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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> battery charger /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1264917106 Message started by rl153 on 01/30/10 at 21:51:46 |
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Title: battery charger Post by rl153 on 01/30/10 at 21:51:46 Is a 1 amp battery charger powerful enough to charge the battery monthly or do you need a 2 amp? Thanks. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by bill67 on 01/31/10 at 03:41:16 2 amp will work better. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Charon on 01/31/10 at 05:31:42 For the 14 amp-hour battery used as stock on the S40, you would ideally use a 1.4 amp charger. The one-amp unit will do the job very nicely, but take a bit longer. The two-amp is a little more than the ideal rate, but not enough so as to be damaging. Either will do the job. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by jabman on 01/31/10 at 07:15:40 what sort of time would you charge the battery for? |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by bill67 on 01/31/10 at 07:46:22 2 amps about 12 hours. With battery charger. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Charon on 01/31/10 at 09:16:37 Personally, I would buy either an automatic charger or one of the varieties of a Battery Tender (or other brand name). I would make sure it had a low rate of charge. Many automotive chargers have several charge rates, including usually a 2 amp range. That way you don't have to worry about how long you leave it connected, because it won't overcharge the battery. Connect it, check it later or the next day, and if its indicator says the battery is charged disconnect it. By the way, a trickle charger is nothing else than a regular charger, except it has an output of usually less than half an amp. A trickle charger will, just like a regular charger, "boil" the electrolyte out of the battery if left connected for long times. I ruined a 105 amp-hour Group 27 trolling motor battery by leaving a trickle charger on it over the winter. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by rl153 on 01/31/10 at 11:41:25 Charon said a 1 amp charger is ok .I have a good 1 amp charger . When the voltage reaches what level will I know that the battery is fully charged ? Thanks. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by dasch on 01/31/10 at 11:54:48 Full battery is @ 14.5 or close to it. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by rl153 on 01/31/10 at 11:59:17 Thanks,that answers my question. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by bill67 on 01/31/10 at 12:40:24 A little over 3 months ago I covered my motorcycle up in my garage,My garage never gets below 32 degrees and is dry,I took off the cover and put it on prime for one minute,It started up right a way ran it for 10 minutes.Its a 2006 and the original battery. I guess I don't need a battery tender every one is so hung up about. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by rl153 on 01/31/10 at 15:56:20 I tried charging the battery(yuasa) with the 1 amp charger .It goes up to 13.7 volts and doesn't seem to go higher .If the battery is good it should go up to 14.5 volts even with the 1 amp charger ,right? |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Charon on 01/31/10 at 18:00:44 Bill is correct. If your battery is in decent shape, and was reasonably well charged, you do not need a battery tender or charger. The battery will hold an adequate charge for at least three or four months, given that there is no other drain on it such as a clock or a radio with station memories. If it doesn't, it is already on its last legs and will likely fail before too much longer. But there are a lot of motorcycle owners who "humanize" their machines and believe that lavishing extra care on them will make them run better and last longer. A battery tender falls in the category of doing no harm if properly used, even if it isn't really needed. Same with using premium gas instead of regular (unless the manual calls for premium), high-dollar special oils, fuel and oil additives, and so on. I would think a 1-amp charger would bring a small battery (your motorcycle battery) up to something over 14 volts, but it might take overnight to do it. Before I panicked, I might try the charger on another battery, such as a lawn mower or a different motorcycle. I might also check the current output of the charger, just to make sure it is doing what it is supposed to do. If your battery has either semi-transparent sides or removable caps, I might check to see if the electrolyte is bubbling more or less equally in all cells. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Bear on 01/31/10 at 18:36:44 You don't need a special one amp battery charger. I use my regular car charger and put a ceramic 1 ohm 10 watt resistor in line. I charge for about 4 hours once a month. The ammeter on the charger shows about an amp with the resistor in line. Resistor is cheap - about a buck. Keeps charge rate low enough for that small battery to handle charging duties without bubbling out fluid. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by babyhog on 01/31/10 at 20:14:43 I bought a Battery Tender Jr. a couple of weeks ago (.75 amp, I think?). I was worried because we haven't been able to ride. My husband and I both got new batteries this summer, and I didn't want to risk losing them, since they were more expensive than the Tender. But when I hooked up my S40, it took less than half an hour to fully charge. My husband's C90 took a while longer, but it has alot more electronics than my bike. My point is, I agree with Charon. I think I could have made it all winter without the Tender, but I'm more at peace knowing it. I'm glad we bought it anyway, since the C90 seems to enjoy it... |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Boule’tard on 01/31/10 at 21:07:45 The best reason to get a smart charger is because they know when to stop, and don't require you to keep checking the voltage. When you get a new battery, you're supposed to bring it to life with a long, slow charge. Well how do you do that when you don't know how charged it is out of the box? How do you know how long to charge a battery to "top it up" after it's been sitting in a bike for a couple of months and you don't know how much charge it lost? Lead-acid batteries last the longest when they stay as fully charged as much of the time as possible. To accomplish that, you can maintain it by frequent use, conventional charging, or a smart charger. When it's too butt-assed cold to ride, and you don't want to constantly dote over the battery to see if its fully charged (yet not boiling the electrolyte out) then let a CHEAP $23 Tender Jr. handle it. I'm keeping my other charger though, because sometimes I'm just late for work, maybe taking the car, and just gotta jumpstart and go. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by bill67 on 02/01/10 at 03:20:31 Play around with your battery if you must,But you are just shorting the life of it. Best way to check a battery is to start the motorcycle if it turns over slow it needs to be charged,Its no different than a car.Do you dole over your car battery all the time. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by dasch on 02/01/10 at 04:16:37 I have a small 7Ah battery so I hook it up to a regular car charger for 3-4 hours like once a month. Before the first crank this spring I will do the same. I am confident it will crank up. If it was the stock battery - I wouldn't really care that much. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Boule’tard on 02/01/10 at 06:32:42 696267673D3C0B0 wrote:
