dead battery..

[sc2tt]

I drive to work today, no issues, I leave work no issues.  I park my bike for 20 minutes, get on it, and the battery is dead!  WTF, the lights would come on and it would barely crank..

Lucky for me, I was looking at my buddys new bike at his house, so we had some cables near by.

I wasn't sure if I could jump it from his truck, so I jumped it from the bike instead.  (can i jump off a car?)

Turns over no problem

I ride it home, turn it off, come back 5 minutes later and its dead again. 

I'm thinking this is the battery... I went and bought a new battery tonight, hoping it's just a dead battery..

I'm going to bust it open and put the acid pack on it soon (scares me).. Is there any trick to charging it? Just put it on low and let it go over night?

[RIPPER]

Checking Motorcycle Battery:

If you decide to check if your new motorcycle battery is done correctly, follow this actual factory-recommended service procedure.

If the battery is not a maintenance-free type which doesn't have a vent tube, unwrap the battery, unkink the vent tube and snip about a half-inch off the end. Fill it with electrolyte midway (between the high and low level markings on the case) and leave it undisturbed for one or two hours. Remember, the battery will still be at only 65% of full charge at this point. Add electrolyte again if required.

If your battery is a refillable lead-antimony type, it should be charged at one-third of its rated capacity in amp/hours for four to five hours to get it to full charge. Maintenance-free type battery should be charged with a constant-current charger that can drive the charge with as much as 16.9 volts. This should be closely supervised so as not to exceed full charge.

Next, recheck the electrolyte level and add water if required. Let the battery cool so the case contracts enough to fit into its typically tight little holder. Run the new breather tube, if the battery comes along with one, carefully through the original factory routing.

Things to Remember when Charging the Battery:

1. First of all, it is important to remember that Red is positive and Black is negative in order to avoid any accidents such as short-circuits and nasty shocks.

2. The charger should be compatible with the motorcycle battery, and give a greater output than the battery voltage but not too high.

3. Make sure the connections are clean and the electrolyte is at the upper level, and don’t fill the cells up to the very top of the battery.

4. You can either use an optimizer on the battery which can effectively switch off the battery when it’s charged and prevents overheating, or disconnect it manually.

5. It is recommended to put your battery on charge every two or three weeks.

6. An upper and lower level battery should have all the cells on the upper level, not over and never under the lower level.

7. For topping off the low cells, use only distilled water.

8. The minimum charge for a new batter should be at least for 8 hours.

9. If you have a dry battery, fill the cells slowly and leave with caps off, so it can vent off gasses, (it will look like its bubbling after awhile normal
the battery) for around half an hour.

[ct636]

To answer your other original question. Yes you can charge your bike off of a car. However be very carefull never to mix up the positive and negative cables. The electrical systems on bikes are meant to run at low a amperage and voltage (compaired to a car) so if you mix them up you could cause serious problems.

Note - If you are nervous about the acid pack, have a box of bakingsoda and a jug of water around. If you spill any on yourself or a work bench etc. just pour the baking soda on the acid. It will bubble and boil like the volcanoes we all used to make in grade 8 science. Once the bubbling starts to slow down just wash it away with the water and you should be fine.

I would also recommend wearing a pair of safety glasses, or a shield when doing anything with the batteries. If you get the acid on your skin, you are in for something that just feels like a bad sun burn. However if you ever get any of the acid in your eyes you could be in big trouble.

[sc2tt]

thanks for the tips.

the acid is currently dripping into the battery!

[sc2tt]

i am still alive and the battery is filled up

[B-Mac]

To answer your other original question. Yes you can charge your bike off of a car. However be very carefull never to mix up the positive and negative cables. The electrical systems on bikes are meant to run at low a amperage and voltage (compaired to a car) so if you mix them up you could cause serious problems.

Not sure if its necessary but ive always boosted a bike with the car turned off.

[p8ntdyou]

Not sure if its necessary but ive always boosted a bike with the car turned off.

quite necessary actually

[catilaf]

Battery:
How long does a battery can last before it has to be replaced?

[Platinum Powersports/Toastman]

they can last 10 years
they often only go 2

[catilaf]

it has been over 2 years and still running foine , I just recharge it over the winter and every other week during riding season.. I guess I'll find out when I get stranded somewhere. LOL

[Fyrekrakr]

I had battery issues because of alarm, and grip warmers and I now hook up the bike to my charger whenever I put it away since I can't ride as often as most folk 
my battery was stock and lasted two seasons...

[catilaf]

3 seasons for mine so far  touch wood...

[caboose]

i've never had a battery die on me.

hooked up to the battery tender every winter, or when its parked for more than a 2 weeks or so.

[catilaf]

Thanks Caboose that's exactly waht I do.
I was just wondering as I planned on going for a 3 days trip in Aug. and want to ensure I woudl not get stranded North of Ontario

[Platinum Powersports/Toastman]

install a voltmeter

[Shaggy]

install a voltmeter

This is the one I put on my bike.

http://www.digitalmeter.com/cgi-bin/webshop.cgi?config=ent-datel