Charging a battery [Archive]

tomtom7

06-30-2010, 09:07 PM

Didn't ride my bike for a month or so, and the lights would come on but my bike wouldn't start. I got a 6/2 charger, and hooked it up to my battery. It has been about 3 hours, and the meter on my Schumacker is showing that it's fully charged. Is it ok to disconnect it and try, or should I keep it connected for longer? Thanks in advance.

Tom

JWR

06-30-2010, 09:18 PM

YES

tomtom7

06-30-2010, 09:26 PM

How much longer would you suggest?

ncff07

06-30-2010, 09:44 PM

use the 2 amp setting.

tomtom7

06-30-2010, 09:52 PM

It's been on the 2 amp setting. Thanks for checking though. Just need to know how long I should wait at this point before I try connecting it to the bike. I can't wait to get it running again.

blaine

06-30-2010, 09:56 PM

Use the 2 amp setting and leave it on over night to ensure battery is fully charged.
http://www.postimage.org/templates/images/smiley/smiling/15.gif (http://www.postimage.org/)
:)

Oh,by the way welcome. :2tup:

patrick_777

06-30-2010, 10:06 PM

If you're planning on riding for a good 20 minutes or more, you can probably try hooking it back up and starting, but ONLY if you're going to ride at speed for a while. You may still want to hook it back up tonight and leave it on the 2amp charge overnight.

Water Warrior 2

06-30-2010, 10:20 PM

Invest in a Battery Tender. They will do a fine job without overcharging a battery. They may not charge a fully discharged battery but will help with a somewhat run down battery and help maintain the battery charge state over long periods of no riding.

Easy Rider

06-30-2010, 10:38 PM

It has been about 3 hours, and the meter on my Schumacker is showing that it's fully charged.

Oh for crying out loud. Has everyone been sipping bad Scotch today ???? :roll:

If you have a "smart" charger and it says its DONE, then it is.

Secondly, it is NOT necessary to remove the battery from the bike to charge it.....NOT.

Third, if your battery went flat after sitting only a few days.....or even a couple of weeks.....you are probably very near to needing a new battery.......or your charging system has failed.

I don't remember ANY reports of failed charging systems on here yet so my bet is on a worn out battery.

tomtom7

07-01-2010, 12:14 AM

Just tried it. It was definitely better than before, but it only chugged and the engine never caught (not sure what the correct terminology is here). I need to do some more research unless anyone has any suggestions.

Conditions of previous trial(s):
1. kill switch "on", or "off" depending on how you look at it. Basically the starter ran fine.
2. Tried it with prime, no prime with little throttle, prime with little throttle, and both with a lot of throttle.
3. even tried to push start it (as I read on some article here), but I couldn't even get it into 3rd. Tried it on 2nd, but there's no hill here and it didn't work.

Anyways, thanks for your help. I'm definitely getting a battery tender so this won't ever happen again.

tomtom7

07-01-2010, 12:23 AM

Forgot to mention that I also tried:
4. choke full, choke medium, no choke

blaine

07-01-2010, 01:08 AM

Sounds to me like it is flooded,Leave it on the charger till morning than try to start.If It still wont start you may need to take spark plug out and dry it off or install a new one.
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tomtom7

07-01-2010, 02:15 AM

Will do. Thanks Blaine. Love the rock on smiley btw. :)

tomtom7

07-01-2010, 02:17 AM

Oh sorry, one more thing. If it is flooded, what choke, prime, throttle combination should I try for my first attempt at starting it?

Water Warrior 2

07-01-2010, 02:42 AM

Oh sorry, one more thing. If it is flooded, what choke, prime, throttle combination should I try for my first attempt at starting it?
I would think the normal starting procedure would work.

Easy Rider

07-01-2010, 11:16 AM

I would think the normal starting procedure would work.

Which is: 1/2 to 3/4 choke and do NOT touch the throttle until it actually fires.
Since you "primed" it yesterday, no need to repeat that.

tomtom7

07-01-2010, 06:34 PM

She's back up and running. Thank you all so much for your help!! The silver lining on this mechanical trouble is that now I know how to charge and tend a battery, and replace a spark plug if needed (wasn't needed in this case but I took it out and checked it out just in case). Gogo gz250's!

blaine

07-01-2010, 07:16 PM

Excellent.Good luck.Ride safe.

http://www.postimage.org/templates/images/smiley/character/8.gif (http://www.postimage.org/)

Easy Rider

07-01-2010, 07:43 PM

The silver lining on this mechanical trouble is that now I know how to charge and tend a battery, ........

What exactly did you do (the spark plug we already know about) ??

What's your plan of attack for the future ??

tomtom7

07-01-2010, 08:16 PM

I fully charged the battery again (had to remove it since I don't have an outlet in my apartment garage) and took out the spark plug to see if it was wet/fouled. Did a spark test (as per your directions on another post) as well. This morning it started with no prime, no throttle, and full choke. I tried to back off the choke, but the bike stalled when I did that. I had to keep the choke on pretty high for a while (I read that that's bad, but it was either that or stall). I started riding it around in 1st gear while reducing the choke as it warmed up.

