So for this reason, proper maintenance of your bike’s battery is as important as changing the oil, checking the tyres or even cleaning up the chain. So here we have put down some tips to maintain your bike’s battery and make sure it does not die down at the worst time possible and leave you stranded.
READ MORE: 10 Things You Need To Carry On A Motorcycle Tour
1. Check the charge regularly:
Batteries over time happen to lose their charge holding capabilities just like your cell phone’s battery. So for that reason if your battery is subjected to heavy usage, then it is a good idea you might want to check up on your battery for its charge holding capacity and get it replaced if possible before something untoward happens.
2. Clean up the nodes during service intervals:
The battery’s charge is carried by the wires through the nodes. So if there happens to be dust build up on the nodes, a lot of charge gets lost due to it requiring the battery to lose charge quickly to sustain the bike’s requirements. For that reason regular cleaning of the nodes might seem small but goes a long way in maintaining your bike’s battery.
3. Top up the fluids regularly:
If your bike happens to have the older lead acid battery, there is a regular need of maintenance for it which means topping up the fluids in the cells. So if you are the DIY types, then make sure to use only distilled of de-ionized water else the batteries will go from less performing to defunct in no time. 4. Do not overload the battery:
We all like to accessorize our bikes with higher capacity lights and new bulbs and LEDs and fog lamps and cell phone chargers, but do remember that all the juice finally is drawn out of the battery of your bike and the charging for the battery has its own limitation. So if you just overload the battery and the charging is not as much as the power is being drawn out, then sadly your battery is going to die and you could be left stranded if the bike does not start up.
5. Don’t let it keep running for no reason:
Even when our bike is not running, our dash is still pretty much lit up showing us the information and that sucks the battery of your bike. And on top of that if you have some other things connected to the battery that drain out the charge, then you are for sure going to run out soon. So in this case whenever you have stopped and have the engine stalled, use the kill switch or the key to cut off the battery supply for a longer lasting battery.
READ MORE: 5 Basic Routines To Maintain Your Motorcycle
6. Make sure the charging is working properly:
Your bike’s battery gets charged when your engine is running. There is an alternator present which produces electricity and charges the battery while your bike is running. But if the alternator goes off, the battery will not charge at all resulting in a dead battery soon.
7. Check for any wiring faults or shorts:
All your bike parts that draw power from the battery are connected to your bike’s CDI and the internal wiring system. So always do keep a check on all the wirings of the bike and make sure there are no cuts or bruises or shorting of wires which might cause a lot of issues. 8. Disconnect the battery if not in use for a long time:
If you happen to be going out of town for a long time and your bike is just going to stand still without any use, it is better to disconnect the battery so that there is no power loss in any ways. Keeping the battery in the house at a warm and dry place will always help else damp and cold places might cause the battery to lose charge on its own.
READ MORE: Motorcycle Preservation Before Leaving For Long Vacations
9. Keep a lookout for signs of battery degradation:
Your bike should start at the press of the starter button on the first attempt unless of course the engine is really cold and then it might take a couple of attempts. But in case of ideal conditions, if the bike fails to start in a single go, it is then time to check your battery for signs of degradation as the life of the battery might be on the decline slowly.
10. Do get your battery replaced in time:
Many of us think that the battery is not that important and it kind of costs a lot so it is not that important to get it replaced in time. They are the ones that have to pay a higher cost later on when their bike refuses to start in the middle of the road and have to get the bike jump-started or towed away.
Do keep all the mentioned points above in mind for your bike’s battery’s maintenance and we are sure your bike’s battery will surely go on for 40% more time than it would have had otherwise. Care for your vehicle and it cares back and stay tuned to BikesIndia for more on bikes and other maintenance tips.
By: Pratik Patole