Battery Charging

[DianeinNM]

I bought a charger for my battery that's apparently been dead over the winter. Charged it up, took off the clips and decided to attach the rings so I can just attach it to the charger without taking off the side of the bike. Took me a few minutes and then I hooked it up to make sure it works. Then the charger showed "charging" again!

Does this mean in those few minutes it got that discharged? Or maybe the charger just shows that light at first so you think it's doing a good job?

I figure at this point I can:

1. Buy a meter to check the actual condition of the battery.

2. Buy a new battery, figuring this one's a goner.

3. Charge it, start it a few times, let it sit and see if it still works in the morning. If it does, I can ride it to work, right?

4. Other.

I have limited $$ for this, but I also figure doing stuff right is usually cheaper than trying to be cheap, in the long run. What do you guys think?

:-) Diane in NM