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So, one of the most important components of your ride is the battery… aka the heart of your machine. If your battery is dead so is your ride… and if you battery is getting weak you’re going to notice subtle difference in how it runs and performs for you. Now, sometimes you get a little warning, and other times it just shuts down on you going down the highway….( Ahem no names being mentioned). I’ll go over the different types of batteries, charging/ maintaining the batteries life, and what you should be looking at when you buy new batteries.
First up are Wet Cell batteries, these are what most of us grew up using; it is the oldest and most basic battery. This style has even been found in ancient Egypt and is referred to as a “Baghdad Battery”. A wet cell or flooded lead-acid (FLA) batteries consists of lead plates which are the negative terminal and lead-oxide plates which act as the positive terminal. These plates are submerged in a 35% sulfuric acid and 65% water solution. These batteries aren’t sealed and have to be periodically topped up with distilled water, and if the bike is not upright it can leak sulfuric acid. The advantages of this type of battery are that it is fairly simple to maintain and charge and can take a higher voltage charge. However the drawbacks are that it tends to larger and heavier and the performance is lower. Also, this type tends to lose its charge quicker, especially when it’s not in regular use (i.e. winter storage), and as mentioned before there a risk of exposure to sulfuric acid and if overcharge explosion from hydrogen gas build up. These batteries can be charge with an “old school” direct current or constant current charger.
Next up is AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries. These batteries are similar to wet cell batteries, except that the sulfuric acid and electrolyte mixture is adsorbed and stored in fiberglass matting or sponge in between the lead plates. This allows the plates to be closer while still ensuring proper acid movement between them. The advantages of an AGM batteries are that they are smaller and more efficient . They tend to withstand low temperatures better and hold a charge well, and have high-er performance. Also because they are sealed they are spill proof and therefore can be installed at varying angle without risk of exposure to sulfuric acid corrosion or hydrogen gas. The drawbacks are that it will be more expensive and requires the use of a smart charger that delivers a “low and slow” charge that tapers off as it nears the completion.
The next battery is less common and that is a Gel Cell battery. As the name implies this battery is made up of sulfuric acid mixed with fumed silica, that makes the mass gel-like and immobile, surrounding the lead plates. The advantages are that they don’t have issues with gel evaporation, spillage or corrosion. Also because the gel they do not need to be kept upright, they are more resistant to vibration, shock and extreme temperature. The drawbacks are that they are more expensive and can only be charged very slowly, and high amperage situations can scar the gel causing a “pocket” which exposes the lead plates and causes them to corrode and leads to premature failure of the battery.
Lastly we have Lithium Ion batteries, also less common, are composed of a positive terminal of Lithium Iron phosphate and a negative terminal of graphite surrounded by an electrolyte solution. The advantages are that this battery is considerable smaller and lighter than traditional lead batteries. They have a very slow discharge rate, and they have battery management systems which should keep the battery from discharging past a critical level, they have a much higher power density, and if warmed up properly they have superior cold weather performance. The drawbacks are that they are considerably more expensive, and if you let it go completely dead, you may not be able to recharge it. These batteries also require a charger specifically for lithium ion batteries, as they need to be charges at 13-14 volts. This being said if your motorcycle’s charging system is wearing down and doesn’t produce the required 13-14 volts while running, your battery wont charge and could run down past that critical level. One last thought here, maybe it’s good and maybe not…. Lithium Ion battery will deliver full power output until they are completely dead, that is awesome, but also means no warning of a progressively harder or slower starting crank.
When buying battery there are three things you want to pay attention to. Those are Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) , Amp Hours (Ah), and Battery Life. Cold Cranking Amps is the minimum current required to start your bike. The bigger the engine or the more gadgets you have hooked up to the battery (i.e. Stereo, extra led lights, heated gear) the more cold cranking amps you need. When an engine is cold from having sat overnight all the lubricating fluid has drain back into the reservoir, making that first crank more difficult and requiring more power to kick the engine over. Think about a pull start mower… that first couple pulls can be a beast, but when you stop for a cold beverage and go back its starts like butter on the first pull. That’s because the engine is already lubricated and warm. In this example you are the Cold Cranking Amps required to start the mower! Next is Amp hours this is your bikes ability to maintain a consistent power level. This is especially important when you stop for lunch and decide to check you battery by leaving the lights on! The more gadgets you have hooked up the quicker that battery drains. Your owner’s manual should tell you what the required minimum CCA’s and Ah’s are; however there is nothing wrong with going bigger. Lastly is the battery life, and this may be something that you have to do a bit of research on, this refers to the service life of the battery, which is measured in starting cycles. This number varies from 500 to 1200 cycles. Obviously finding a battery with a long battery life means that you will spend less on replacements but it also indicates that that battery will have enough power to get through most conditions it may be subjected to.
To sum everything up… remember You Get What You Pay for! Batteries that are under $100 are usually designed with thinner lead plates; they will discharge faster and have a shorter battery life. This means you’ll be replacing them or maintain them more often. Batteries that are more expensive should have the longer life (around 4 years with proper maintenance), and will require less maintenance. This means that you can spend more time in the wind and less time cursing waiting for the green light on the charger to come on… or trying to find jumper cables in the restaurant parking lot!