Video Tutorial - How to Fill a Motorcycle Battery
Hi, my name is Richard Price and I am with a company called High-Tech Battery Solutions. Today I wanted to show you have to fill up your own sealed AGM motorcycle battery.
Before we begin there are a couple of precautionary steps that you need to take when dealing with battery acid. The first is that you need to wear some sort of eye protection - weather its prescription glasses or you go out and buy a cheap pair of glass, they are about a $1.50 at the store. You will also need a pair of gloves, so that acid does not touch your skin.
Okay, this is what the battery typically looks like brand new when you buy a sealed AGM motorcycle battery that you have to fill yourself. If you look on the top here you will notice a strip of aluminum that covers up the holes in the battery so that no dust or anything can get into them while they are in transportation.
So the first thing to do here is remove the nuts and bolts from the top of the motorcycle battery and then peel the aluminum strip off. That will expose the holes as you can see, that the acid pack will fit into.
Just take the acid pack out here. This is what it is going to look like, it will be double wrapped, and constructed from hard ballistic plastic. Note the gloves that I am wearing, and the eye protection that you can not see. Okay, the caps for the actual top of the motorcycle battery are going to be right on the top of the acid pack, so you can just take that off. Now your going to see a little bit more aluminum on the top here (of the acid pack) - that is going to be puncture when we line it up with these holes and apply pressure. So you just line it (the acid pack) up with the holes of the motorcycle battery, tilt it up here and put a little bit of pressure on it.
It will start filling itself here as you can see the bubbles, this could take up to about ten minutes or so. I just recommend leaving it sit here or if you would like to hold it up, its your call. Once this is done filling we will put the caps on the battery to seal it up, I will show you this step in just a second.
Okay we have just skipped ahead a bit here for you because it does take a bout ten minutes for that to fill up. The next and last step here is to attach the caps to the top of the battery. As you can see this is a plastic pressure fit design. We are just going to line it up with the holes of the motorcycle battery here and apply a little bit of pressure to the first one - then the second one, and continue all the way down the line. Do not push it all the way in, get the cap just about half way in and keep going down the line so that they all fit in. Once you have set them up, just apply enough pressure here (to push them down completely) and bam - your all set.
Introducing the Deka ETX30L Battery
The ETX30L battery is by far one of the most common batteries for Harley touring series motorcycles, high CC ATVS, as well as some of the larger snow mobiles out on the market place today. The Deka ETX30L battery is manufactured by East Penn Manufacturing Co., and is made right here in the United States out of their Pennsylvania plant location. The entire Deka ETX series is one of the most high-performing and awesome product quality batteries that we have ever seen in the power sport market. In this article, we will cover just a few out of the many reason why you should consider the Deka ETX30L battery for your power sport application over any other competitors offerings.
The Construction of the ETX30L Battery From the Inside Out.
Absorbed Glass Mat Technology (AGM)
The key to the high performance capabilities of the ETX30L stem from the AGM battery technology utilized in its production. Extremely high porous microfiber separators are placed between the lead plates concealed within the batty that completely absorb and trap the electrolyte. This enables for maximum surface coverage of the lead plates within the battery which ensures that maximum power output is achieved 24/7. Another benefit to the AGM manufacturing process is the ability to seal the battery enabling for a completely spill-proof and maintenance free design.
- No vent tube
- No acid leaks to cause terminal corrosion
- Withstands damaging effects of vibration
- No filling with acid
- No adding water
- Low discharge rates for off season storage
Performance and Durability
With the Deka ETX30L, quality is the name of the game. The ETX30L battery is factory sealed and charged, which means that as soon as the battery arrives to your door step you can immediately install it in your application and go. Straight out of the box the ETX30L will test a minimum of 400 cold cranking amps (CCA) without any cycling or charging required.
If your a Harley or snowmobile owner, then vibration damage will play a large role in battery life span. The ETX30L is built to handle extreme vibrations for the long haul due to its large through-partition welds inside of the battery which enable more power to be pushed through the cells of the battery and much thicker and stronger connection between each cell of the battery.
Bottom Line
If your looking for the best of the best in AGM battery performance this is the right choice for you.
- 400 CCA
- Top Notch Design and Manufacturing Materials
- Made in U.S.A
- OEM in Harley Applications
- 1 Year Warranty
- Factory Sealed and Charged
What is a motorcycle battery tender?
A motorcycle battery tender is a small, automatic battery charger that turns on and off as needed to keep your motorcycle battery at an optimum charge level. Some of the greatest features include:
- All motorcycle battery tender units are designed to be left connected to the motorcycle battery for an indefinite amount of time without harming the battery or the electrical components of the bike.
- A good motorcycle battery tender operates automatically without any monitor requirements from the user.
- The motorcycle battery charger will usually have a low amperage output between 750 and 1100 milliamps.
Most of the advanced battery tenders on the market are built around a charging algorithm unique to the company - examples of these are Deltran, NOCO, and CTEK.
Why Should You Use a Motorcycle Battery Tender?
There are two primary reasons to use a battery tender for your motorcycle - prevention of parasitic drains and prevention of sulfation build up.
Prevent Parasitic Drains
As motorcycles become more integrated with technology (alarm systems, GPS, diagnostics), some of these systems will continue to draw an extremely small amount of current from the battery when the ignition key is off. Over a long enough period, this will result in a dead battery.
