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.