Step 5. 2. The alternator is fitted with a regulator that charges the battery while you ride. After a day on the charger the battery measured 14.88 volts with charger attached. That is such a small amount that if you let your motorcycle idle for 10-15 minutes, you’re really not charging your battery all that much. Technically, a motorcycle battery does charge while the motorcycle is idling though it does not provide as much amperage as when the motorcycle is at higher speeds. A low or failing battery can cause crazy readings during your testing. If the battery begins to hold and then steadily drops in voltage, there is a problem. The job of the Stator is to convert mechanical energy from the engine back into electricity. My battery is 2 years old, and I usually keep it on a battery tender. However, there are some signs a battery is dying and needs some attention. The relationship between your motorcycle battery and engine functions much in the same way as a car battery. If you are guilty of not riding, take your motorcycle out for a long ride, including a nice stretch at highway speed. What Voltage Should A Motorcycle Battery Read When Running Uncategorized February 7, 2019 0 masuzi How to test a motorcycle battery revzilla should i replace my motorcycle battery how to test a motorcycle battery revzilla motorcycle battery voltages and what When your engine starts running, pull in the clutch and apply some gas. The battery is fully charged, but when I go to crank it, it cranks extremely slowly, then the steady clicking sound of a dead battery. Batteries can really only handle this a couple times before being unable to take a full charge again. Motorbike batteries are made up from a combination of such cells connected in series to give the required voltage. 4) If you go to start your engine and it “struggles” more than usual, it is possible your battery is not holding a sufficient charge (hovering too low in the acceptable range). It should be around 12 Volts. Motorcycle Battery Maintenance. Posted in automobile Tagged 12 volts , voltage Check out the HappyWrench Motorcycle Repair Link Database. Not starting? This might remedy the problem; otherwise, you may need to replace. AGM batteries may have slightly higher voltage readings after a full charge. This sort of “test” really requires “knowing” your bike. Once the motorcycle is started, the stator (or alternator) takes over and powers the electrical components on the motorcycle. When running at a normal slow cruising engine RPM, the voltage across the battery terminals should stay over 14.3 volts even with full load, like lights, heater blower, and everything else, running. when the bike is being ridden), the voltage level being put back into the motorcycle battery increases to around 13.5 to 14.5 volts and it's the extra power being produced when the bike is being ridden that charges the battery. no load). Next, start the bike and run the engine at about 2000 rpm and measure the battery voltage again. In order to start a motorcycle, you need at least 12.2 volts, or a … Tires are one of the most important things on any vehicle in regard to performance and safety. If the battery was dead before, it’ll go back down to whatever low voltage it had before getting started. While that is true when the bike is running, it’ll go back down to 12.6 -ish when you turn it off. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies, link to Why Do Motorcycle Tires Cup? In 1999 I was riding a rented Harley that diedabout four hours after leaving the rental office. With a little TLC, you can extend the life of your motorcycle battery. First, measure the battery voltage with the ignition switch off (i.e. Say you are stuck in stop-and-go traffic, you’ll still be using the throttle several times to move the bike forward those few feet. It is actually the alternator’s job to charge the battery. The carburetor may also have a fuel leak which leads to the engine starved from the right amount of fuel it needs to run efficiently. Batteries can last for several years before going bad. Help diagnosing start up/battery drain problem. Hook up your DVOM in the same manner you did for the standing voltage test, and have an assistant thumb the starter. If you take a digital reader and connect it to the battery while its running it’ll say something along the lines of 13, 14, or 15 volts. The full range of the battery is from just over 14 volts (when being charged by the bike running at high RPMs) down to 10.5 volts (under heavy load, for example, when the lights are on and the bike is being started). A constant reading of 13.5 to 14.5 volts should be present. They can be expensive, so it makes sense that a rider will do everything they can to prolong the life of the battery on their bike. There are a few things you can do if you wish to provide a little bit more amperage to your battery if you find yourself doing a lot of city driving and have to idle your bike frequently. He started HappyWrench in 2017 as he wanted to share his passion for motorcycles with other people. They are only called this to distinguish between other types of batteries. Q. I have all sorts of electrical problems with my bike. It turned out to be a loose connection from the stator back to the battery so the motorcycle was running on battery spark. Gases from car batteries. What Every Rider Should Know. 3) You have discharged your motorcycle battery completely several times. For more information as to why a motorcycle struggles idling or sputters, see my other article by clicking here. Place the voltmeter leads to the battery terminals. If you intend on doing this for longer periods of time or doing it several times in one day, be sure to give the motorcycle a good few revs while it’s stationary so you can ensure that battery gets the charge it needs. You can do this by revving your motorcycle a little while you’re at an idle. So,... My name is Kyle Cannon and I love everything about motorcycles. Most motorcycles have something called a stator. A healthy motorcycle charging system puts out about 14 volts at 2,000 rpm, and a lithium battery needs between 13 and 14 volts to charge. Why Do Motorcycle Tires Cup? What my article should tell you is if the bike is generating power and the battery is holding power. A lot of riders are aware that the battery is charged while the motorcycle is running, but some wonder if idling provides the same charge. 