All the time it's hooked to the charger, yes. I'd rather not have it release an excessive amount of hydrogen and cause an explosion or fire. But do tell how keeping a lead-acid battery topped up shortens its life. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by rl153 on 02/01/10 at 07:36:27 I think I'm going to buy a new battery charger . They have a 1.5 amp 3 stage charger /tender at harbor freight for $19.99. Is this an ideal charger? |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Boule’tard on 02/01/10 at 07:55:26 Personally I would not trust a HF battery charger.. just spend another 5 bucks and get a 4-stage charger from Deltran here (http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=automotive). Buy a pack of gum or something to get the order to $25 for free shipping. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by bill67 on 02/01/10 at 08:11:00 29243E272E3F2A392F4B0 wrote:
All the time it's hooked to the charger, yes. I'd rather not have it release an excessive amount of hydrogen and cause an explosion or fire. But do tell how keeping a lead-acid battery topped up shortens its life. [/quote] I wondered why my garage burns down every couples months and I have to rebuild it,Now I know,thanks for info. ::) |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Boule’tard on 02/01/10 at 08:26:00 292227277D7C4B0 wrote:
Just because it doesn't happen with your particular rig doesn't mean it can't HAPPEN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_battery#Exploding_batteries), smartass. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by rl153 on 02/01/10 at 08:29:59 I think my older charger was starting to burn up .I bought the deltran .Thanks for your advice Boultard. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by bill67 on 02/01/10 at 09:02:10 262B31282130253620440 wrote:
Just because it doesn't happen with your particular rig doesn't mean it can't HAPPEN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_battery#Exploding_batteries), smartass. [/quote] Better to be a smart ass than dumb ass |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Boule’tard on 02/01/10 at 09:22:50 696267673D3C0B0 wrote:
Guilty as "charged" huh huh huh. Which is why I stay humble and vigorously try to get to the bottom of things, instead of just spouting sarcastic one-liners that don't help anyone. And still no explanation of how keeping batteries topped up harms them? Toodles. :-X |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by babyhog on 02/01/10 at 09:46:11 Now, now boys, to opposite corners you go! Don't make me get out the paddle. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by dasch on 02/01/10 at 10:22:35 Momma is here. Leave brother's battery charger alone! :D Hi babyhog. And let me elaborate a little - I personally never seen a good bike battery drawing more than 3A. Even that only for few initial minutes. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Charon on 02/01/10 at 10:53:46 Boule'tard, according to Wikipedia, leaving a battery on float charge for long periods can result in internal corrosion. I think you are right that a lead-acid battery should be stored as fully charged as practical to reduce sulphation on the plates. All rechargeable batteries have some internal self-discharge, and that self-discharge tends to get worse as the battery gets older. Low temperatures reduce the self-discharge, and by a happy coincidence low temperatures are most of the reason motorcycles get stored away for months at a time. Those low temperatures help the battery retain its charge. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by dasch on 02/01/10 at 11:00:29 ?? I read a million times output capacity drops with temperature. I experienced it a few times too. That is a totally new theory to me. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Boule’tard on 02/01/10 at 11:37:59 Charon, thanks for the clarification. By the set-and-forget I mean leaving the battery on float charge for a couple days, or maximum a week at a time, and would probably not trust the battery to be "tended" all winter by any type of charger. Dasch, I believe what Charon is getting at is, the cold cranking amps that a battery can put out decrease with temperature, which would make one believe it is almost discharged.. but in fact, the rate of discharge is greater during hot weather than cold weather. Cold weather makes them seem dead (by loss of cranking amps) but hot weather actually kills them faster. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by bill67 on 02/01/10 at 12:08:09 Thats what I do let the battery sit and forget it in the motorcycle all winter. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by rl153 on 02/01/10 at 12:36:18 Very interesting .I was float charging my battery for a few straight months ,I guess I'll just disconnect it ,and charge it once a month in the riding season,with the battery tender for a few days at a time.Thanks |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by dasch on 02/01/10 at 13:11:57 Charon and boule, that kinda makes sense, since chemical reactions decrease intensity with temperature... Purely theoretical... dasch out. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Digger on 02/01/10 at 21:03:25 5D5447585F5400030808310 wrote:
And now for something totally different.... Hook your cheapo, 1 amp battery charger up to a timer. Set it so it comes on for 30-45 minutes a day. That's what I do for my five bikes (I don't own a cage). I don't really trust "smart" battery chargers, so I do it this way. My setup uses a digital timer and it cuts all 5 battery chargers on for 40 minutes every night. Actually, the Savage (being my "daily rider") gets a "smart" charger, but it's still downstream of the timer and therefore is activated for only 40 minutes/day. Everything is mounted to the ceiling to reduce clutter. http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/Chargers-1E.jpg The sheet metal you see up there is to mitigate any possible (but unlikely) fire hazard. |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by Digger on 02/01/10 at 21:05:14 42494C4C1617200 wrote:
You must be living right....the mechanical gods would punish me severely if I did that (and have, in the past)! Once bitten, twice shy! |
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Title: Re: battery charger Post by trublu on 02/02/10 at 06:36:15 I think Bill is throwing out a bit of sarcasm there ;) Personally, (and Ive done this for years with very good results) is if im done with the bike for the winter Ill remove the batt, slow charge it up completely, and store it in the basement (Cooler, but not freezing cold like the garage) on some wood racks. Come spring throw em back on slow (2A)charge a day before your ready to install and your good to go. 8-) They seem to last just as long as anyone elses by doing that. To each their own I reckon. ;) |
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