I've just realised, due to social commitments, weather and the hours of darkness it's been well over a month since I last took the bike out.
I'm away for Xmas so it will have been left a total of two months in the freezing garage without use.
Is it worth taking the battery out and popping in on my *8amp* charger for a while?
I'd like to take it out for a 2-3 hour blast but there simply won't be a chance.
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I would have thought an 8 amp charger is a bit big for a bike battery - they are fragile little things. I bought a 1 amp charger a few years ago, which is very handy for charging bike batteries and also for trickle charging car batteries. It wasn't very expensive. I believe a lead-acid battery gradually loses charge if it is left standing, so regular charging is an excellent idea on any vehicle not being used for a while. Also, if you leave a battery discharged, the plates get coated with hard lead sulphate, and it dies. And I think discharged batteries may be more prone to frost damage, but I could be wrong about that one.
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Richard Hall wrote:
>
> I would have thought an 8 amp charger is a bit big for a bike
> battery - they are fragile little things.
Yeah, I thought 8 amps would be OTT. I was hoping someone would say 'don't worry, use it, it'll be fine!'
I'll look around for a cheap trickle charger.
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Dave,
It's Christmas, treat yourself. Look in your jacket pocket and you'll find a thing called a wallet, money will come out as well as go in you know. ;-)
Buy a decent electronic charger for about £30. One that "manages" the charge rate. They are brilliant for leaving on extended periods and they will recover a nearly duff battery better than anything.
Firing in 8amps all night regardless of the batteries requirements is very 1960s!
David
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David W wrote:
>
> It's Christmas, treat yourself. Look in your jacket pocket
> and you'll find a thing called a wallet, money will come out
> as well as go in you know. ;-)
Bah, humbug!
> Buy a decent electronic charger for about £30. One that
> "manages" the charge rate. They are brilliant for leaving on
> extended periods and they will recover a nearly duff battery
> better than anything.
30 quid on something I can't eat, drink or wear? Have you completely taken leave of your senses?
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Dave,
But you're slipping already...
>30 quid on something I can't eat, drink or wear?
OK, the eat and drink bit is fine but luxuries such as clothes? Is there no charity shop near you? Don't say it's Next or nothing!
David
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David W wrote:
> OK, the eat and drink bit is fine but luxuries such as
> clothes? Is there no charity shop near you?
I'll go one better than that!
The other week in Brighton I saw a fairly well dressed woman scavenging the bags left outside a charity shop at night.
Very cunning idea!
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My wife runs a dress shop in the Cotswolds and she is constantly visited by people who scavenge top of the range designer clothing from skips, charity shops and dustbins. Usually from the posher parts of London and the big cities. £25 each, a quick dy clean and then on sale for at least £150. Good work if you can get it.
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Peter wrote:
>
> My wife runs a dress shop in the Cotswolds
Give us a clue Pete! Stow? Broadway?
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dave
Surely it's spend on the battery charger now, or buy the new battery later?
Either way it's an expenditure you can't eat drink or wear.
regards
John
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8 amps is definately OTT
I use a mini charger from my bike dealers which cost about £15. It hasn't got the sophisticated management systems david mentions but doesn't "cook" a motorcycle battery so long as you only leave it on dor two or three hours, but has enough output to top up a car battery if that gets low by leaving a light on.
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Brian wrote:
>
> 8 amps is definately OTT
>
> I use a mini charger from my bike dealers which cost about
> £15. It hasn't got the sophisticated management systems david
> mentions but doesn't "cook" a motorcycle battery so long as
> you only leave it on dor two or three hours, but has enough
> output to top up a car battery if that gets low by leaving a
> light on.
Hmmm sounds good to me! 15 quid.
If I put Tiny Tim in the workhouse this xmas I can probably run to that...
Or maybe I'll just leave it...
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I back up Brian's comment. My bike battery went flat last winter under similar circumstances. 'Ride' had just done a survey of battery chargers and I bought one of their 'Best Buys' from my local dealer. Very cheap but still with a cut-out to prevent overcharging. A car-type charger would wreck your bike battery.
DerekDave wrote:
>
> Brian wrote:
> >
> > 8 amps is definately OTT
> >
> > I use a mini charger from my bike dealers which cost about
> > £15. It hasn't got the sophisticated management systems david
> > mentions but doesn't "cook" a motorcycle battery so long as
> > you only leave it on dor two or three hours, but has enough
> > output to top up a car battery if that gets low by leaving a
> > light on.
>
> Hmmm sounds good to me! 15 quid.
>
> If I put Tiny Tim in the workhouse this xmas I can probably
> run to that...
>
> Or maybe I'll just leave it...
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Dave,
Look after your belly over the yuletide period . . . batteries not included!
S.
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Brill wrote:
> Look after your belly over the yuletide period . . .
I am! People keep telling me I look like Homer Simpson.
Doh!
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if you get an old dynamo and hook it up to a mouse excercie wheel and connect it to the battery you will be able to charge it with your pets instead of paying for a charger and electricty
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sam,
Really that post needed to come from ladas are slow!
David
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Why don't you just disconnect the battery, let it stand and give it a gentle charge just before you want to use it again? Okay so it may not be the ideal solution but I doubt that two months is going to wreck it beyond use.
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