MOTORCYCLE BATTERY CHARGER

jumper cables, battery, engine

Motorcycle Battery Charger

One of the most annoying things is to have is a hiccup. And one of the worst forms of hiccup is a dead motorcycle battery. Just like a hiccup, a dead battery will become an obstacle for you in your daily life. It could be a massive disadvantage depending on your situation.

See the thing with a dead battery is it will stop your motorcycle from starting. Of course, it means you will not be able to commute from point A to B effortlessly. One way to stay armed and prepared for this type of scenario is to have a Motorcycle Battery Charger.

What is a Motorcycle Battery Charger?

Every motorcycle has a battery in it. The battery is what powers your vehicle and makes it run. Without the battery, you will not have a working motorcycle anymore. Now, every battery has some amount of charge in them.

The battery we are dealing with is small in size but very important. Motorcycle batteries albeit being small in size, do not take kindly to being ignored. In other words, you can say your motorcycle battery has some attitude problems. I mean it has to make up in some way for its lack of size right!?

The problem with your small, feisty motorcycle battery is that they do not like to be discharged. See discharge is like the other side of charging. You could say if Charging is Batman then Discharge is Joker. They are not very friendly with each other.

Just like most of us we like Batman (all you joker fans please it’s just an example, stay out of your feelings) your motorcycle battery likes to be in the charged upstate. By any chance, if it discharges, the battery will lose all of its charges. At this state, your motorcycle will not start and this is what we call a dead battery.

Battery tender:

Now, what is a motorcycle battery charger or a motorcycle battery tender? Let us start with the simpler explanation: a motorcycle battery tender or charger’s job is to charge up your battery. Now, in most cases, your battery will do not require to be charged always. But in some rare cases when you encounter a dead battery, you can bring it back to life using a battery tender. This is similar to jump-starting your car.

Compare your motorcycle battery to your phone’s battery. Your phone’s battery needs to be charged up daily. To charge it up you use a mobile battery charger or adapter. In an ideal scenario, your motorcycle battery is designed to recharge itself without a charger. The engineering is simple; there is a generator which is being run by the engine. The job of the generator is to just charge up your battery.

Dead Battery

Most of the time this is what happens and your bike will run just fine. But if you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and your luck is not with you, I mean if you believe in luck. If not then I don’t know we will call it Dead Battery for you.To fix your Dead Battery situation, we use a battery charger. In simple words, it will charge up your battery so that you can commute to a nearby garage and get it fixed immediately. Now, the job of a motorcycle battery charger is not to completely fix your dead battery situation. It will just put a band-aid on the wound and help you patch it up so that you can make it to the hospital.

Battery Charger Types

Before you go ahead and buy a charger for your phone, you need to know the model and the type of port your phone has. The process is the same for buying a battery charger. You need to find out the type of battery you have in your motorcycle.

There are different sizes and designs for motorcycle batteries. The type of battery you have depends vastly on the model of your motorcycle. An easier way to find about your battery is to check out the manual. Another alternative could to check out the side of your motorcycle battery, it should have details.

Trickle Charger

Three types of battery chargers are the most common. One of them is known as Trickle chargers. Another name for them could also be fully manual. These chargers are the most user-friendly. Trickle chargers convert the AC power from your socket to DC to charge up your battery. One major drawback for Trickle chargers is they need to be turned off manually. They will keep charging your battery even if it is full. Overcharging can cause permanent damage to your motorcycle battery. To counter this you will need to constantly monitor while the charging process is going on.

Battery tender
Battery tender

Float charger

Another type of battery charger is known as Float chargers. They are smarter than Trickle chargers. These chargers will charge up your motorcycle battery and then will switch off automatically. They will then turn on again to keep the charge at a normal level.

Smart charger

Smart chargers are the last type. They are very effective in monitoring the charging progress of your battery. What makes them smart is they turn off automatically when your battery is fully charged. Smart chargers will charge at different rates depending on the scenario so that minimal damage is done to your battery. The only drawback of Smart chargers is they do not work well with lithium batteries.

See these three types of battery chargers do not work well with lithium batteries. It is best advised to use them on lead acid or other traditional vehicle batteries. We will discuss a specialized charger for lithium batteries.

What charger should we use for lithium batteries?

There are different variants of lithium batteries. Depending on the manufacturer of your battery, you will need to choose the charger. One simple advice is to check the manual for your lithium battery and there you will find out about the type of charger you should use.

How to charge your battery?

Now, that we know what battery charger we need. We will know the process of charging your battery. The first thing we would suggest is to separate the battery of your motorcycle. It is better if the battery is outside the bike. It is a safety measure to avoid damaging any other parts while the battery is being charged.

Battery removal

When removing a battery, it is advisable to remove the negative cable first followed by the positive one. Another thing is to read the manual which should tell you exactly the steps you should take when taking out your battery. Different motorbikes have different methods of battery removal. Hence, we strongly suggest you read the manual.

Battery connection

When connecting the charger to the battery, make sure that you attach the battery charger to the terminals correctly. You do not need to follow any specific order, either way, will be fine. Now, it is time for you to plug the charger into your socket. One advice would be to charge it outside, where there is proper ventilation.

If you are using a trickle charger then you must constantly monitor how long the battery has been charged and turning it off when it’s done. Floating charges are much less stressful as they do not require you to monitor them constantly.

After you have finished up charging the battery, you must install the battery exactly how it was before. The manual can be very handy in these cases. One piece of advice would be connecting the positive cable before the negative one.

How long does a trickle charger take to charge a Motorcycle battery?

Most motorcycle batteries are 12 V. A standard 12 V motorcycle battery takes about 4 hours to a whole day to be fully charged. Trickle chargers are manual chargers. They are also called dumb chargers because they do not know when to turn off. Trickle chargers will keep feeding your battery additional charge even your battery is full. This can cause permanent damage to your motorcycle battery. So, avoid overcharging. An easier way to find out if your battery is fully charged or not is to check the voltage.

What is the best motorcycle battery charger?

Every passionate motorcycle rider needs to have a motorcycle battery charger. It is like savings accounts come in handy during a rainy day. Now, you might think I will never have a rainy day. Well, if you are that confident then I admire you. Because not everyone can live in ignorance. Some of us like to be prepared for the worst. That is why we came up with the best motorcycle charger so that you can buy it and be prepared for that unwelcomed dead battery.

Battery Tender Junior Automatic 12 V Charger:

 It is my personal favorite. There are other motorcycle chargers available but this is the one which I have used regularly and feel will be able to give an honest opinion.

First of all one thing that we need to know, I used it on lead-acid batteries. The thing with lead-acid batteries is they love to stay at full charge all the time. Batteries that are at a fully charged state provide a better service over a longer period.

Product Features:

The battery tender junior does not require constant monitoring. You can leave your battery connected to the charger. Once it is done, it will switch to a float mode to provide an optimum voltage which will help maintain the charge for your battery. It is very easy to use and much lighter hence making it easier to carry around. Plus, it comes with a Monitor power level. It has solid-state two colors led light which indicates the state of the charge and whether the voltage is too low or not.

Buying the Battery Tender Junior is one of the best decisions you can take in maintaining the overall health of your motorcycle.

Conclusion:

Battery chargers are not important but it is the safety net that will come in handy during times you least expect it to be.

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