How long ride motorcycle to charge battery

Motorcycles charge the battery while the engine is idling, and the recharge time depends on what state the battery is in, but a good battery should take 12 min. The alternator and the regulator still run while the motorcycle is in neutral. A bike usually has its regulator remotely attached somewhere on the frame separate from the alternator, whereas a car would often have the regulator built into the alternator. In this helpful how-to guide, we will look at a few things you might want to do after realising your bike has a flat battery; getting your bike to start, diagnosing the problem and what to do about it.

Today motorcycles rarely have a kick-start except for dirt-bikes, and some specific bike manufactures that like to keep to the old-school ways. Some days I wish my bike had a kick-start whenever I have a flat battery.

You know that feeling you get when you want to go riding but then Bam! The battery is dead. The easiest way to start your bike is to use some jumper-cables; connecting them to another vehicle positive on positive and negative on negative. Have the other vehicle running for a minute or two before trying to start your bike. Your bike should start from the first try or at least turnover faster than what it did before.

If nothing happens, your battery might not be the problem, though you should make sure that the cables are working and that you connected them properly. Try idling the other vehicle at a higher rpm for maybe five minutes. This involves running to start the bike. The cold ambient air restrains the battery from producing enough current to even start the motorcycle at all.

Keeping a motorcycle outside in the elements can make the battery especially susceptible to this. See my article here to learn more about the other things that happen to your motorcycle when you let it sit. Most motorcycles require a 12 volt battery. To get a bit technical, the exact voltage is In order to start a motorcycle, you need at least As a battery gets older it loses efficiency and a higher battery percentage is necessary to start the bike. A rule of thumb to remember, just because your battery is at Checking the voltage is just a good indicator.

Once you start your motorcycle, the battery gets charged back up by your stator, which outputs about 15V. Almost all motorcycles have a stator, some small dirt bikes do not.

You can tell if your bike does not have a stator by looking at the headlight while the bike is running. If you rev the bike and the headlight gets much brighter then you most likely do not have a stator, if it stays the same brightness then you do. A cautious motorcycle driver will take good care of their motorcycle, especially the battery. Motorcycle batteries are a frequent culprit when it comes to motorcycle problems.

There are several ways to keep a charge on your battery that can save you a lot of future head aches. Make sure you know how old your battery is. A good healthy battery life is about 48 months, or about 4 years. Also make sure to take note of the size of your battery when you eventually have to get a new one. Try using a battery charger. One type of battery charger you can use is called a battery trickle charger.

A trickle charger provides a constant charge to your battery. You need to be careful with these chargers though because you can cause permanent damage to your battery if you keep these on too long.

You can also try using a battery tender. This type of battery charger is one that I use and highly recommend. With the battery located, you have two choices: i attach the charger with the battery in the bike, or ii remove the battery and charge it elsewhere. A dead one will produce no power at all, so when you turn on the ignition nothing will happen — no lights, no whirr of fuel pump, nowt. More common is the flat-but-not-dead battery, which will put out enough power to get a sickly glow from the lights, may even turn the engine over, but is more likely produce a series of fast and loud 'clicks' the starter solenoid which has insufficient power to stay engaged before giving up.

That all depends how flat it is — ie, how much electrical energy is needed to get it back to full charge — whether it is sulphated or not, and what kind of charger you have. If it is sulphated — a chemical version of being clogged — then it could take days to bring back to life as your smart charger goes through various charging cycles.

A healthy but flat battery can be brought back to life in anywhere between four and 12 hours. For more information on motorcycle batteries and to find out the best motorcycle battery to buy , please click here. By BikeSocial. Here are the most common battery questions answered, plus advice on how to charge yours: How long can I leave a bike without the battery going flat?

How do I charge a battery?