New battery tips

hillbilly

hillbilly

Registered
I am in the process of putting acid in a new battery. Does anyone have any suggestions about how long to let it set before charging and the time to charge with how many amps?
Also for question two what brand of battery comes from Suzuki with a new bike. When I took the original battery out it was an Interstate brand. Is it possible that someone in the dealership pulled a switch on me? This was the first time I have had a battery fail after two years.
 
Charge for at least 24 hours . I use a tender whenever I won't be on my bike for more than a couple days
 
Upon adding acid to the battery it will activate the battery. If I remember correctly it will take about an hour to an hour and a half after adding acid for the battery to fully activate. I would then check the battery with a battery hydrometer if you have one, this will tell you how much charge the battery has and how much charge if any it needs.

Depending upon how much time you have and what type of charger you have I would charge the battery on the lowest amperage setting. A slow charge will produce less heat and heat is the killer of batteries. Also if your charger has an automatic function, use it so that when the battery is fully charged it will kick out instead of overcharging the battery. Overcharging also builds unwanted heat and can damage a battery causing it to have a shorter than expected life.

Trickle chargers are worth every penny, they keep the battery fully charged and active and will extend the life of the battery.

I used to work as a route salesman for an Interstate Battery distributor but that has been many a year ago. I still remember quite a bit but have forgotten even more. Interstate used to be a great battery. The longest I ever saw a battery last was 13 years and it was an Interstate. I remember it well as we were all shocked when we checked the manufacture date on it. Hard to say what caused the failure to yours, many factors could cause an early death to a battery.
 
Thanks for the quick answers. It's charging on two amps now.
One major question remains. Why was an Interstate Battery installed in a new Suzuki?
 
My 04 battery is a Yusa YT12A-BS

I believe the manual says: Charge if under 12V: 5A for 1 hr or 1.2A for 5-10 hrs; wait 30 min and check - if <12.5 recharge again; 13.0v 3 hr after 12 hr charge; (for a recharge)

On the battery it says Charge 1.2A for 5-10 hrs (for a recharge)

Excellent advice about battery tender. I put my standard charger on and forgot about it overnight. The next AM, the charger was pumping out 3 amps and the garage smelled of sulphuric acid Made the same mistake a few days later with my wife's bike. :banghead:

Yesterday I smartened up ans ordered the .5 amp mini Battery Tender on ebay for $28 shipped.

Note: some cheaper "battery tender' competitors are just trivkle chargers - they do not shut off when proper charge/voltage is reached - as I've found from testing one.

As to intitial charge: it's not that critical. But any good lead-acid battery may last 8 years or more if you use a battery tender.

Final note: AGM (absorbant gas mat) batteries are much more expensive but do not self-discharge as fast as regular lead acid batteries (including maintenance free/sealed batteries) so have an advantage for applications that are used infrequently for sit for extended periods.
 
hillbilly said:
Thanks for the quick answers. It's charging on two amps now.
One major question remains. Why was an Interstate Battery installed in a new Suzuki?
Click to expand...

Dealer may have needed a battery for a customer and didn't have one in stock then found it cheaper or easier to replace with the interstate?

Plenty of scenerios but only the dealer can tell for sure.
 
I let the acid soak on the strips over night before putting a charge on her
 
I thought all Busa batteries were gel batteries that have no place to put water or acid. Not so?
 
With my current job I've been on the road since October with a week off over New Years and I was home this past weekend. I just remove the negative (-) terminal when I leave. So far it has worked out good. I haven't had to charge or replace the battery. Still goin' strong.


P
 
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