Charging a bike battery

[PioneerUrban]

My battery died, so this is the first time that I need to charge it.

I have a charger that has 2 amps, 10 amps and a 50 amps charge. The 50 seems like it's too much.

Should I put my battery on the 2 amps charge overnight? Or, use the 10 amp charge for a few hours?

Is there a certain charger for my bike that I should get?

TIA!

[jonnythan]

My battery died, so this is the first time that I need to charge it.

I have a charger that has 2 amps, 10 amps and a 50 amps charge. The 50 seems like it's too much.

Should I put my battery on the 2 amps charge overnight? Or, use the 10 amp charge for a few hours?

Is there a certain charger for my bike that I should get?

TIA!

2 amps is certainly on the high side for charging a motorcycle battery. 10 is definitely too much.

The best bet would be to pony up $30 or so and get a low-amperage charger like a Battery Tender Jr.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Ju ... 886&sr=8-5

[flynrider]

I think 2 amps should do the trick. I've got a pile of MC chargers I've collected over the years. Most are in the 1.5 amp range, but the one I've been using lately is a 2 amp. Haven't had any problems with it overcharging. A dead battery should take 6-8 hrs. to charge at a 2 amp rate. Don't leave it on there too long. A lot of these chargers don't have an auto-shutoff feature and you could end up boiling the battery.

For dead flooded cell batteries, the best way to bring them back is a slow charge over a long period. Quick charging at high rates can cause the plates to warp or sulfate excessively. That tends to shorten the life of the battery.

[Savvy1400]

2 amps is just right for a motorcycle battery, but try to get yourself a good cheap battery tender with an automatic shut-toff, so as to not overcharge your battery and possibly damage it.

This just from experience

Savvy

[PioneerUrban]

Thanks for the responses.

I found one on ebay that was a fair price and bought it.

I had my battery on the 2 amp charge for a few hours, but it got too dark to re-install it. I'll do that tomorrow and hopefully, it'll fire up.

Thanks again!

[RoadRocket]

Many years ago I charged a bike charge using a 10 amp charger and it wrecked it. I looked at the label on the battery afterwards and in small print it said: Maximum Charge 0.5 Amps.

I now use an Optimate smart charger that you can connect to the battery all the time.

This works by testing the battery first and if the plates are sulphated, (which is common on batteries that don't get enough use) they give the battery a short charge at 0.2 Amps at 20 Volts. This doesn't harm the battery but gets rid of the sulphation. After a set period it stops charging, tests the battery again and providing it's OK it will then charge the battery normally.

They are a very good piece of kit:

http://www.accumate.co.uk/it010003.html