I think the primary issue was a depleted battery and a flooded engine due to my repeated attempts to prime and start .

Plan of attack: Purchased Battery Tender and will use during extended storage. Using gumout for the next few tanks of gas. Going to learn about lubrication methods next.

ncff07

07-01-2010, 09:36 PM

Just curious here, where did you put the battery when you charged it?

tomtom7

07-01-2010, 09:39 PM

On my dining table. I opened all of the windows. Is that bad? I read about fumes, sulfuric acid, and such, but I'm still alive and nothing is on fire...yet.

Water Warrior 2

07-01-2010, 09:52 PM

Set the battery and charger beside the stove and turn on the fan above the stove. But not a good idea during Xmas or Thankgiving.

blaine

07-01-2010, 09:59 PM

The main concern when charging a battery is sparks because the fumes are explosive.Also never store a battery on bare concrete as it will ruin a good battery.
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tomtom7

07-01-2010, 10:10 PM

Roger that for next time. The stove thing with the fan is a good call. I didn't even imagine the concrete thing. Thanks for the heads up.

alantf

07-02-2010, 06:02 AM

never store a battery on bare concrete as it will ruin a good battery.

Howdyou work that out? never heard of it before. How does concrete damage whatever a battery's made of? :??:

bonehead

07-02-2010, 08:13 AM

Rebar in the concrete draws out the charge some how. I don't know the physics behind it, but I have had batteries delivered to my shop and have found them days later sitting on the concrete and checked them with a meter and they have discharged quite a bit.

GZ Jess

07-02-2010, 12:15 PM

I have a few questions about battery charging.

Does a battery fully charge while riding the bike at a speed range of 20-45 mph?
How long would it take for this charge?

I killed my battery a couple of weeks ago from leaving the key in on position to use headlight to review a map at night (I know dumb) and after having a jump, I haven't had any issues. I do have a battery tender and just didn't know if it was a good idea to get a good overnight charge or if my riding has charged it and I shouldn't worry until I either store it for a while or have a battery issue.

Thanks, Jessica

blaine

07-02-2010, 12:53 PM

If you went a couple of weeks with no issues than you are fully charged by now, no worries.
http://www.postimage.org/templates/images/smiley/sporty/45.gif (http://www.postimage.org/)

Easy Rider

07-02-2010, 01:06 PM

I had to keep the choke on pretty high for a while (I read that that's bad, but it was either that or stall).

Plan of attack: Purchased Battery Tender and will use during extended storage. Using gumout for the next few tanks of gas. Going to learn about lubrication methods next.

That useage of the choke is NOT bad.....partly since it is not a "real" choke. It is necessary and normal. That situation might improve a bit as the Gumout does it's work.

Good plan. IF you find your battery dead again, might as well start looking for a new one (after having the charging system checked). Don't fall into the trap of keeping it "alive" by using the tender all the time.

What's a "lubrication method" ?? Could that be "How to change my oil."? :biggrin:

Easy Rider

07-02-2010, 01:12 PM

The main concern when charging a battery is sparks because the fumes are explosive.

Also never store a battery on bare concrete as it will ruin a good battery.

If it is an OEM type battery, it is SEALED and fumes should NOT be a problem. Best to avoid open flames anyway, I think.

The concrete floor thing is an old wives tale. Sorry but it's crap.

Storing a conventional lead acid battery ANYWHERE more that 4 months or so is bad because they "self discharge" at a rate of about 5% a week; the older it is, the faster it goes.

Thus, after 16 weeks unattended, it is about 80% dead. If allowed to remain 80% discharged for very long, it sulphates so bad that the cells short out.

Easy Rider

07-02-2010, 01:15 PM

Rebar in the concrete draws out the charge some how.
I don't know the physics behind it, ........

That's because there ISN"T ANY. :cool:

I wonder is Snopes has anything on "batteries on concrete" ??

Easy Rider

07-02-2010, 01:22 PM

Does a battery fully charge while riding the bike at a speed range of 20-45 mph?
How long would it take for this charge?

That depends on a lot of factors but the general answer is: Yes, probably; maybe 50 miles total.
BUT.....5 trips of 10 miles each wouldn't be as effective as one 50 mile ride......because of the 4 extra starts involved.

If you have a tender it certainly would be good to connect it overnight just to be sure......or at least long enough for the "green light" to come on......assuming that it has one.

The charging systems on modern bikes aren't very "robust" and sometimes will not fully recharge a really dead battery not matter how long you ride. Better to be safe because a battery ages a LOT faster if it remains partially discharged for a long time. (Automotive type batteries only.)

tomtom7

07-02-2010, 08:40 PM

Easy Rider

07-02-2010, 09:46 PM

I'm currently focused on draining the float bowl though :)

Got a little chuckle out of that one.

Already got the cup, got a screwdriver, the hose is already attached.....and you know how the petcock works...........

You could have DONE it about twice in the time it took to type that last reply !!
:tup: :biggrin: