Author Topic: OK, Who Will Admit To... (Read 8106 times)

H2RICK · « **on:** November 10, 2006, 02:26:59 PM »

pulling the sealing strip plug thingy from the top of his/her "sealed" battery and checking/adding distilled water to any low cells ??
I've never had a bike with this new style battery in it and was just wondering what the protocol is on maintenance. These things HAVE to use up the acid/water fluid.....don't they ??
Or do you just ride until it dies ??
What's YOUR experience ???

zeebandit · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2006, 03:37:57 PM »

I would'nt pull the sealing strip. I think that would guarantee you're going to have evaporation or overflow. If you do add fluid it should be water, never acid.

Sven · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2006, 10:22:14 PM »

I voted for A/R! They call it a "sealed battery" because you leave it alone until it quits working, when you get a new one! Be happy technology has advanced that far and polish the bike...or go riding!

00to60 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 11, 2006, 02:17:57 AM »

Just bought a new battery 3 weeks ago, because the other was 4 years old. It ran down one night when I left the headlight on for 30 minutes.

stormi · « **Reply #4 on:** November 11, 2006, 04:23:24 AM »

actually, I'm not sure that they do use a water/acid solution. If you look up your battery model, it will usually mention that it's a "gel" battery. I think that's partly so it doesn't spill, since they're often not fully upright. Think cornering,...

In fact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gel_battery

smooth operator · « **Reply #5 on:** November 11, 2006, 06:35:03 AM »

I still have the original battery, Mines a 98. Start it every few weels through the winter,and use a tender when not riding. I Don't pull the strip on a sealed battery.

Sven · « **Reply #6 on:** November 11, 2006, 11:49:28 AM »

Quote

actually, I'm not sure that they do use a water/acid solution. If you look up your battery model, it will usually mention that it's a "gel" battery. I think that's partly so it doesn't spill, since they're often not fully upright. Think cornering,...

In fact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gel_battery

That was interesting. I spend way too much time cruising Wikipedia...alwasy amazed at the breadth of what they have.

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #7 on:** November 11, 2006, 07:39:18 PM »

Quote from: "Sven"

Quote
actually, I'm not sure that they do use a water/acid solution. If you look up your battery model, it will usually mention that it's a "gel" battery. I think that's partly so it doesn't spill, since they're often not fully upright. Think cornering,...

In fact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gel_battery

That was interesting. I spend way too much time cruising Wikipedia...always amazed at the breadth of what they have.

Yeah, an entry for every Playmate ever.

CWO4GUNNER · « **Reply #8 on:** November 11, 2006, 10:16:47 PM »

Thank goodness they came out with these maintenance free batteries and it was way overdue as I remember the older acid batteries had to be replaced almost every year especially in personal watercraft that used the same stupid acid battery, which they wouldn’t accept as a core because they were disposable so you just tossed them over the boat or over the fence. Now I have a gel battery in all my toys and they have worked fine so far as long as I ride them at least once a week. Like any car battery I think now they have to accept the core when you buy a new one.

H2RICK · « **Reply #9 on:** November 13, 2006, 11:23:06 PM »

Quote

it will usually mention that it's a "gel" battery

Nope, the battery that came in my B12SK6 came with an acid pack which I dumped in and then charged the battery while I assembled the bike. After the charging was complete I smacked the cap strip into place and went from there. Gel batteries are a totally different setup and ARE completely sealed....no strips/caps at all. Gel batteries are great for vehicles that regularly get upset (quads, watercraft, dirt bikes, etc) but hopefully that's not going to happen to #17....at least while I own her.....

wheeliekev · « **Reply #10 on:** November 14, 2006, 10:25:08 AM »

i always connect the optimate up to my battery even when new

stormi · « **Reply #11 on:** November 14, 2006, 03:11:34 PM »

Quote

Nope, the battery that came in my B12SK6 came with an acid pack which I dumped in and then charged the battery while I assembled the bike. After the charging was complete I smacked the cap strip into place and went from there. Gel batteries are a totally different setup and ARE completely sealed....no strips/caps at all. Gel batteries are great for vehicles that regularly get upset (quads, watercraft, dirt bikes, etc) but hopefully that's not going to happen to #17....at least while I own her.....

