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Battery voltage? Over 14 volts?

cdn-bigfoot

cdn-bigfoot

Junior Member
I've been having trouble turning over my Street Bob lately and thought it time for a new battery. I bought a new HD battery from my local dealer. The sticker on it showed the battery had been put into service 2 weeks earlier (first charged?). Since the voltage measured 12.05 volts I decided to top it up after installing the battery. I used my 12v 1A trickle charger (not battery tender). The output voltage, when not connected, on the leads of this charger measures almost exactly 12v. After a day on the charger the battery measured 14.88 volts. Is this normal? Is this a healthy charge or have I overcharged my new HD battery?
 
cdn-bigfoot said:
I've been having trouble turning over my Street Bob lately and thought it time for a new battery. I bought a new HD battery from my local dealer. The sticker on it showed the battery had been put into service 2 weeks earlier (first charged?). Since the voltage measured 12.05 volts I decided to top it up after installing the battery. I used my 12v 1A trickle charger (not battery tender). The output voltage, when not connected, on the leads of this charger measures almost exactly 12v. After a day on the charger the battery measured 14.88 volts. Is this normal? Is this a healthy charge or have I overcharged my new HD battery?
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I think it will probably be OK, because the biggest worry in over-charging a battery is "cooking" it. As long as your battery did not get so hot you could hardly touch it, then I would not worry about it.

But having said that, I suggest that you NOT use a trickle charger on your motorcycle battery for much more than couple of hours at a time if at all. I recommend using a battery tender designed to charge and maintain the battery at a full charge WITHOUT overcharging the battery. I personally use a Battery Tender Jr. from Deltran, and keep my bike's battery plugged in whenever I am not riding it. The tenders are made for that purpose.

TQ
 
Correction.
After a day on the charger the battery measured 14.88 volts with charger attached. With charger unhooked voltage reads 13.85. With ignition on and engine not started it measures 12.85 dropping rapidly to 12.70 within 15 seconds. After turning ignition off the voltage held at 12.85 v.

TQuentin1 said:
I think it will probably be OK, because the biggest worry in over-charging a battery is "cooking" it. As long as your battery did not get so hot you could hardly touch it, then I would not worry about it.

But having said that, I suggest that you NOT use a trickle charger on your motorcycle battery for much more than couple of hours at a time if at all. I recommend using a battery tender designed to charge and maintain the battery at a full charge WITHOUT overcharging the battery. I personally use a Battery Tender Jr. from Deltran, and keep my bike's battery plugged in whenever I am not riding it. The tenders are made for that purpose.

TQ
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Thanks TQ. I think good advice.
 
Charging system on any vehicle should put out a wee bit over 14 volts to properly charge the battery and as such a battery charger need to do the same so as long as it was not on the charger for an extended period it should be ok
however it is best to use a motorcycle specific maintenance charger to avoid over charging
a good maintenance charger is much cheaper than a new battery

Brian
 
cdn-bigfoot said:
Correction.
After a day on the charger the battery measured 14.88 volts with charger attached. With charger unhooked voltage reads 13.85. With ignition on and engine not started it measures 12.85 dropping rapidly to 12.70 within 15 seconds. After turning ignition off the voltage held at 12.85 v.
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"the battery measured 14.88 volts with charger attached" => to be expected when not using a maintance charger.

"With charger unhooked voltage reads 13.85"=> to be expected when just removed from a charger and checking the voltage.

"With ignition on and engine not started it measures 12.85 dropping rapidly to 12.70 within 15 seconds" => to be expected as you are removing surface charge from the battery.

"After turning ignition off the voltage held at 12.85 v" => to be expected if the surface charge has not been fully removed. Once you fully remove the surface charge, the voltage will settle down to the 12.70 range.

As Fin & TQ said earlier, a trickle charger will overcharge a battery if left on a battery PAST when it is fully charged. A trickle charger is really just a "slow" overcharge to the battery.

All sounds Good to me.
 
As Hoople said that would be a surface charge, that is normal. Once put in to service expect to see 12.7 volts as a normal full charged battery:s
 
cdn-bigfoot,,

Man you got the Cream of the Crop to respond here ALL Very accurate and needed information.. I agree and really could not add a thing but

GO Ride:newsmile017: FREEDOM

Love that little guy and the way he says it:newsmile011:

signed....BUBBIE
 
BUBBIE said:
cdn-bigfoot,,

Man you got the Cream of the Crop to respond here ALL Very accurate and needed information.. I agree and really could not add a thing but

signed....BUBBIE
Click to expand...

No kidding!

That's why I learn so much on this forum.
All my friends think I'm a Harley Davidson genius.
 
Do you have a battery tender hooked up when not riding? If not, I would highly recommend one.
wilks3
:USA
 
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