Warning! The battery electrolyte is corrosive and poisonous. Never swallow battery electrolyte or allow it to come into contact with the skin. To help reduce the risk of injury, always wear eye and skin protection when filling and sealing the battery.
To ensure that a new battery is correctly commissioned and will deliver maximum capacity for starting, the following procedure must be followed.
1. Read the instructions and warnings delivered with the battery!
2. Place the battery on a flat level surface and remove the sealing foil.
3, Remove the battery sealing strip from the electrolyte container (if fitted) and save for use later in this procedure. Do not break the seal on the electrolyte container.
4. Place the electrolyte container and adapter (if supplied) on the battery and fill the battery according to the manufacturers instructions.
5. After starting to fill the battery with electrolyte, allow the battery to stand for 30 minutes with the filling container in place.
6. Check that all of the electrolyte has drained from the container, do not remove container at this point. If the container has not completely drained, gently tap the sides of the container to start the electrolyte flowing again.
7. After all of the electrolyte has drained into the battery, allow the battery to stand, with the electrolyte container in place, for a further 30 minutes for batteries 3Ah - 12Ah or 1 hour for batteries greater than 12Ah.
8. Remove the electrolyte container and adapter carefully, and dispose of both immediately,
9. Fit the sealing caps to the battery according to the battery manufacturers instructions.
10. Measure the terminal voltage on the battery to assess the battery condition.
11. Charge the battery as necessary (see table of charging time) using a suitable charger (i.e. a charger with a suitably controlled charging current and appropriate cut off voltage).
Terminal Voltage Measured | ChargeTime (hours) | Charge Cutoff Voltage |
12.8 | 2 | 14.5 |
12.7 | 3 | 14.5 |
12.6 | 4 | 14.5 |
12.5 | 5 | 14.5 |
Less than 12.5 | 8-10 | 14.5 |
12. Charging current should be controlled to 10% of the nominal capacity (i.e. for a 10AH battery charging current I = 0.1 x 10 = 1 A).
13. Disconnect the charger and allow the battery to stand for 1 hour before fitting to the motorcycle.
14. Fit the battery to the motorcycle, positive (Red) lead first.