| Author |
Message |
Posted by:
Greg Jones
Monday, October 26, 2009
06:33 am | I am going to remove the battery (new this year) from my bike and store it for the winter in my basement workshop (off of the concrete floor  ). I will keep a bottle of distilled water on hand in case the electrolyte needs 'topping up'. I have a 2 amp charger but also would like to know what readings I should expect to see on my multimeter when the 'charge' is satisfactory and at what reading I should apply the charger. Any advice will be appreciated. |
Posted by:
Loren Powers
Monday, October 26, 2009
06:51 am | Greg
I do same thing. Put battery on bench and trickle charger once a month for a day or two then remove it for rest of the month.
I expect to see around 12.8VDC ( give-or-take a few tenths. ) before charging.
Just after charging I see around 13 - 13.5VDC )
I've been doing this for several years and my NX250 Westco sealed battery lasted 8 years.
( Bought and installed in June 2001. Replaced Sept. 2009 )
My 2002 GL1800 battery ( bought in 2003 ) was just replaced this Sept. also.
This one was never removed from bike in winter. I just put trickle charger on for a couple of days once a month.
Bike kept in closed, unheated garage during winter months. (approximately Nov - May )
BTW: These batteries were sealed types. No need to check water levels.
2002 GL1800 (orange)
Oct. 31 (Spooky)
My Web Site
My Spooky
Honda NX250 Back Roads Explorer! |
Posted by:
Bob Kekeis
Monday, October 26, 2009
07:55 am | Better to keep in cold than warm or hot area. I rather go for a maintainer than a trickle charger and they are available at Walmart for $20 or less.
'Bob' or 'Chief'  Valparaiso IN
41°33'17.98"N 87° 6'26.49"W
Winter home 27°34'8.72 N 81°31'18.23 W
My Help Page
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Shell Rotella T Synthetic and SuperTECH filter
Where I've ridden: U.S.A. and Canada
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! -P.J. O'Rourke
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Posted by:
Richard Taylor
Monday, October 26, 2009
08:09 am | Battery Maintenance
Dick Taylor - New owner of a mildly used 05  with 8 states to replace my 90 SE which ran on regular gas, Castrol GTX 10W-40, and Elite II for most of its 132,500 miles, in 49 States 10 Canadian Provinces, and 2 Territories.
Now I get to start all over again.  |
Posted by:
Michael Stone
Monday, October 26, 2009
09:28 am | Storing a modern battery on a concrete floor will not harm it. It might keep the battery at a lower temperature and therefore it will discharge more slowly. A 2.0 ampere trickle charger is a bit too big for most motorcycle batteries. Batteries should be charged at no more than 10% of their AH capacity. I agree with Bob. Just use a battery maintainer and leave it connected all winter. |
Posted by:
Jim Holowchak
Monday, October 26, 2009
09:33 am | A battery maintainer like the Battery Tender or the 900 ma Yuasa model will do you well. Don't put the battery on concrete. If that's where you have to put it, place it on a piece of lumber. Don't push your luck.
Best regards,
Jim
My Ride |
Posted by:
Newton Enloe
Monday, October 26, 2009
09:56 am | Another trick, if you have a charger and not a maintainer....just hook it to a light switch that only comes on for a while in a garage where you don't spend a lot of time.
You just don't want a wet battery on a charger more than needed.
And...a wet battery, NEW condition, fully charged and off the charger over night, should be 12.8v. I would not touch it until it gets 12.6 and then for only maybe an hour.
And keep an eye on water lever for sure. If it bubbles...turn it off.
Tim
2003 GL1800 (Durango Red)
GWRRA # 114767
tcsenloe@verizon.net |
Posted by:
Gary Hickman
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
07:37 am | The "battery on concrete" is no longer a problem since plastic cases came into use some 40 years ago!!! That is a hold-over from the old rubber cases. (Yes, I remember those!)
I left a car battery on the concrete floor for a year and it still had enough charge to jump-start a dead battery!!!!
Bob is right, get a maintainer and leave it on the battery; let IT do the work! I have one with the harness on the bike. I plug it in whenever it is parked.
 Hick, in Nebraska
Great Plains Rally 
2009 Rally Pictures
States & Provinces Represented All Years
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Posted by:
A.J. Musial
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
06:30 pm | K-Mart has the Die Hard battery maintainer on sale this week for $20 http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_999000004 8903911P?keyword=battery+maintainer. I like the maintainer over a charger because it's fully automatic and won't over charge your battery. I hook mine up when I put her to bed for the winter and don't touch it until spring.
A.J. Musial
GWRRA, USAF
94 1500SE, 95 Dart Trailer
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