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[Riggers]

From what I have gathered during my limited research into this absorbing subject it seems to me that lead acid and gel batteries are essentially the same. Only the activating liquid inside the battery is different i.e. liquid acid in the older type (which then needs regular topping up with distilled water, and acid gel in the newer types which are to all intents and purposes sealed for life. Therefore a single charger will charge either type of battery. If there is a battery fountain of wisdom out there please correct me if I'm wrong. Cheers all.

[Dennis C]

Riggers, --- The important thing to remember with battery charging is the makers MAXIMUM charge rate which can vary from one make to another. ------ The normal advisable charge rate is arrived at by using the "10 hour rule" this states that a battery should be charged for 10 hours at 10% of it's rated output for a 12v battery therefore a 20 amp hour battery should be charged at 2 amps for 10 hours a 10 amp hour battery 1 amp for 10 hours &c &c, a 6 volt battery has only half the cells of a 12 volt and the figure should be halved Ie 20 amp hour would only need 1 amp for 10 hours. ------------- when a battery is charged it gives off a highly explosive gas, if overcharged the amount of gas increases and the battery gets very hot which can result in the battery exploding, a sealed gel battery cannot release this gas the same as a vented wet battery and the risk of explosion is much greater so you really have to follow the makers maximum charge rate.

[Alan R]

Hi Guys---------- sorry about that duff posting back there---- it was an E-Bay trade advert for a 12volt, Lithium Ion battery to fit a Suzuki Marauder 800 and priced at £134 !!

[Alan R]

OH !!--Just gets better, try this then ------ http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LITHIUM-ION-M ... 1b3&_uhb=1 -------------- NORM, handy for you I should think ???

[John R]

L Ion; Obviously that's a fantastic spec but I suppose they would need to come down in price hugely before they would be of much interest to most of us. I think the main benefit would be if they were really compact, and you could easily locate one under the seat or in a toolbox, and get rid of the battery box altogether for customizing reasons.

[Robin]

Lithium-Ion batteries lose their capacity to hold a charge must faster than other types of batteries, and will have to be changed every one to two years to maintain optimal performance. This makes them even more expensive. Even when not used, and sitting on a shelf they lose their capacity, especially in the heat. Storing them in a freezer apparently stops them degrading.

[Alan R]

-------Wasn't that the motto of Burke & Hare ??

[Beezabryan]

Hi Rigger, easy, just type "charger" in the "search" box at the top right of this page. There you will get all sorts of advice

[Scalyback]

I had an army pulse charger. It's designed to stop batteries sulphating and also recovers them from nearly dead (mostly)



don't exactly remember the timings correctly but I am guessing 770ms charge, 200 ms rest (no charge), 30ms short across battery. Repeated.



It basically gives the battery a damn good internal kicking. Pop a misbehaving battery on one of them for a while, and that soon sorted it out.





I think there was a version for Ni-Cad batteries too, which took care of the 'memory' problem, where they would not always charge all the way up, but I never used one of them.



I have the Li-ion or lithium ion batteries in my bullets. Yes, very costly, but a quarter of the weight, much higher power storage and output, and can be fitted anyway up as no acid to leak out! Also... they charge from flat in about 6-7 minutes, as I left the ignition on for a weekend by mistake, and found out first hand!