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doncollins -> Battery Life (4/13/2006 8:34:33 AM)
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I found this and thought I'd post it up to answer the endless question about battery life.
A major reason for early failure problems which have been experienced with sealed motorcycle batteries in recent years by some well-known global powersports vehicle companies is the fact that many dealers do not give the "new" battery the correct and absolutely vital very first "activation" charge. Instead (to save time, or because they lack the appropriate special charger), they are often tempted to just fill the battery with the acid pack provided, fix the sealing strip, and install the battery on the vehicle, whose charging system then irreparably damages the insufficiently prepared battery by delivering well over 20 Amps from the on-board charging system.
To avoid the disappointment, expense & hassle of premature battery failure (not to mention creating more lumps of useless toxic lead), it is essential that new batteries of this type are properly charged using a special charger able to charge the battery up to as high as 16.9V for some models before exposing the battery to the vehicle charging system, otherwise the battery life may be reduced to as little as 12 to 18 months. Even if the battery was factory-filled and sealed, it is nevertheless important for the avoidance of early failure that the selling dealer gives the battery a thorough recharge before installing it on the vehicle. This is because it is quite usual for a considerable period of time to have elapsed between the factory filling and the installation of the battery on a vehicle, during all of which time the battery will have self-discharged, especially if exposed to warm temperatures during shipping or warehousing.
Most motorcyclists and even many dealers are unaware of the importance of correct activation charge procedures for MF batteries, and unfortunately battery companies have generally not been active in communicating the importance of this, possibly because to sell batteries into the replacement market does require batteries to fail!
So the important message is this: Once an MF battery has been installed on a vehicle without receiving the correct activation charge beforehand, it will never achieve more than about 80% of it's rated power, therefore will always struggle a bit to do its job, and this results in early failure.
TecMate recommends using the BatteryMate150-9 or the Optimate Pro4-S to commission new batteries. Both of these professional grade battery chargers have a selectable MF battery charging program specifically designed to provide the correct commissioning (activation) charge to MF batteries. For more information and pricing on these chargers check out the TecMate page on the Motion Pro web site (www.MotionPro.com). Motion Pro is the exclusive USA importer of these chargers and they are available from K&L Supply (1-408-727-6767), Professional Tools Direct (1-800-GETPTD1) and through the tool programs of select OEM's in the power sports industry.
Work Cited:
Martin Human, TecMate North America
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