You can counter the dead battery problem through the use of a motorcycle battery tender. The tender will recognized that the battery has been brought below its fully charged voltage and begin charging the unit until it is once again in the green. Then the tender will shut down. The battery tender will repeat this process as needed automatically.
Prevent Sulfation
Many motorcycle owners live in areas where riding is governed by seasons – in which case they would be forced to put their bike in storage. The problem with this in relation to the battery is that it will naturally lose its charge over time. All lead-acid based batteries will naturally self-discharge over time.
Over a span of two to three months, your motorcycle battery has the potential to self-discharge to the point where sulfation begins to build up on the internal plates. This will result in a significant loss of cracking amps and capacity.
If you use a motorcycle battery tender, the battery will be kept in a constantly charged state, and sulfation would not occur.
Popular Motorcycle Battery Tenders
Ready to invest in a motorcycle battery tender, improve the lifespan of your motorcycle battery and the use of your favorite summer ride? Browse our collection of the most popular motorcycle battery tenders.
Deltran Battery Tender Junior 12V Charger
Known as the “trickle charger with a brain,” the battery tender junior will fully charge your motorcycle battery and maintain it at the proper storage voltage without the damaging effects caused by most other trickle chargers.
NOCO Genius G750 Battery Charger <<-- NOCO has updated this unit to the new GENIUS1 series!
A smart, fully automatic switch-mode battery charger and maintainer, the NOCO Genius can safely stay connected to your bike 24/7.
CTEK US 0.8 Battery Charger
Offering state-of-the-art technology, the CTEK is perfect for charging smaller 12V batteries, such as those found in motorcycles. And, the CTEK’s unique display allows you to follow the entire 6-step charging process.
Still have unanswered questions about battery tenders for motorcycles? Not sure which is the best fit for your ride? Give us a call at 1-877-775-4381.
Motorcycle Battery Tender Video
Watch the video below to learn more about the charging cycle of a battery tender. You'll find out exactly what each step does for the battery, and why this battery tender is superior to others on the market.
How long does it take to charge a 12V motorcycle battery?
Assuming that your battery is completely discharged you take the total amp-hour (AH) capacity of the battery and divide it by the charge rate of the battery charger your using. So, for example, you have a Motocross YTX14 battery rated at 14AH. The charger you are using puts out 1.5 amps, so you take 14AH and divide it by 1.5 to get about 9.5 hours.
What is the maximum charge rate for a motorcycle battery?
The maximum recommended charge rate for any power sport battery is between 2 and 0.75 amps. Keep in mind that these batteries have a third or less capacity than your typical car battery and charging them at too high of an amperage will cause damage to the internals.
How long does the average motorcycle battery last?
The average motorcycle battery lasts between 3 and 4 years of service life. If you want to maximize the service life of your battery then I recommend taking a look at a battery maintainer. A battery maintainer is fully automatic, easy to use, and will help extend the life of your battery. Another tip is to not treat your motorcycle battery like its a deep cycle battery. Meaning try not to consistently run the bike’s radio or lights for long periods if the bike itself is off. Doing so will drain the battery and if done enough times will shorten its life span as starting batteries are not designed to be discharged past 20% without repercussions, see deep cycle vs starting batteries.
How long should I ride my motorcycle to charge the battery?
It would take several hours to recharge the battery using only the bikes alternator. The reason being is that the alternator in a bike (like a car) is not meant to recharge a completely dead battery. The alternator’s job is to put that small amount of charge that was taken out of the battery during the ignition cycle back into it and maintain the battery at its fully charged level. If you find yourself with a dead battery in your bike you are asking to be left stranded if your plan is to rely on the alternator to charge the battery. You need to hook the battery up to an actual battery charger in order to fully restore the capacity.
Who Makes Harley Davidson Batteries?
Deka - East Penn Manufacturing
Deka (East Penn Manufacturing) is currently the official manufacturer of a majority the official Harley Davidson motorcycle batteries. Deka had won the contract from Yuasa which was the original producer for Harley, while that is a large hit in their portfolio Yuasa remains OEM for several other brands including Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda power sport applications. It's not entirely clear what year Deka took over the Harley battery production from Yuasa, we believe that it was some time in the mid to late 2000’s.
About Deka - East Penn Manufacturing
East Penn Manufacturing is a 520-acre single-site battery manufacturing complex located in Berks County, PA. This massive campus is capable of not only producing several different product lines of batteries and automotive wiring, but they also have an onsite smelting & recycling facility. This facility processed approximately 30,000 batteries per day equating to 200M pounds of Lead, 11.8M pounds of plastic, and 6M gallons of acid.
Deka Harley Battery Quality
East Penn Manufacturing is known to have one of the lowest defect rates in the battery industry. Since Deka controls the entire manufacturing process - from the raw materials to the finished product - they are able to create a solid product from the bottom up with strict quality controls throughout the entire manufacturing process. It is also worth noting that East Penn has also earned ISO 9001 and ISO/TS 16949 accreditation.
Where Can I Get a Deka Motorcycle Battery?
While Harley has a patent on the color of the battery case, Deka does offer the same exact battery in a light grey casing in their ETX power sport series. We offer a drop down year make and model selector to help you find the right battery for you'r bike on our PowerSport Cross-reference Page. You can browse our full selection of Deka motorcycle batteries right here. If your interested in a Deka battery but not sure which model fits your bike then feel free to give us a call toll-free at 1-877-775-4381 to talk to a battery specialist today.