8/14/2019 Battery and Charging Maintenance

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Advanced Maintenance Operations 

These operations are not generally required or necessary, and should only be attempted by experiencedtechnicians who know and understand what they are doing. If there is any doubt rather refer this work to anauthorised dealer.

System charge test 

# Connect an accurate (preferable digital) voltmeter to the battery terminals.

# The voltage should be 12.0 to 12.5 VDC with the engine switched off.

# With the engine running at about 1500 rpm the voltage should be steady at 13.5 VDC to 14.2 VDC.

If the voltage is too high the charging circuit is faulty.

If the voltage is too low either the charging circuit is faulty, or the wiring connecting the charging circuit isfaulty.

# Add load in the form of the headlight on high beam. The voltage should change by less than 100 mV. (Failingwhich the charging circuit or wiring is faulty)

The photo shows a voltmeter connected to an R80RT battery, with engine switched off.

Wiring test 

Dirty connections and faulty wiring are the root causes of many battery and charging system faults, that oftenremain undetected for years, usually to the detriment of the battery.

To detect faulty wiring, or dirty terminals you should connect a sensitive voltmeter across the suspect sectionof wiring under electrical load. Voltage drops across a connection of higher than 20 mV indicate a problem for further investigation.

To create electrical load you should operate headlights (with the engine running or stationary) and operate thestarter (obviously only when the engine isn't running).

Look for voltage drops across the following significant points, amongst others: (And if a voltage drop isdetected more the test point closer together until the suspect connection or wire is found)

# Between the battery negative terminal and the frame.

# Between the battery negative terminal and the starter motor earth.

# Between the battery negative terminal and the earth point of any electrical component (lights, hooter…).

# Between the battery negative terminal and the alternator earth point.

# Between the battery positive terminal and the starter solenoid positive.

# Between the battery positive terminal and the alternator positive (B+) terminal.

No Load Test 

# With the engine off switch off all electrical components as you would normally park the bike.

# Measure the current drawn by the bike from the battery. (You will need to disconnect the battery negativelead and use a suitable accurate, high sensitivity DC ammeter.

# The current leak should be less than 50 mA.

8/14/2019 Battery and Charging Maintenance

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This value represents electrical leakage (which should be zero) as well as current drawn by the clock, radiomemory, and alarm. The source of any excessive current needs to be found.

The life of the battery is = [(Ah) / (A drain). In the case of a 20 Ah battery and 50 mA drain this is 400 hours.

Basic Load Test 

# Connect a voltmeter to a fully charged battery installed in a bike.

# Crank the engine for 20 to 30 seconds without starting, while monitoring the battery voltage.

To prevent the engine starting you may operate the "kill" switch (if this still allows cranking), or disconnect theignition HT leads. If you disconnect the ignition HT leads, the leads should be connected to earth via old sparkplugs, failing which you stand to damage the coil or HT leads.

# The battery voltage should not ideally fall below 10 VDC, and certainly not below 8 VDC.

If the voltage falls below these limits, or the battery is unable to crank the engine for 20 to 30 seconds, thebattery is either faulty, not fully charged, or the starter is drawing excessive current.