Motorcycle battery maintenance is nowadays becoming irrelevant. Some of the new batteries on the market are sealed and come with 48-60 month warranties. 4-5 years i.e. Just crazy, compared to the batteries just a few years ago. And, with zero maintenance to the actual electrolyte level itself.

Very soon, if Elon Musk has his way, this article itself will be irrelevant. The kind of change in the electricity storage scene, especially with Tesla, is mind boggling.

Motorcycle Battery Maintenance

How do you know if your motorcycle battery maintenance is due? Things that are connected to the battery, like your horns, lights etc will become weak. Your horn will start squealing like an animal in distress rather than how it’s supposed to.

Polarity

What happens to your little remote controlled toy if you put the “+” and “-” sides the wrong way? Nothing right? But, for the safety of your motorcycle and the battery, always connect the right ends when you (re)install a battery.

Cleanliness

Keep terminals and connectors clean. Dust and corrosion are the dangers. With zero-maintenance batteries, it’s easy to forget to open the battery access and check on it.

I got an Amaron zero maintenance battery with a massive 4 year warranty for ThunderDuck in November 2015. I think the challenge is to not lose the warranty card and remember where I have kept it when I need it.

Charging Voltage

Get your motorcycle’s regulator setting checked when you can. Not very frequently, but do not forget it. Check your battery rating to get it correct. You should see something like 14.20+/- 0.20 volts

Low charging voltage

The less destructive of the two. It just causes the battery to lose its charge. If you are on a motorcycle with a TCI or any other means of ignition, you can be stranded when the battery loses charge finally.

If you are on a motorcycle with a CDI, the bike will still run. Things like horns, indicator lights and any other peripheral devices you have may not work. But, you will not be stranded.

High charging voltage

This is the one where your battery gets fried. Loss of battery electrolyte, premature failure etc is linked to this.

Recharge

Always keep it charged.

Idle Motorcycle Battery?

If your motorcycle has been idle, for a couple of months let’s say, it’s time to trickle charge the damn thing. The charge can drop off as quickly as a couple of weeks.

As always if there is more you would like to add, feel free to comment below.