Like this?

From Wikipedia:

Quote

A gel battery is a rechargeable valve regulated lead-acid battery with a gelified electrolyte. Unlike a traditional wet-cell lead-acid battery, these batteries do not need to be kept upright (though they cannot be charged inverted). In addition, gel batteries virtually eliminate the electrolyte evaporation, spillage (and subsequent corrosion issues) common to the wet-cell battery, and boast greater resistance to extreme temperatures, shock, and vibration. As a result, they are primarily used in automobiles, boats, aircraft, and other motorized vehicles. These batteries are often colloquially referred to as sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries due to their non-leaking containers, but they are not completely sealed; the valve regulation system allows for gas to be expelled. Chemically they are the same as wet (non sealed) batteries except that the antimony in the lead plates is replaced by calcium.

That would make your battery a gel battery. Did you have to add water? Will you have to check the levels on it? When I look up the 2005 GSF1200 battery, it is a gel based battery, is yours different? What's the model #? The one I see is a YTX12-BS....

Here, Edmonton, when you buy a gel filled battery from the dealer, generally, they put the acid gel in for you, and put the strip on it. Then more often than not, they charge it for you, before you come to pick it up.

H2RICK · « **Reply #12 on:** November 15, 2006, 12:02:16 PM »

Yep, that Varta is exactly the same setup.....but the pack contains sulphuric acid as a liquid, not a gel. I'll have to take a pic of a REAL gel-cell by Yuasa that we have at work so you can see the difference. They can be mounted/operated/charged in ANY orientation. It's interesting that even Wikipedia seems confused about the differences between what a true gel-cell is and what a lead-acid battery is.

stormi · « **Reply #13 on:** November 15, 2006, 02:50:15 PM »

Quote from: "H2RICK"

Yep, that Varta is exactly the same setup.....but the pack contains sulphuric acid as a liquid, not a gel. I'll have to take a pic of a REAL gel-cell by Yuasa that we have at work so you can see the difference. They can be mounted/operated/charged in ANY orientation. It's interesting that even Wikipedia seems confused about the differences between what a true gel-cell is and what a lead-acid battery is.

I think it might be a "misnomer" (sp?)

It's likely almost right in between acid and gel, design-wise. The reason I say that is that a lot of websites you look that battery up on has it under "gel" batteries. It's mostly I think because the stuff you put in is thicker than water. Not a "true" gel battery, but more a reference to the stuff you put in. I bet if the batteries were never supplied with the bottle ( pre-activated) that they wouldn 't have gotten the "wrong" name.

However, that said it IS still a "maintenance free" battery, which means that the OP's question of opening it and adding water would not really be "necessary" and I wonder how it would mix with that stuff from the bottle.

Wikipedia is only as good as the people putting the information in. A wiki allows anyone to submit information to it. However, there was a point in that article where they did mention that there were suggestions of merging that one into the lead acid definition.

H2RICK · « **Reply #14 on:** November 16, 2006, 07:56:57 PM »

Quote

I think it might be a "misnomer" (sp?)

It certainly is !!! That's the result of ignorance or greed on the part of the advertiser/seller of the sealed lead/acid battery....
usually a no-neck mouth breather at your local big-box dealership who wouldn't know a gel-cell if it fell on his head.....
but he heard that "gel-cell is the way to go" and so ALL batteries have suddenly become "gel-cells" to him. That way he gets more commissions selling "gel-cells" to people as ignorant as he is. Grrrr......

Quote

stuff you put in is thicker than water.

Nawww....it's just good old battery-grade sulphuric acid that's been around since the invention of the wet lead/acid battery. Nothing fancy.....unless it somehow "gels" when it gets put into the battery...but I doubt that. I think I'll pry my cap strip off and take a look just to satisfy my curiousity.