How to charge a motorcycle battery for the first time?

Congratulations, you have a new battery for your motorcycle. Now you are looking for some guidance on How to charge a motorcycle battery for the first time? So, I will help you in that regard in this article.

It is essential to charge the battery for the first time correctly. If you cannot charge battery correctly, you may reduce battery life.Keep in mind that if you buy a new battery or you are going to charge the older one for the first time, it is very tricky work.

Why do we need to charge a battery?

We need to charge the battery first and then start using it. Moreover, the older batteries also require frequent charging because every time you ride your motorcycle, their battery charging will reduce. Sometimes, your battery will be entirely dead, so you will need to recharge your battery in that case. It works for all the batteries except the lithium type of battery that does not require full charging before using it.

You will only require a battery tender and clumps to attach the tender with the battery to charge it.

Types of battery

There are various types of motorcycle batteries and every kind of battery charge at different times and have other criteria to charge. First, you will need to understand which type of battery you are going to charge.

The most common types of motorcycle batteries are AGM battery, lithium battery, and lead-acid battery.

AGM battery:

It isa type of lithium battery that is far easy to charge than other batteries. When you buy a new AGM battery, it was already up to 80% charged, so it requires less maintenance while using.

Before installing it on the bike, you need to connect it for 4 to 6 hours with the charger to bring it up to 100%.

Lithium battery:

It is the new technology of the motorcycle battery. The lithium battery did not need any charge before installing it in the motorcycles. It is best for the bigger bikes and the best suitable battery for the cold weather.

Lead-acid battery:

The most common type of motorcycle batteries must charge 100% before installing it in the motorcycles. Every cell of the battery consists of lead plates filled with sulfuric acid and water.

The reactions between the solution provide an electric current to the battery to make it work. When you buy a new lead-acid battery, it must fill the battery cell with the provided solution and the battery and connect with the charger for 24 hours. Carefully install the battery into a motorcycle, or it will be a disaster.

How to charge the battery

As you know very well about your battery type now, let’s start with a step-by-step guide to charging a battery for thefirst time.

Step 1

Keep your safety first. Carefully read the instructions inside the battery box. You will deal with acid inside the battery, so keep the precautionary measures and measure protective gloves and glasses.

Step 2

Remove the acid bags from the box and fill the battery up to the correct level marked on the battery.

Step 3

Figure out the AMPs of the battery. Select the charger according to the battery AMPs. There are many types of chargers in the market as well. The most common chargers are trickle chargers, a float charger, and a smart charger.

Choose the charger according to your battery type. The most commonly used one is a trickle charger. Trickle charger was a manual charger that converts the AC to DC and charges the battery.

Step 4

Now let’s charge the battery. Attach the hooks of the charger with the battery terminal. Check again that it hooked up correctly or not. If you are unable to connect the charger correctly with the battery, then a big disaster creates.

If an electric arc creates between the terminals, then that may damage your battery. Once you are successful in connecting the terminals, turn on the charger. Keep monitoring the charger and battery during charging.

When the charger gives the signal of complete charge, unplug the charger. Now you can install your battery in a motorcycle by connecting the positive wire with the positive terminal and the negative wire with the battery’s negative terminal.

Precautions

• If your bike stands inside the garage, then take it outside in the well-ventilated area. As you are dealing with the chemicals that produce hydrogen gas, which is flammable
• If your battery becomes hot while charging, immediately unplug the charger because you may incorrectly charge the battery, or maybe your battery is damaged.
• If your battery is smoking, stop charging. You’re doing it wrong.

So, it’s all about charging a motorcycle’s battery for the first time. Now, you will find it comparatively easy than before.