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• Everything about batteries Lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries & Co.
• What is a battery made of
• What to look out for with batteries

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Motorcycle batteries

Everything about batteries
Lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries & Co.

Nothing works without a functioning battery. That is why you should always pay special attention and care to the energy giver.

06/27/2007

Conventional batteries last around six years before they have to be replaced. During their lifetime they require maintenance such as regular checks to ensure that the acid always covers the panels inside. If not, top up with distilled water, no acid! If the battery is not used for a long time, it should be disconnected, stored in a cool place and regularly recharged. A good charger especially for motorcycle batteries with overcharge protection (from around 40 euros in specialist shops) pays off quickly.

What is a battery made of

Varta

Inner workings of a battery.

Closing strip
After the initial filling, the cell plugs of this type are permanently sealed

Battery cell
Smallest unit of a battery. Your individual components are connected to one another by the cell connector

Grid
Basic components of a lead plate (electrode), which are joined together with alternating polarity (positive and negative) to form a plate block

paste
Painted in various mixtures on the positive and negative grids of a battery

separator
Component made of fleece or foil material for physical separation and electrical insulation between the plates of opposite polarity

The cold test current
is a discharge current in amperes (A), which was measured at minus 18 degrees Celsius for a period of ten seconds. The test procedure is regulated in standards (DIN, EN). With this value it is much easier to make a statement about the quality of a motorcycle battery than based on the capacity in Ah. Good specimens deliver 100 to 120 amps.

The capacity
only describes the amount of electricity available from a battery, measured in ampere-hours (Ah). A high Ah value is not an indicator of the quality of a starter battery. Much more important is the starting current behavior: If this is correct, batteries with much smaller capacities can also be used.

The nominal voltage
in volts (V) is measured during the discharge with a low current intensity. Twelve-volt motorcycle batteries are six lead-acid cells connected in series. When fully charged, the result is a mathematical value of 12.72 volts, since each cell has a potential difference of 2.12 volts.

Battery case
Maintenance-free batteries are tightly closed. If the internal pressure is too high, gas can escape through a safety valve

Connection pole
Good conductivity is important. In addition to lead, brass is also used

What to look out for with batteries

Batteries…

…should be generously coated with pole grease before connecting to the terminals.
Wrong: pole bold is not conductive. If it is applied to the contact surfaces, the current flow deteriorates. Pole grease offers sensible protection against acid fumes, corrosion and salt mist and should only be applied thinly after the battery has been connected.

…you can freeze.
Correct: If the batteries are well cared for and charged, the electrolyte only freezes at minus 68 degrees Celsius. Since the self-discharge increases as the temperature rises, it is a cold one
Place ideal for wintering.

…should always be fully discharged before charging.
Wrong: A motorcycle battery does not have a “memory effect”, as is known from laptop or cell phone batteries. On the contrary: Starter batteries are damaged by deep discharge.

…can also be shaken.
Correct: the start-up process produces water that collects on the plates and then acts like an insulator. This blockage can be lifted by vigorously knocking or shaking it briefly.

…are allowed to “cook” while loading.
Wrong: Especially with the now very popular fast charging processes, it is important to ensure that the cell temperature remains below 40 degrees Celsius. So-called boiling or gassing puts a lot of pressure on the battery plates, the battery wears out and its service life is reduced.

…break faster in short-haul operation.
Correct: When starting the battery, lead sulphate is produced, which can crystallize out (sulphation) if the battery is not fully charged (e.g. through frequent short-distance operation). As a result, the battery accepts less and less charging current and becomes increasingly weaker.

…can be destroyed by a grain of salt.
Correct: If, for example, road salt gets into the cell when the acid level is filled, the self-discharge increases to ten times the value. The cell and thus the entire battery are then broken.

…can be checked by measuring the voltage.
Wrong: Even empty batteries show twelve to 13 volts during a check. Statements can only be made when testing under load (pull out the ignition cable, switch on the consumer, play for five to eight seconds). With good batteries, the value does not drop below nine, with defective batteries to four to six volts.

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