Maintenance free motorcycle battery charging method.
Sealed/maintenance free (also know as dry cell) batteries normally have have black cases and a plastic strip to cover the 6 filling holes in the top of the battery.
Unlike conventional batteries, once these batteries have been filled and the cap is placed in the top, the battery is ‘sealed for life’ and doesn’t need to be removed or the acid levels monitored or topped up.
The batteries usually start with the code YTX, CTX, GTX, DTX or ETX (e.g. YTX9-BS, CTX12-BS etc).
1) Remove the packing & remove the tin foil strip from the top of the battery. Remove the battery acid pack(s) from the plastic bag but DO NOT remove the foil from the top of the acid packs.
2) Invert the acid pack into the top of the battery so the foil covered tops of the acid packs are covering the holes in the top of the battery. Press the acid pack down firmly into the holes in the battery (a series of spikes inside the battery holes will pierce the foil & let the acid out).
Gently tap the acid packs until all the acid has gone into the battery.
Sealed batteries come with 1 or 2 acid packs, use all the acid that comes with the battery as this provides the required amount to fill the battery.
3) Place the plastic strip loosely over the holes on the top of the battery to stop any dirt or debris getting into the battery (leaving the cap loosely over the holes allows gases that are given off during the initial charge to escape).
4) Leave the battery to settle for 1 hour.
5) Charge the battery for at least 4 to 24 hours (depending on the size and power of the battery, larger batteries will need a longer charge) with a motorcycle battery charger
6) After charging, disconnect the battery from the charger & leave to settle for 1 hour
7) Press the plastic strip firmly into the holes on the top of the battery & press until the plastic strip fits flush with the top of the battery.
8) The battery is now filled & charged & ready for use (when connecting to a motorbike/scooter, always connect the positive (+) terminal first)
Please note: These batteries are known as ‘dry cell’ batteries and the lead plates inside the battery absorb the acid (although better quality batteries absorb more of the acid, cheaper, lower quality batteries don’t always absorb the acid).
If you look inside the battery and don’t see any acid this is normal.
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