Battery Charger advice

[HarryHornby]

I left the key in the ignition yesterday and when in doors thought, sod it, it won't get nicked, I'll risk it, what I didn't realise was I'd left the ignition on!  Came to use the bike for work this morning and flat as a pancake (quite obviously).
 
I don't need a flashy optimiser I ride the bike every day and this keeps the battery charged, I just need a battery charger to charge it back up, can I use a car charger (I think my Dad's got one in his garage) or does it have to be a special bike one?
 
Cheers

[Lazarus]

i got one from Lidl - does exactly what I need it to do


about £12 if i remember.

[red98]

I left the key in the ignition yesterday and when in doors thought, sod it, it won't get nicked, I'll risk it, what I didn't realise was I'd left the ignition on!  Came to use the bike for work this morning and flat as a pancake (quite obviously).
 
I don't need a flashy optimiser I ride the bike every day and this keeps the battery charged, I just need a battery charger to charge it back up, can I use a car charger (I think my Dad's got one in his garage) or does it have to be a special bike one?
 
Cheers

yes a car charged will do the job.....bump start it and take it for a long ride........much more fun 

[darrsi]

For a bike battery you ideally want a charger around the 1 or 2 amp output mark.
A car charger will be higher than that i'd imagine (i don't drive?) so it'll be okay for an hour or two just to give it a quick boost. If it's a reasonably new charger it'll go on to a trickle charge anyway when it's sorted, if there isn't any light on it displaying a trickle charge then i wouldn't do more than two hours to be on the safe side. Saying that, if for instance it's a 10amp charger and a 5amp battery then no more than 30 minutes, you just need a bit of juice in it then the bike can do the rest!
Generally a charger should be 4 times less ampage than the battery it's charging, in an ideal world.
I deal with film equipment batteries and chargers daily at work, for my sins.   

[richfzs]

Car chargers will generally pump the juice in too fast, resulting in fried cells - and from there, the battery shop is your friend! Get one designed for bikes, and their lower capacity batteries.

[darrsi]

Yeah, i simply have no idea what amps an average car charger gives out, it's something i've never had to deal with, but i'd imagine they can vary a bit?
I've used 4 amp chargers at work on my own battery but for no more than an hour, just as a top up boost before winter.
I wouldn't advise on any higher than that at all.

[james43]

TBH I like this site but everyone seems to be way over cautious with everything.


If its just a flash charge due to leaving the ignition on a car charger is fine.


If you are charging regularly then a lower ampage charge is preferable as it can damage the cells with repeated high ampage charge.


Good luck hope you sort it out soon.

[darrsi]

I send a lot of batteries out on jobs and believe me if the hole fits then film crews will plug it in without a care in the world about amps.


That's generally because it's not theirs to care about!


But i never get any back that are 'fried' at all.


The vast majority of new chargers will just switch off if they feel the job is done, we have a whole battery room full of lead acid batteries that are constantly left plugged in and on charge.

[bootz76]

for wot its worth the sticker on my battery says ;charging method 10ah-30 mins or 1ah-5 to 10 hours,.

[JZS 600]

In the good old days of lead/acid batteries you could boil them and warp the plates with too much current.
 
These days, the batteries are far more resilliant but you can still abuse them using quick chargers. All that happens is that you shorten the life of the battery.

[Lumpy]

Go to Maplin, or online, and buy their solar charging panel, marvellous bit of kit. Best way to keep a battery working is using the bike regularly though. If flat, bump it and ride. After 5 miles the battery should be hot to trot next time you need to start it, the longer the ride the better. The regulator allows it to charge faster if it needs it and then reduces the input to suit. My battery is 5 years old now and perfect cos I use the bike nearly every day. I have been through 4 batterys i the bird, through lack of use in that time.