Showing posts with label Battery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battery. Show all posts

Friday, July 8, 2011

A Short Guide to Buying Motorcycle Battery Chargers Online

There is nothing more fun than riding your motorcycle on the weekends. It's especially true in the summer when the weather is nice, and you can actually use your motorcycle for travel.

If you do plan to use your motorcycle for personal travel though, it's a good idea to make sure that you do the proper maintenance so your motorcycle doesn't break down. One of the most important things you will need to do is purchase a motorcycle battery charger.

The reason is that that motorcycle batteries tend to use their charge quite easily. If you want your battery to maintain its charge, then you will need to recharge it on a regular basis.

You have a lot of choices available here, but my personal favorite is a solar powered battery charger. There are several reasons, including its portability, the fact that it can be used in cloudy weather, and it's easy to store and take with you.

Now, before you waste your time and money buying things you don't need, there are a few things you need to do before making your purchase. Do your homework, and you'll avoid spending money you don't have.

First, you'll need to check your current battery on your motorcycle. There should be a plate on it. Write those numbers down as you'll need them later when you are searching. You'll also want to know the make, model, and CCs of your motorcycle. This can also be used to find the battery you need.

You'll also want to check the current condition of your battery to make sure it doesn't need to be replaced. It's a waste of time to buy a battery charger to charge a battery that won't hold a charge.

Checking your battery is simple. Make sure it has enough water in it. If it needs additional water, add only distilled water. Then you'll check to make sure the battery is clean and not leaking. And, finally, check to make sure that the battery is holding its charge.

Once you have this information, do a search in the search engines for batteries. Make sure you search for motorcycle batteries. Never, ever use a car battery charger to charge your motorcycle battery. If you do, you will damage the battery, and you'll have to replace it.

When you've found several sites where you want to shop, there are certain things you'll want to check. Do a search for a battery charger.

Compare the brand and price. These really are the most important considerations. The brand will tell you the quality, and getting the charger at the best price will save you money.

Check the return and refund policy. If the charger is the wrong one or doesn't work, you'll need to return it, so make sure you understand what these policies are. It will save you a lot of hassle. You'll also want to check to see which sites give you free shipping and handling. You'll need to factor this into the cost.

Now it's time to place your order. Select the site you want. Make sure that they offer secure ordering. (You will see the https in the browser address.)

If you order well ahead of time, how quickly you get your charger isn't important. If you need it quickly, check to find out how much it will cost for rush shipping. Again, this is a factor in the overall cost of what you're ordering, so you need to consider it.

Buying motorcycle battery chargers online will save you a lot of time, money, and hassle. Make your next motorcycle trip the best ever by planning ahead.

Impact Battery offers a large selection of motorcycle batteries for every need. They offer a line of motorcycle battery chargers. Dual Pro Chargers are available as well.


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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Charging a Dead Battery

Already running late for work, Ben walks out to his motorcycle and hits the starter button. Yet all he hears is the click on a solenoid. The bike won't start. Wearing his work clothes beneath his riding gear Ben begins pushing the bike down the street in the hopes of push starting the motorcycle to life. It worked, but if you're in a hurry and having trouble starting your motorcycle in the morning, start diagnosing the problem by checking out the battery.

Check to make sure the battery's connections are clean and good. If the connections are dirty, clean the connections by pouring soda pop over top the terminals and using steel wool or emery cloth to remove any corrosion that has built up and re-tighten the terminals. Next, follow the negative cable (black) from the battery to the bike's ground. Check this connection and if you are suspect, remove and clean up the ground with emery cloth and tighten. Next, check the battery for a sticker that says when the battery was first installed. The sticker will have a letter and a number. The letter corresponds to the month (A = January, B= February and so on) and the number is the year. If the battery is over five years old and/or the bike has been sitting for a while it's probably time to replace it but it doesn't hurt to try and resuscitate the battery. Start by putting a voltmeter on the terminals to read current voltage. A properly charged battery will have 12.6 volts or above. If your battery falls below this threshold it's time to recharge the battery.

Hold your battery up to a light source and check the battery's level of acid. If any of the six cells is low on acid top, pull the cap off that cell and top off the battery with water. Once the battery is full of fluids take it to a motorcycle shop or automotive supply store and ask the clerk to charge the battery at low amperage (less then 5 amps) for the day. Battery's will absorb more electrons when given a trickle charge over a long period of time versus a powerful but quick charge. Stores and shops will generally do this service to you for free. When the end of the day comes, go back to the store and ask that they test the battery in front of you. Ask them to look up the battery's minimum cranking amps in a booklet. Armed with this information you can tell the battery's voltage and hold long it can supply that voltage that way you know with relative certainty if your battery will work or if you need to start wearing your running shoes to work.


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The Importance Of A Motorcycle Battery Charger

If your starter is weak and your lights start to dim, it's probably time to charge your motorcycle battery. Ditto when you have not used your bike for more than 2 weeks. Storage is not good for batteries. Oftentimes, it results to their inability to hold a charge. For these reasons, a motorcycle battery charger is a must-own device for owners of this two-wheeled vehicle. You may want to get a volt meter as well.

The Importance of a Well-maintained Battery

A well-maintained battery allows for easy starting. Especially with the popular push button start, battery performance is very important. Otherwise, you will be relegated to the tedious kick start alternative.

But starting is not the only function affected by battery performance. Other electrical components are influenced as well- the horn, lights, and whatever electrical gadgets you have installed. You do not want the performance of these parts compromised because of a weak or dead battery, especially if you are on the road and far from home. Even your safety could be at risk.

Get a Good Motorcycle Battery Charger

Battery chargers seem like simple devices using a mature technology. Such bring the case we often go for the cheapest one. Although charging per se may be similar in the majority of battery chargers, the safety features vary and this accounts for the price difference.

True, most battery chargers have a fuse as protection, but oftentimes this is not enough. The expensive ones have a built-in circuit breaker for added protection. In fact the more advanced, albeit costly, models have an inverted polarity safety circuit. This provides protection in the event that you erroneously mismatch the polarity, which would normally cause a short circuit.

Trickle charging performance is another area wherein these products differ. This should be taken into account when making your choice.

The Power of the Sun

Although the use of solar power to charge batteries is not a new technology, making these panels portable, resilient, and affordable is a fairly recent occurrence. Gone are the days wherein solar panels are heavy, fragile, and expensive.

Given this new development, products like Sunlinq 12w were introduced in the market. These solar panels are durable and lightweight, and these qualities make them ideal for motorcycle battery charging when the necessary electricity is unavailable.

But having a solar charger does not excuse one from performing periodic battery examination and maintenance. Always remember that "an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure"

Battery Charging 101

1 Make sure that the vent caps are loose, and the charging area well- ventilated. There is a possibility that the oxygen and hydrogen present in the battery can cause an explosion.

2. Excess heat, while charging, can damage battery plates. When this happens, allow the battery to cool before proceeding.

3. Ascertain that the vent tube is not blocked. Trapped fumes may build up and explode.

4. Make sure that the charger is properly connected. This is especially so if your charger does not have an inverted polarity safety circuit.

5. It is best to trickle charge your battery once a month to keep it in top condition.

Riding a motorcycle is fun provided that it is accident and trouble free. To this end, it is best that regular maintenance is done.

Impactbattery.com is the site to log on if you are in the market for a motorcycle battery chargers. It even provides information regarding solar batteries and solar battery panels like the Sunlinq 12w.


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