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Taking care of your motorcycle battery

7 May 2015

First National Battery supplies about 70 different types of batteries in order to meet the diverse requirements of motorcycles currently on SA roads. According to Andrew Webb, marketing director of First National Battery, there are some basic checks owners can perform at home or with a battery specialist at a local Battery Centre outlet, to assess battery capacity.

Top tips for proper motorcycle battery care:

Ensure your battery matches your bike's cold-cranking amp (CCA) requirement. This is a measurement of the battery's power at its lowest. If it's not displayed on the battery, find the correct reading through assistance from your nearest Battery Centre.
When getting a new battery, ensure it's less than six months old.
Using a digital voltmeter, check the voltage as it determines the state of charge:

Voltage	State of charge
12.7-13.2	100%
12.4	75%
12.1	50%
11.9	25%
11.8 or less	Discharged

If your battery charger indicates a full charge, but voltage is at 12.4V or less, the battery is sulphated. When a battery discharges, the natural by-product that forms is called sulphation. A high build-up will require a battery replacement.
If you're not using your motorbike in winter, remove the battery and store it in a location with a temperature of at least 15°C and make sure that it is fully charged when doing so.
Don't store your battery on concrete or metal surfaces as this accelerates the discharging of the battery over time. Rather opt for non-conductive surfaces such as wood, plastic or thick cardboard.
Get your battery regularly charged while it's in storage. Be careful - using the wrong charger will supply more current than your bike can handle.
Clean the terminals and any serious grime off the battery, and spray a little silicone spray or other protectants on the terminals and connecting hardware.

"Proper battery disposal is very important in reducing the risk of polluting our environment and controlling the quality of lead available to produce new batteries," says Webb. "Drop your old battery off at your nearest Battery Centre where it will be picked up and taken to our recycling facility."