8. This is designed to have an output of about 15 volts. Content is king and will continue to be rolled out. Technically, the battery is getting a charge while the motorcycle is idling. We’ve discussed that the most important function of a battery on a motorcycle is to get it started. With that being said, many may wonder if it’s good for a motorcycle to rev it like this. On almost every motorcycle you will find a battery, used for providing power for starting the bike and for buffering an amount of electric energy. A good battery should read between 12.4 to 12.6 volts, 12.6v being optimal. When your car is running the cars alternator is charging the battery, this is why you should see a higher voltage. Lately I have been having cranking issues. If your battery is charging perfectly but your motorcycle still seems to keep killing the battery. 0. Is your battery giving you issues? Didn’t find what you needed in this particular post? How can I tell if a flat car battery is charging when hooked up to a trickle charger? Understanding this concept may seem a bit complicated, but if you keep reading I can explain exactly what happens with the battery during an idle and what you can do to optimize the power your motorcycle provides. Continue riding your motorcycle for 15 to 30 minutes to recharge the battery. Batteries have a finite life, so try to keep track of when your last battery was installed (check for date stamp on battery). link to Does The Battery Affect Motorcycle Performance. 12.6 volts is considered a 100% charged battery, 12.4 volts is considered 75% charged, and 12.2 volts is considered 50% charged. To check for voltage, the motorcycle must be running and should be at about 2000 rpm. The primary battery voltage is dictated by the chemistry of the lead acid cell. It’s either a goner or it has been deep cycled, and a battery can only be deep-cycled a limited number of times before it is indeed dead. the battery is already dead and/or you are stuck on the side of the road). If your battery is getting old and starting to have issues, you'll probably wonder if it has any affect on your motorcycle's performance. The output from the stator on most modern bikes is three phase (hence the 3 wires) alternating current at a peak voltage well over the 12-14V DC voltage that your electrical system requres. The battery becomes fully charged when the motorcycle is full-on running. We think of motorcycle batteries as being 12V, but they actually hold more and more is required to start the bike. As RPMs increase, the battery voltage should increase closer to 14 volts temporarily as the battery is being charged. For example, a fully charged battery at rest should be between 12.6 and 12.75 volts. Knowing how a battery works on a motorcycle can make life a whole lot easier for any motorcyclist. Shift your motorcycle into neutral. Start the engine and check the voltage while doing so. When turning the key to start, all lights turn off and engine won't start. Car batteries have far more capacity than motorcycle batteries. 2. However, revving a motorcycle engine too much (meaning for a long period of time, longer than five seconds per rev) then you can start wearing out the engine. While the battery is often the culprit of issues a motorcycle can have, it likely isn’t your problem in this case. During a normal ride, a motorcycle provides about 13, 14, or 15 amps while idling only provides less than 1 amp. Fully charged and in peak condition, each cell has a voltage across it’s terminals of 2.1v. Video-Is your Harley-Davidson or other brand motorcycle seem to be cranking over slowly when starting? Use a battery tender – Ideally, you want to keep your motorcycle battery at 100% all the time. Batteries need to be used to stay healthy. Knowing how the battery is charged is important. So if you didn’t have much of a problem getting your motorcycle started, you’ll know the battery is okay. When a battery charger has been disconnected from the battery for one to two hours, a fully charged Conventional battery should read 12.6 volts (12.8 volts with Sulphate Stop) or higher. Motorcycle Battery maintenance tips. Myths About Engine Coolant and When to Replace It. Your motorcycle functions either off of a 6-volt (early 60s-70s) or a 12-volt system. We know that idling does charge the battery, but not to the amount it fully needs in order to completely recharge the battery. If it reads below those values then your battery is not keeping a full charge. If a battery reads 12 volts at rest, it is almost fully depleted. Lastly, the carburetor could potentially have a timing issue which means the air/fuel screw needs to be adjusted. Similarly, you may just be starting up your bike to brush off some dust and not really need to take it anywhere. If you look at a trickle charger, most of them have a 2 amp setting or a 6 amp quick charge setting which is what your motorcycle needs at the very least to obtain a constructive charge. Okay that’s it for sleuthing on your motorcycle battery. During an idle, the stator is outputting a small amount of excess amperage that will provide that little charge to the battery, but not enough to do a full complete charge. Through the system of the stator, the battery is recharged so it can start the battery again in the future. The battery really has no essential function while the bike is on. The good news is that all you really need is a few minutes of a good run on the motorcycle for the battery to get the full amperage