ksthumper wrote on 09/16/11 at 09:00:57:Save yourself some trouble considering it's your first bike and buy a sealed battery. No checking water, no vent tubes and no worrin about running out of water
I've had this battery in and out of the bike probably 5 times now to charge it in the 6 months I've owned it. I have the ability to check it and maintain it, and obviously should have done so. I was just naive and lazy and learned an expensive lesson. Money is a consideration and unless I can find a sealed for under $100, I'll have to stick with a cheaper stock type battery.
Thanks.
Ooh, Batteries Plus has a sealed maintenance-free with 1 year warranty for $75 and a sealed maintenance-free with 2 year warranty for $89
The flooded type is $49
I think I may go with the $75 sealed battery.
Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 09/16/11 at 09:05:56:I have never had any luck reviving a bike battery that ran that low on water -- get a new battery.
Remember to slow charge the new battery before installing it for the first time -- you think a new battery is fully charged but it is NOT charged at all other than what happened when the acid hit the zinc and lead plates which is NOT a full charge by anybody's guesstimation.
Thanks OF. I'll buy that new battery today.
I am aware that I will have to charge the battery.The only battery tender I own is a Schumacher Electric "Speed/Charge 1.5Amp Maintainer". It says a 12AmpHour batter takes 12-15 hours to charge. So a 14 will take a little bit more. It does say Speed Maintainer but roughly 14-17 hours of charging time should be slow enough, right?