Why Sports Batteries Don’t Seem to Last?
Why is it that batteries to motorcycles, ATVs and even boats don’t seem to last? This is a very common complaint we hear, and one of the most obvious culprits seems to be sporadic use of the battery. Many pleasure boaters, for example, haven’t even taken their boat out since the last days of summer last year. Yet they get into the boat when warm weather arrives and are seemingly surprised that their battery isn’t quite as ready for boating action as the passengers.
Batteries will discharge at a rate of approximately 2-5 percent each month while not being used. While use does indeed keep a battery operating at peak capacity more consistently, a low battery can’t be fully charged by simply being cranked up on occasion—no matter the distance or length of time.
If a motorcycle or equipment is not going to be used for a period of 30 days or longer, consider placing the battery on a 2 amp or less smart maintenance charger for 24-48 hours every month (even better leave it connected indefinitely). But don’t fall into the mistake of using a charger with too great of amperage, such as most automotive chargers, which charge at 6, 10 or even greater amps. Using a fast charger that overheats the battery will actually shorten battery life. A battery should never be charged at more than 20 percent of its rated capacity to avoid damaging it. An optimal charging rate is around 10% of the batteries capacity.
If you want to keep your batteries in ready operating condition but don’t necessarily want to track when it’s been charged or babysit it, consider buying a multi-bank Battery Tender or Noco Genius wicked smart charger. These chargers can be left plugged in and are considered “smart" chargers as they can sense when the battery requires charging—eliminating both under charging and over charging. We offer a variety of these smart chargers at good prices for whatever battery you have you want to keep ready for motorcycling, ATVing, boating or whatever your latest adventure may be.
