Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: 2bikebill on September 07, 2010, 07:34:10 pm

Title: charging the battery
Post by: 2bikebill on September 07, 2010, 07:34:10 pm
Can I use my existing car battery charger to charge my bike battery?
Here's what it says on the spec for normal output (it has fast and normal):
4.5A RMS (EFF)   3A DC (ARITH) CONTINUOUS

I understand the amps part, but the rest might as well be Greek... ???
The Snidal manual says that a 5 - 10 AH battery shouldn't be charged with more than 3 amps. The UCE battery is 14AH. So am I ok to go?
Don't want to buy a new charger if I don't have to.  
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: prof_stack on September 07, 2010, 07:43:54 pm
You probably should not use an auto battery charger on your cycle battery.

A lot of people (in the USA at least) seem to like the Battery Tender, which keeps the battery at tip-top level while you're not riding the bike.  In fact, my dealer put the cords on the battery before I bought the bike so it's ready to plug in.
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: 2bikebill on September 07, 2010, 07:56:46 pm
Thanks Prof. Unfortunately there's no power in the garage unless I run a long cable out from the house, so I shall have to remove the battery and charge it in the shed. These leave-em-on-all-the-time chargers aren't an option I'm afraid. I'm just covering myself in case of a flat battery - I've noticed a bit of hesitation on starting after a couple of days of non use lately. So I'm just needing a bog standard and basic top-up charging arrangement really.
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: SSR on September 07, 2010, 08:00:14 pm
The battery on our bikes should not be charged at more then 1.4amp and charged for 10hrs only. For a fully charged battery it should show 13.2V.
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: 2bikebill on September 07, 2010, 08:16:38 pm
So is there some way I can reduce the output of my charger to a suitable ampage? I remember reading something here about this, but can't remember the trick.
Keep it simple - electrickery is a black art to me. I don't understand any of its technical terms...... :(
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: clubman on September 07, 2010, 08:49:12 pm
Will, if you don't want to buy a trickle charger - which is really the best thing for this battery - you could buy a new battery for a similar price. This company look good and this model is a perfect fit. Whatever you get look for the cold cranking amps - 180 plus is what you're after.

http://www.tayna.co.uk/YTXL-BS-Westco-Motorcycle-Battery-P3386.html
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: 2bikebill on September 07, 2010, 08:52:30 pm
Thanks Clubman, I've added the link to my Favourites for when the time comes....
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: SSR on September 07, 2010, 09:44:39 pm
Go through this link and you will get a brief insight of basics of charging according to the battery size. http://www.operatingtech.com/lib/pdf/A%20Guide%20to%20battery%20Charging.pdf (http://www.operatingtech.com/lib/pdf/A%20Guide%20to%20battery%20Charging.pdf)

Going by the info in this link, you can still use your car charger at slow charging of 3A (which will be fast charging for your battery)but only for max 4.5hrs to get it fully charged.
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: 2bikebill on September 07, 2010, 09:48:14 pm
Brilliant. Many thanks for that comprehensive info.
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: Sub on September 08, 2010, 11:06:33 pm
If you have access to the sky, maybe you should look into one of those solar options for trickle charging your battery. I dont know the brand, but I know they exist!
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: 2bikebill on September 08, 2010, 11:36:47 pm
It's a good idea  -  even in the UK we do see the sun from time to time.... Then again we often don't see it for weeks on end!
But I saw sense today and ordered a charger - CTEK XS800. Looks to be just the ticket.

WWW.CTEKCHARGERS.CO.UK (http://WWW.CTEKCHARGERS.CO.UK)
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: singhg5 on September 09, 2010, 04:42:03 pm
But I saw sense today and ordered a charger - CTEK XS800. Looks to be just the ticket.
WWW.CTEKCHARGERS.CO.UK (http://WWW.CTEKCHARGERS.CO.UK)

WillW:  Glad to see that you are getting a new charger for your motorcycle battery.  It is a must, especially in the colder weather which is approaching us.  

Here is a link to one of the very popular chargers in US, called Battery Tender Junior 12 V.  You can click on the Product Summary that details its operation parameters,  when it is charging the battery and compare it to yours.  At a quick glance their output DV current is about the same 0.8 Amp and 0.75 Amp.  I have one of these for a few years and I like it.

http://batterytender.com/battery-tender-junior-12v-at-0-75a.html
Title: Re: charging the battery
Post by: 2bikebill on September 09, 2010, 05:04:56 pm
Thanks Singh. I looked for the Battery Tender before I settled on the CTek, but not so easy to find here. They look to be about the same spec. As you say, cold weather's coming and it makes sense to keep the battery healthy. My battery's testing as OK, so perhaps my starter motor is giving me early warning signs of trouble to come. Maybe just damp - we've had a lot of rain and the air in the garage is damp.