If you’ve been wondering whether you can trickle charge your motorcycle battery, then the answer is yes! And this article, not only are you going to learn how to trickle charge your motorcycle battery, but you’ll also learn why trickle charging is a good idea, how often you should trickle charge the battery, why trickle charging didn’t charge it, and other frequently asked questions!
So keep reading to find out everything you need to know!
Why Should You Trickle Charge A Motorcycle Battery?
Trickle charging your motorcycle battery is a great way to charge it without overcharging it. This is because the low voltage and smart systems in the trickle charger mean the charging system will turn off automatically!
How Do You Trickle Charge A Motorcycle Battery?
Now you know why you should trickle charge your motorcycle battery, the next step is learning how to do it! Fortunately, if you’ve charged a battery before, you’ll soon realize it’s just as easy! And if you haven’t, here are the steps you should take!
Inspect Your Battery
First of all, you should inspect the battery for any problems it may have. Cracks, leaking areas, bulges, and corrosion are all signs that you may need to replace your battery (although in the case of corrosion, it can be fixed.)
If you notice that the battery is damaged (apart from corrosion), then you should avoid charging it; however, if the battery is fine, you can move on to step 2.
Find A Location To Charge The Battery
Before anything, you need to make sure that you’ve found a suitable location to charge your battery. It needs to be somewhere well-ventilated, where heat isn’t going to damage anything. When you’re charging a battery, it’s going to give off a lot of heat as well as noxious fumes, so doing this is vital.
Adjust Your Trickle Charger
The next step is to adjust your trickle charger so that it powers your battery with the right amperage and voltage. To do this, look for the charging specifications on the battery itself. It’s important to do this, as different batteries are going to have different charging recommendations.
Remove The Battery
Now that the trickle charger has been set, the next step is to remove the battery so you can begin charging it. In most cases, leaving the battery in will be fine; however, if there is an electrical surge, it could end up damaging the battery. And because the battery is so easy to remove, it’s normally the best choice.
Remember to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery first, followed by the positive terminal.
Make Sure Your Battery Has Been Grounded
Before you begin charging the battery, you need to make sure that it has been grounded first. You can ground the battery by attaching the charger to something with enough metal to allow any excess electricity to dissipate. The vehicle chassis, grounding rod, or engine block are all great choices for this!
Begin Charging
Now that everything is ready, you can begin charging your motorcycle’s battery! If the charger is turned off, the order in which you attach the cables shouldn’t matter. However, if the power is on, you should connect the positive cable first before attaching the negative cable.
Keep An Eye On It
Now all you need to do is check on the charger and motorcycle battery every so often to make sure that everything is still working correctly. When you know everything is working correctly, you can leave it again until it’s fully charged.
Place The Battery Back
The last step is to obviously place the battery back where you found it. To do this, make sure that you’re disconnecting the negative cable first and then the positive from the charger. Then place your battery back into the motorcycle, and connect the positive cable first, then the negative cable, and you’re good to go again!
How Often Should You Trickle Charge A Motorcycle Battery?
To ensure that your motorcycle battery is always fully charged, it’s a good idea to trickle-charge it once a month. Remember, the best thing about trickle chargers is that they won’t overcharge your battery, so there are only benefits from charging it regularly.
How Long Does It Take To Trickle Charge A Motorcycle Battery?
How long it’s going to take to trickle charge your motorcycle battery depends entirely on how depleted it is as well as the settings you choose. Generally, it can take as little as 2-3 hours to charge it, and at most 24 hours.
Why Did Trickle Charging Not Charge Your Motorcycle Battery?
If trickle charging didn’t charge your battery, then there could be a few reasons behind it. Any of the following could be behind the cause:
- The trickle charger wasn’t connected properly.
- The battery may just be completely dead.
- You didn’t charge the battery for long enough.
- The charger wasn’t receiving power from the outlet.
- The battery was harder to charge because it was being exposed to extreme cold.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions people have about trickle charging their motorcycle batteries!
Can You Trickle Charge A Lithium Motorcycle Battery?
It’s best to avoid trickle-charging lithium batteries as they don’t support it in the same way. Lithium batteries are best charged periodically for short amounts of time compared to lead-acid batteries.
Can You Use A Car Trickle Charger On A Motorcycle Battery?
Yes, most of the time, using a car trickle charger to charge a motorcycle battery is going to be completely fine. Just make sure the battery being charged is a 12v. Some older models of motorcycles house 6v batteries, which will not accept the charge.
You should also remember that a car trickle charger will charge a motorcycle battery a lot faster than a motorcycle trickle charger.
Can You Overcharge A Motorcycle Battery With A Trickle Charger?
Unless something goes wrong with your trickle charger, then it’s not going to overcharge your motorcycle’s battery. Trickle chargers are made to turn off once a battery reaches full charge, so this shouldn’t be an issue.
How Long Do You Need To Charge A 12 Volt Motorcycle Battery With A 1 Amp Trickle Charger?
If you’re going to charge a 12-volt motorcycle battery at 1 amp, it will roughly take between 4-24 hours, depending on how charged the battery was already.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A Motorcycle Battery On A 2 Amp Trickle?
If you’re charging at 2 amps, then it will be twice as fast as a 1 amp trickle. So you can expect a motorcycle battery to be fully charged within 12 hours at 2 amps.
How Long Does It Take To Trickle Charge A Dead Motorcycle Battery?
At max trickle charging, a dead motorcycle battery should take about 24 hours. If the battery still isn’t charged after this time, then there may be a problem with it.
How Long Does It Take To Trickle Charge A Motorcycle Enough To Start
If you need to trickle charge your motorcycle just enough for it to start, then it should only take 2-3 hours. However, once it’s started, you should make sure you’re driving it for a while to charge the battery up even more.
How Long Does It Take To Trickle Charge A New Motorcycle Battery?
If you’re trickle charging a brand-new motorcycle battery, then it’s best to give it a full 24 hours to charge to ensure it’s charged to the max. Remember, trickle charging isn’t going to overcharge your motorcycle, so it’s fine to leave it on a little longer than you need to.
Can You Trickle Charge A Motorcycle Through A Cigarette Lighter
As long as both the car and the motorcycle have a 12-volt battery, then it’s entirely possible to trickle charge your motorcycle through the cigarette lighter in your car. In fact, a cigarette lighter has a 20 amp fuse, whereas a motorcycle’s charging current is going to be less than that, so it will charge quickly.
Can You Trickle Charge A Motorcycle By Letting It Idle?
By letting your motorcycle idle, the battery will definitely charge. However, it will charge incredibly slowly, and you’ll be wasting a lot of fuel. So it’s better to either trickle-charge your motorcycle from a power source or instead charge the battery by riding your motorcycle.
If You Forget To Trickle Charge A Motorcycle Can You Jump The Battery?
Yes, it’s perfectly fine to jump the battery on your motorcycle if you can’t trickle charge it. Ideally, you should only use another motorcycle to jump yours and use a car as a last resort, however.
Recap
As you can see, trickle-charging your motorcycle battery is incredibly easy! And with the right care and time, you’ll have your motorcycle up and running in no time! If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day!