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Few tips about the battery maintenance

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  • #1

    Few tips about the battery maintenance

    I searched the entire forum and was unable to find a dedicated thread for the battery maintenance, so thought of coming up with few tips which would be helpful.
    Most of us would already be following these, but there are possibilities that it can be ignored assuming that its not a vital part of the bike.
    In olden days when the kick start was the only means to start a bike, the battery was only used to power the lights, horn. But, its a different story about the modern machines which totally depends on the battery for the electric start. And finally coming to the bikes which run on points, the battery is pretty much the heart of performance for bikes which run on CB points
    The average life span of a 12V battery is anywhere from 2 years to 2 1/2 years, provided regular maintenance is carried out.
    There are two types of battery, the old traditional battery and the maintenance free battery, as the name suggests the maintenance free battery requires very less maintenance.

    Here are a few tips about the battery maintenance.
    1. Disconnect the negative terminal first and then the positive terminal.

    2. Do not disconnect the overflow tube from the battery

    There are chances of the battery acid spilling on the bike or clothes. The clothes gets damaged when comes in contact with the battery acid and bike parts also gets damaged by that. So, take extra care. Wash off immediately if its comes in contact with the skin. Use proper clothing as a safety measure.
    3. Do not Place the battery on concrete surface as this will cause the battery to discharge, wooden surface is more preferable.
    4. Once in a month check the level of the battery fluid or more frequently. It should be somewhere between max and min level. Top the battery with only distilled water, tap water contains mineral which is not good for the battery. The cells are not interconnected, each cell needs to be topped up individually. You can find distilled water in the gas station. Maintenance free battery doesn't need to be topped up.
    5. Reinstall the red cap on the top of the battery.
    6. Make sure that there is no corrosion on the end of the cables or on the terminals. Use a brush to remove the corrosion from the terminals.

    7. Place the battery in the compartment, fasten it and make sure it doesn't move.
    8. Connect the positive terminal and followed by negative.
    9. Apply petroleum jelly on the terminals to avoid corrosion.
    10. Make sure that the overflow tube is hanging below the motorcycle frame and also make sure there is no blockage in the tube.

    Short ride uses more battery, the bike needs to be run at highway speeds for it to get charged. If the bike is not run for a long time, the battery needs to be removed from the bike and stored in a cool place and needs to topped up and charged regularly.
    I am sorry if I have missed any points, this is my first DIY thread so kindly bear with me. Looking forward for more inputs from You all.
    Last edited by Ri$hi; 01-13-2012, 07:25 PM.
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  • #2
    Topic approved and moved.
    (Been There Done That) x 3.25

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Ri$hi View Post
      1. Disconnect the negative terminal first and then the positive terminal.

      what is the reason for this

      3. Do not Place the battery on concrete surface as this will cause the battery to discharge, wooden surface is more preferable.

      again can you provide a reason for this.
      also it is very important that never let your battery be deep discharged.
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      • #4
        Originally posted by sunilg View Post
        Topic approved and moved.
        Thanks for the approval sunil

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        • #5
          @princesirohi:
          By disconnecting the negative battery cable, you remove the "ground," shutting off power to your system

          Wood and plastic are bad conductor of electricity it won't let the battery to discharge unlike the concrete

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          • #6
            It is a safety issue. The reason is that when you are using a wrench to disconnect the battery cable you can easily touch a portion of the vehicle that is grounded. If you were disconnecting the positive + cable first and you accidently touch a metal part the vehicle you will create a massive short circuit with the fireworks involved. The wrench in your hand will become an arc welder. By disconnecting the negative - cable first there is no danger of this happening as touching a metal part of the vehicle will do nothing as you are already working with the ground. Always disconnect the ground cable first and then you can move to the positive cable without worries.

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            • #7
              Nice piece of Information Rishi. Very informative

              and Make sure you use multiple quotes bro while u quote the message
              Monsoon ride to the God's own country

              Being a biker. Is it easier said than done? What makes a biker?Anyone who rides for the love of it..!!

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Ri$hi View Post
                @princesirohi:
                By disconnecting the negative battery cable, you remove the "ground," shutting off power to your system


                so.... what..?? power will be disconnected from the system even if you remove +ve wire first

                Wood and plastic are bad conductor of electricity it won't let the battery to discharge unlike the concrete

                this is news to me
                • that concrete is a good conductor of electricity
                • and battery gets discharged, just by keeping on concrete.


                Originally posted by Ri$hi View Post
                It is a safety issue. The reason is that when you are using a wrench to disconnect the battery cable you can easily touch a portion of the vehicle that is grounded. If you were disconnecting the positive + cable first and you accidently touch a metal part the vehicle you will create a massive short circuit with the fireworks involved. The wrench in your hand will become an arc welder. By disconnecting the negative - cable first there is no danger of this happening as touching a metal part of the vehicle will do nothing as you are already working with the ground. Always disconnect the ground cable first and then you can move to the positive cable without worries.

                even if negative wire is disconnected first. and then while disconnecting the positive wire, the so called "wrench" may touch metal body part, if it does, there will be fireworks.

