How to maintain your battery

Most riders won't notice that anything is amiss with their battery until they press the ignition switch and their motorcycle fails to start. With a little bit of luck, they might be able to recharge the battery, but that takes time. Should the battery have become deeply discharged, and beyond recovery, then it will need replacing, causing more time lost and unwelcome expense. Often overlooked, battery maintenance is simple and, apart from keeping your battery in top working condition, will also significantly extend its lifespan. What's not to like? MSL asked the battery saving experts at OptiMate to explain the theory behind the practice of battery maintenance.

The starting point is to differentiate between the two prominent battery chemistries used for motorcycles, and how they generate electricity.

Lead-acid (Pb)

This includes AGM (Advance Glass Mat), MF (Maintenance Free) and Gel, all of which contain lead plates and diluted sulphuric acid (AKA electrolyte). Power is generated through a chemical reaction at the surface of the plates, but two other things happen as a result. Lead-sulphate is produced and the electrolyte loses acidity (weakens).

Sulphate binds with the lead plates to form a soft snowflakelike crystal, called lead-sulphate. When the bike's engine is running, the battery recharges and the electricity flowing in reverses the chemical process, breaking up the lead-sulphate. This returns to the electrolyte and increases the acidity. 

Providing your motorcycle is ridden regularly, for a reasonable amount of time and at highway speeds, things should be fine. However, if your bike is parked up for several days, weeks or even months at a time, it will gradually self-discharge, producing lead-sulphate. Over time, the sulphate will harden on the lead plates and eventually create a barrier, which stops the weakened electrolyte from reacting with the lead. At which point the battery is dead.

Since a fully-charged battery has no lead-sulphate, using a basic charger-maintainer, like the OptiMate 1 Duo, will top up anything lost through selfdischarge. Simply connect to the battery when the bike is stored and it will automatically do the rest.