charger will reduce in current (amps) as the battery charges. Also a non deep cycle should be charged slow to avoid cooking the plates.


A few things may be slightly incorrect, but this I speak from my several years of car audio experience dealing with voltage draw, etc with SPL comps, etc.

Dan

i've pulled the battery out and checked all the fuses, all ok the only one I haven't checked is the 20amp for the headlights, my worry now is I turned on the ignition I had a tallight but no headlights, as you know these are hardwired into the bike and come on with the ignition but after washing the thing this arvo the bike wouldn't start it did kick over a couple of times and fire up but it died.
Les

Before you jump into a new battery, check what the voltage is before you start the bike, and check the voltage while its running. If its the same voltage its a problem with the voltage regulator. Its also a problem if the voltage jumps sharply when the engine is revved.

If it is a couple of volts higher with the engine running (14-15V) then your alternator is charging ok, and your battery is probably dead.

Unless your battery is fairly new draining it with a dead regulator will kill the battery anyway, but its worth doing the regulator check first so you don't kill a new battery before you diagnose the dead regulator.

The voltage for the battery was 11.6 before starting, when it attempts to crank over it drops to around 7.5 to 8 volts, all I am getting now is a whirring noise from the starter and it won't kick over at all, I did notice that the headlights went bright when you turned the throttle, the bike had been sitting for 3 months and cranked over straight away last week with no effort, still scratching my head and thinking maybe it just sat a fraction too long and last week was a one off lucky start, the headlights really have me bothered tho, they should come on regardless even if they are dull.

.... Also a non deep cycle should be charged slow to avoid cooking the plates...

absolutely.......here is another tip.

If you have a 14amp-hour battery eg YB14A....,

then it will take 14 hours to charge this battery from flat, with a 1 amp-hour charger........or 28 hours with a 500mA charger !!!
something to keep in mind when charging, and why it *may* take so long to fully recharge your 'flat' battery.