                btw, nobody uses a wrench to remove battery wire, a screw driver is sufficient, and it has plastic cover at back.
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                • #9
                  Originally posted by I.S.Avinash View Post
                  Nice piece of Information Rishi. Very informative and Make sure you use multiple quotes bro while u quote the message
                  Thanks Avinash

                  Originally posted by princesirohi View Post
                  even if negative wire is disconnected first. and then while disconnecting the positive wire, the so called "wrench" may touch metal body part, if it does, there will be fireworks.

                  btw, nobody uses a wrench to remove battery wire, a screw driver is sufficient, and it has plastic cover at back.
                  Most of us do not have easy access to the philips screw driver, so we might use a normal screw driver, I myself use a spanner as the slot in the screw got damaged by using a normal screw driver

                  Originally posted by princesirohi View Post
                  so.... what..?? power will be disconnected from the system even if you remove +ve wire first.
                  This is the right procedure to disconnect the terminals, most of the mechanics also don't follow this. Most of the mechanics don't go through a professional training and education regarding the bike maintenance and repair. They only learn through their experience and keep doing the same mistakes what their gurus do, they don't change unless they have a bad experience. As a rider we need to follow all the safety measures while riding and while dealing with minor repairs.

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                  • #10
                    I have few more things to add.

                    Green and white ashy substances on and around the terminals and wires are corrosion and must be removed before proceeding. To remove corrosion, mix a solution of baking soda and water and pour over both terminal ends. The mixture will fizz and bubble and this is normal. Repeat this until both terminals look cleaned up. Wipe up mess around the terminals with a paper towel and discard in the trash.
                    Be extra careful not to let the positive terminal touch any metal part of the vehicle. When both posts of the battery are free of terminal ends, pour more baking soda mixture on those posts and scrub them with a wire brush until shiny. This will make a good contact and ensure proper starting abilities. Next use a wire brush to clean inside and on top of each terminal end to ensure good contact with posts when placed back on.

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                    • #11
                      @ Ri$hi....Technically correct and useful posts, and i wish to add a few things I had learnt in time.
                      1. Disconnecting the negative terminal as said is the" Correct" way. If you see the + ve terminal of most vehicles the terminal will have thicker wire,and more than one wire getting attached..so it will be more stiff and will be difficult to remove cleanly without touching body...while a -ve terminal is connected to body and accidental touching of the terminal connection to body will not cause any problem,irrespective of the tool used for removal.
                      With negative terminal disconnected even if the +ve terminal touches the body there will be no short circuiting or sparks..since the - ve circuit is broken.

                      2. I had heard many times from battery guys that keeping the battery on the floor is not good and will lead to discharge,and should be on a wooden support. I don't believe in this, since the very place the battery sits in all vehicle is on a metal frame, and that too held down very tight.

                      3. cleaning of any battery terminal can be done AWAY from it's mounting area to avoid spill of corrosive Acid or the deposits on the terminal ,which is equally bad.
                      Just my thought
                      When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by psr View Post
                        I don't believe in this, since the very place the battery sits in all vehicle is on a metal frame
                        Most of the bike comes with a plastic compartment for the battery, not sure what bike are you talking about

                        Originally posted by psr View Post
                        cleaning of any battery terminal can be done AWAY from it's mounting area
                        Yes, very correctly said, it would be a mess if we do this from the mounting area. But if we take good care of the battery, there would be no sign of corrosion. Covering the terminals with vaseline will do the task.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Ri$hi View Post
                          Most of the bike comes with a plastic compartment for the battery, not sure what bike are you talking about
                          HH Karizma, ZMR, Bajaj KB 100 , RX100..etc.,...
                          and of course all cars have metal frame mounting for the battery.
                          Last edited by psr; 01-13-2012, 01:34 PM.
                          When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by psr View Post
                            HH Karizma, ZMR, Bajaj KB 100 , RX100..etc.,...
                            and of course all cars have metal frame mounting for the battery.
                            I own RX100 myself, I don't think it has metal compartment, not sure if the previous owner has done some mods or not. Anyway its a good question its something for us to think about

                            Even though the compartment is made of iron, the tyres are of rubber so the earthing won't happen. Don't laugh by reading this

                            Can we charge the battery at home? If yes, what all things do we need to do that?
                            Last edited by sunilg; 01-14-2012, 11:33 AM.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Ri$hi View Post
                              I own RX100 myself, I don't think it has metal compartment, not sure if the previous owner has done some mods or not. Anyway its a good question its something for us to think about
                              May be...I owned a RX100 way back in 86/87 and I remember having corrosion problem with the battery box when the SVC overfilled the Electrolyte.

                              Originally posted by Ri$hi
                              Even though the compartment is made of iron, the tyres are of rubber so the earthing won't happen. Don't laugh by reading this
                              As a qualified Electronic Engineer i can assure you that the tire made of rubber does not matter. For the battery to discharge, there needs to be a flow of Electrons between the Terminals...If a potential strong enough to react to positive or negative of the battery exists ,it is in the battery itself, at close space,...and what exists on earth is not strong enough to discharge a battery.

                              Originally posted by Ri$hi
                              Can we charge the battery at home? If yes, what all things do we need to do that?
                              To charge a Lead Acid battery at home you need a Lead Acid battery charger...If you are into Electronic DIY I can post a dedicated charger circuit,which you can build yourself.
                              When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

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