[Evilbred]

So I left my bike ignition in the ON position when I was called in the house by the wife, going to come right back and go for a ride. Well it took longer than I expected, and I have the mind of a siv, so when I went back outside this morning to put the bike away before the rain, nothing, not a drop of juice.

I got the bike put away, but now I have a completely juiced battery. So a quick question, can I charge it back up with a normal car battery charger? The system is a 12v, so it should be fine right (newer style battery charger with a deep cycle and maintaince free setting) It's got settings for 10A and 2A, which is the smart choice?

It's a 2007 M50.

 

[jrygrn]

I would run it on the 2amp setting

 

[06m50]

Yep, just run it on the 2 amp setting for 4-6 hrs and you should be good.

 

[omegajim]

if you charge it too quickly it could boil over; so yes the lowest setting.

 

[Y2K]

Or use 10A for 10-15 minutes then start it and ride for a couple hours.

 

[artistic_gore]

Mine's so dead it won't take a charge. But yes, 2A for a couple of hours or 10A for a couple of minutes.

 

[fear_cartaidh]

Wow I realy feel the need to be cantankerous and argue something, but you are all spot on. :bluethum:

A hard dead battery that won't take a charge can also be zapped back to life with a couple minutes on "crank" then slow charged at two amp for a few hours. This is not advised if the battery will take a charge traditionally.

NMc

 

[300winmag]

^^^lus1:^^^

 

[burnchassis]

Jump start it ,then go for a ride.....regular jumper cables to your car will do it.
CS

 

[fear_cartaidh]

By the book: If you jump start with another 12v vehicle let them stay connected for 5min with both vehicles running. Bringing the RPMs up off idle on both vehicles. Then go for a ride. This will prevent damage to your bike's charging system.

NMc

 

[Easy Rider]

Or use 10A for 10-15 minutes then start it and ride for a couple hours.

Not a good idea for a couple of reasons: The 10A shock to a completely dead battery might guarantee that it never lives again........and the bikes charging system might not be able to finish the job..........so I agree with the others who said use the 2A setting and leave it connected for at least 10 hours.

I'd also suggest that he start shopping for a new battery because one that is run down that far often doesn't last for more than a couple of weeks.......or days.

 

[Easy Rider]

By the book:

By what book ???

Every book I ever read says to disconnect the cables immediately after the dead vehicle starts.......that's regardless of the vehicle type.....AND in addition when jumping a small battery with a large one, the large vehicle should be OFF.

It would not be a bad idea to leave the cables connected for a few minutes BEFORE trying to start the bike......with the car off.......but the rest of that stuff ?????????

 

[Purplefern]

Here we go again...

 

[Quantumcat]

Here we go again...

We need an "eating-popcorn" smilie for this stuff.

Nothing personal, but it is entertaining and sometimes informative. At the very least, it makes me want to explore the topic for different situations.

I rely on a Yuasa "smart" charger that will provide a higher amperage charge until somehow it knows that only a "trickle" charge is required. It then works off of some sort of feedback loop (supposedly) to continually provide a "trickle" charge. If a bike has sat for more than three months since I'd last ridden it, I'll slap on the charger 24-48 hours before I expect to ride. I don't know if that's the correct thing to do in consideration of the battery or charging system, but it just seemed prudent to me. It has seemed to work well for me so far.

 

[hanksta1969]

you know what they say about opinions they are just like as$%^les, everyone has one and no two are the same:lol4: so i might as well give mine nothing beats a good 8 to 10 hrs on a 1 or 2 amp charge ( never 10), but if you need to use the bike you can jump it with an auto (engine off) just make sure you run long enough to charge the batt so it will start next time you need it. it takes a long time to charge a batt properly. i use a 1amp motorcycle charger/maintainer and it has always worked well:bluethum:

 

[alexJohnston]

Y'all should really listen. Easy riders posts are manna from motorcycle heaven.

 

[300winmag]

Different strokes for different folks but at any rate I use a Schumacher 1.5A 6/12V Automatic Microprocessor Controlled Charger/Maintainer. Works like a damn.

 

[fear_cartaidh]

I see this all the time. A dead car in a mall parking lot. the owner calls the one buddy he knows with jumper cables. They hook up get the wounded vehicle started and drive away. But the wounded vehicle is still sitting on a 90% dead battery.

Say your average passenger car alternator is good for 115 amp. Say also a healthy battery can charge at a rate of 25-35 amp. This same car may take 50 amp to run this is everything from the computer to injectors, fuel pump etc.etc. At the point where the two cars are disconnected the wounded vehicle is charging the battery and powering everything else. Throw on the defrosters, headlights, radio and the like and you are now pulling the maximum 115 amp the car was built for. Here is the kicker, your alternator cannot maintain the maximum amperage for long before cooking the wires and solder out of it's self. It was only engineered to withstand about 80% output continuously.

The point is to never drive away on a mostly dead battery. So spend the extra ten minutes and save yourself the headache of a roasted charging system. What's more if you drive off with a 90% dead battery and the alternator does fail the battery may also need replacement as it will have gone through two consecutive drains and takes damage from such abuse.

Why the raised rpm? Ever watch somebodies headlights brighten as the car revs past 1200 rpm? You are not capable of producing maximum output at idle. Has to do with engine load, and the emissions requirements, and the likelihood you would actually need that amperage.

NMc

 

[Easy Rider]

Different strokes for different folks but at any rate I use a Schumacher 1.5A 6/12V Automatic Microprocessor Controlled Charger/Maintainer. Works like a damn.

Mine works like a charm. :mrgreen:

I have now decided that I don't like how the lights work on that particular model though.

The green light is on even when not connected so........you don't REALLY know when you first connect it if the battery is already fully charged OR if it isn't making good connection.

I found this out the hard way when using the cigarette lighter plug on my tractor last fall.
Green light stayed on.......but instead of having a fully charged battery, I had a blown fuse in the lighter adapter plug.

I've since gotten an additional one for a different location.....from Kmart of all places. It's similar to the Schumacher but all lights are OFF when powered up but not connected. A much better arrangement.

 

[The_Hamster]

I use one of these:

CTEK Multi US 3300 Battery Charger Review

C-Tek Multi Use 3300

It works like a charm. Has brought 3 motorcycle batteries back from the dead (wouldn't charge on bike or 2 amp car charger), and I have used it on cars stored for the winter as well. Very fine product indeed. :b-rock:

Also, it has motorcycle (small vehicle) setting, so it won't overcharge or wreck your battery like a car charger can. Also has a de-sulfation cycle to bring some of the lost capacity back out of an old or abused battery.