Figuring out that your motorcycle battery is dead or not charging can be one of the most annoying things for a rider, and not knowing how to deal with this issue can be very annoying. That is why we want to teach all the necessary tips and tricks about motorcycle batteries.
So how do you fix a motorcycle battery? Measure the battery to see if it is empty or dead. Use a charger to charge the battery. If the battery is dead, you need to throw it and buy a new one. Reinstall the new battery and run a test. The voltage range for a functional battery is between 12.6- 13.3 in some cases even more.
This article will give you some advice on how to fix your motorcycle battery. Stay with us if you wish to find all the valuable tips about motorcycle batteries.
Table of Contents
How to Fix a Motorcycle Battery?
We will lead you through these step-by-step guides from the beginning, where you need to determine if the battery is still functional or if it is dead and needs to be thrown into the garbage.
Step 1: Get a Multimeter
One thing that you need to do before fixing your battery is to make sure that it is still functional and ready to operate. There is no point in trying to fix or charge a dead battery.
Note: some riders try to charge their battery, although it is dead. Check your battery using a multimeter ( it will show you the exact battery voltage); you can buy it in stores equipped with electrical accessories ( it costs around 10$).
Step 2: Measure the Battery Voltage
Use a multimeter to determine the voltage of the battery. If your battery voltage is 12.7 volts or more, it means that your battery is fully charged, and you don’t need to charge or replace it. If the voltage is below 12.2 volts, it means that you need to charge it.
Step 3: Charge the Battery
If you measured 12.2 volts or less, you need to put the battery on the charger. It can take from 2-6 hours to fully charge the battery, which depends on the battery size. In the case of bigger batteries that are fully drained, it can take all night for them to charge fully.
Here is a great article about How Does a Motorcycle Battery Work, so click on this link if you want to learn more.
Step 4: Test the Battery
Once the battery is fully charged, start your engine. If it starts normally, it means that the problem was in an empty battery, which was solved with charging.
Tip: use a smart charger or fast charger to decrease charging time.
If the motorcycle doesn’t start, take the multimeter and measure the battery again. If it shows the same voltage or even smaller one, it means that your battery is 100% dead and needs to be replaced with a new one.
Step 5: Get a New Battery
You need to buy a new battery, and it is really important that you follow the motorcycle specification and get the appropriate battery. I know cases where some of my friends bought batteries and couldn’t install them because they were either too big or too small.
Note: don’t buy the cheapest battery versions because trying to save some money could lead you to spend more in the longer run. Get your battery from manufacturers like Shorai, Odyssey, Yuasa.
Step 6: Install the Battery
Once you get the battery, you need to connect it to your motorcycle in reverse order to the one you did when disconnecting the old battery.
Tip: if you have any doubts about connecting the wiring or any other battery component, consult the motorcycle manual or look into the battery specification to make the process much easier. If that is not enough, we will put a video underneath this section on How to connect a new battery. We hope this eases your process much more.
Step 7: Test the Battery
You need to run a test after installing the battery. This is the last step, and it shouldn’t be skipped because it will show you if all the wirings have been connected to the right spot.
What Leads to Battery Discharge?
The motorcycle batteries are smaller versions of the 12-volt batteries that are integrated into cars. They are 6-volt lead-acid batteries and are responsible for to power supply of the entire motorcycle electrical system.
Note: some scooters have 12 volts batteries, just like cars.
There are a couple of reasons why the battery could be completely dead or not holding a charge. Most of the time, the problem leading to a faulty battery is sulfation.
This situation happens when a lead-acid battery is severely empty, and the battery acid sulfur sticks to the lead plates placed in the inner side of the battery, leading to prevenentation of the electricity flow. The lead plates get corroded because of sulfur’s impact on them.
Tip: Fix the dead battery as soon as possible because you won’t have to spend a lot of money since the problem hasn’t become so serious yet.
It can happen that you connect the battery to a charger and leave it overnight to get fully charged. The next morning you come to check if the battery is charged, and you see that it hasn’t charged a bit. This indicates that there is a charging problem, and this is an indicator of a dead battery that needs to be replaced.
Just like any other electrical motorcycle part, the battery can also be threatened by short circuits. You need to isolate the battery from harmful elements, especially water because it can cause a short circuit and significantly damage the battery or “kill” it in the worst case.
Some riders have their motorcycles equipped with too many accessories, making the battery drain faster than it would in normal conditions.
Note: GPS, heated grips, stereo, and other stuff cause the battery to drain much faster than it would if there were no extra electrical consumers on the bike. Additional electrical equipment makes the stator work with much more power, and it can also lead to stator failure.
If you wish to learn more about stators and how additional electrical equipment can damage or shorten the stator’s lifespan, click on this link leading you to the article about How to Fix a Motorcycle Stator, How to Recognize Signs of a Bad Motorcycle Stator, and How to Increase Its Lifespan.
Appropriate battery size is another factor that affects how good your battery will hold a charge. Using a battery too small or too large won’t function as it would with the recommended battery in the manual. If you have any trouble buying the right size battery, it would be really helpful to contact a mechanic or electrical expert to help you select the correct one.
The Best Ways to Protect the Battery
As with all the other electrical components, the battery is also sensitive to many outdoor factors.
Water is one of the factors that probably has the most impact on the battery, and that is why we need to protect it as much as possible. Since the battery is located underneath the seat or in the middle section in most motorcycles, we need to make sure that the plastic or metal case surrounding the battery is complete in one piece. What I mean by that is that there are no holes or cracks because these are potential spots where the water or moisture could reach the battery, which could result in a battery short circuit (depending on how much water or moisture enters the battery)
The temperature is also a very important factor that impacts the battery lifespan. Temperatures too high or too low will shorten your battery lifespan. With that being said, you need to protect your battery with some kind of isolation cover. The best way to protect your battery is to put the motorcycle in the garage. If you don’t have a garage, you should cover the bike with a motorcycle cover (a waterproof one would be the best); you can get the one on the following link on amazon.
Note: Cold temperatures (especially those below -10C) can do more damage to the battery than hot ones.
You can watch this video to see how to charge your motorcycle battery:
Conclusion
Maintaining and protecting your battery is the best possible piece of advice. You should do regular battery checks during the whole year but give it extra attention during the winter period because that is when the battery gets drained the most or, in the worst-case scenario, dies, which we don’t want to happen.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article about batteries and that you have learned a lot of helpful stuff that will help you in the future.