it needs to recharge for the next start up. If you’re readings are significantly higher or lower than these then it would indicate a … 6. Slow to turn over the bike? This blog is where I report everything I’ve learned about motorcycles and what I continue to learn. It only takes a tiny bit of maintenance once a month or so to keep it running well. One common misconception people believe is that a 12-volt battery is actually a 12-volt battery. If you have any comments, questions or have other ideas, please reach out via the Contact Page. That excess amperage goes to power other things such as the lights, spark plugs, and other electrical components. Anon A. But it is such a small amount of charge that it will not be able to top off a battery, especially a battery that is about dead. After turning ignition off the voltage held at 12.85 v. Christopher was born in a small-town NY and, over the years, owned a couple dozen different motorcycles, ranging from cruiser to enduro, Japanese to American. More specifically, the carburetor may have a vacuum leak which means there’s too much air in the air-to-fuel ratio the carburetor is giving the engine. Does your battery seem to be going bad? This NEEDS to be correctly charged and tested before you start and troubleshooting. Most motorcycles require a 12 volt battery. When I first started riding motorcycles, I would always look at the battery first if any of my bikes had trouble starting. In moderation, revving a motorcycle engine isn’t bad. If a battery reads 12 volts at rest, it is almost fully depleted. The voltage, when the engine is running, should be in the range of 13.5-14.7 volts. When a motorcycle has an issue running, a safe assumption would be issues with the battery. Good preventative maintenance is simply to change a battery when it gets close to the end of its serviceable life. Perform a current draw test When the lights are on the battery seems to lose charge even when the engine is running. A battery tender for a motorcycle is a device that plugs into any standard AC wall outlet and transfers power via amperage to a motorcycles 12-volt battery to keep it charged. If you are experiencing poor idle while out on your motorcycle, the most likely place the issue lies is within the carburetor. amzn_assoc_placement="adunit0";amzn_assoc_search_bar="true";amzn_assoc_tracking_id="happywrench-20";amzn_assoc_search_bar_position="bottom";amzn_assoc_ad_mode="search";amzn_assoc_ad_type="smart";amzn_assoc_marketplace="amazon";amzn_assoc_region="US";amzn_assoc_title="Shop Related Products";amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase="motorcycle battery";amzn_assoc_default_category="All";amzn_assoc_linkid="eb9b23c213b2a78013f0801eb326cc09";amzn_assoc_rows="1"; Keep in mind though that if the voltage doesn’t increase at higher RPMs, this could point to an issue with the alternator. Moderation is key, so occasional revs to give that battery a boost should suffice. ... Actually, if a battery’s resting voltage is only 12.0 to 12.1 it means only 20 to 25% of its useful energy remains. As long as you get those several minutes in of a good run on the motorcycle, you shouldn’t have to worry about how much idling you’re doing. The starter should be running at normal speed. That said, we are not going to stop there. (The procedure for measuring the battery voltage was previously described in the multimeter section.) The battery is a 12.6 volt battery. However, it’s important to note that normal riding may not be enough to fully charge the battery … What Every Rider Should Know. While it is necessary to have one car running when trying to jump-start another car, motorbike batteries don’t require the same amount of energy, so the car should be left off for the duration of this process. So, does a motorcycle battery charge while idling? The actual number of the voltage is not terribly important. A good battery should not drop below 9.6 volts over 10 seconds or so. If so could be a bad voltage regulator--if so may be overcharging battery Check voltage readings at battery should be around 14.2 with car running -- if much higher than this voltage regulator is bad. If the voltage instantly drops to 0 volts, that is also a problem. This is designed to have an output of about 15 volts. To get a bit technical, the exact voltage is 12.6. The battery is a 12.6 volt battery. Battery: This is a huge part of your charging system. 1) It is more than “4-ish” years old. It is a one-stop shop for all your DIY motorcycle repair information needs. This site is owned and operated by Cannon Entities LLC. By your bike just sitting there idling, you’re probably putting in less than one amp. The full range of the battery is from just over 14 volts (when being charged by the bike running at high RPMs) down to 10.5 volts (under heavy load, for example, when the lights are on and the bike is being started). Does The Battery Affect Motorcycle Performance? If you enjoyed this blog post, please like or share on Facebook, tweet on Twitter, or like on Instagram. The battery is there to power the electrical components of the bike when the engine is not running. On a good battery, the voltage will drop to around 10 to 11 volts as you start the engine. The stator is always outputting the 13-15 amps, but the more revolutions inside the engine provides more voltage. This is the proper voltage that will allow the battery to recharge properly. With charger unhooked voltage reads 13.85. If your bike produces less than that because of a tired charging system, the lithium battery will not charge, and it … Most motorcycles have something called a stator. If this system was in a restored 1966 GT coupe, I would probably change the regulator to reduce maximum alternator voltage. Revving it is just making the engine do what it’s already doing, just a little faster. Amount it fully needs in order to charge the battery begins to and. 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