When you are in an emergency of having a dead motorcycle battery, and you need to go and move, would you be trying all the extreme means to charge your battery to keep you moving? Knowing all the basic about charging will try to help you out even in an emergency like this.
Can you charge a motorcycle battery with a car charger? If there are no other means available but a car charger, I could say YES. It is possible to be charging a motorcycle battery with a car charger.
However, you need to take extra caution in doing these since most car batteries are more prominent and have higher amperage with a motorcycle battery. There is a danger of overcharging the motorbike cells. You have to closely monitor the charging to avoid overcharging the big bike’s cell.
I do not recommend using a car charger for motorcycle batteries, because it is much smaller than a car battery and it has the tendency to overcharge the smaller battery. Whenever you decide to use a car charger for charging your motorcycle battery, always be on the lookout. Monitor the charging process closely.
Can A Car Charger Charge Any Motorcycle Battery?
Honestly, charging a motorcycle battery with a car charger is not recommended. There is a variety of reason why you shouldn’t, and the first reason is overcharging the battery. If your motorcycle battery is cheated, it will create a lot of damage to it.
But for the sake of experiment and merely proving that YES it is indeed possible, you can do it. But to do it regularly as if it is an accepted fact, no, as much as possible, a car charger cannot be used for motorcycle batteries.
The basic rule tells us that we should never charge a battery for more than one-tenth of its rating in amp hours. It means that a 20amp battery should not go beyond two amps for more than 10 hours. Overcharging may bring about a lot of problems.
Here are some of the possibilities that may happen if the battery is overcharged:
● It will boil the electrolyte.
● Batteries may overheat.
● It can overheat the plates.
● The battery could blow up.
Big car chargers are designed to charge big vehicles too. Thinking about that idea, it can easily overcharge a small motorcycle battery. The only solution you have when you experienced having a dead battery are these:
Use a standard test light. It will test a test lamp, brake light, and turn signal typically. This bulbs usually takes about 2.25 amps. Now, if you have for example a 6 amp charger which you wanted to use for your 20amp battery, connect the bulbs in parallel. Yes, it will be a lot of hard work, but it is a lot easier than overcharging your battery.
Can You Use A Car Battery Charger To Charge A Motorcycle Battery That Is Completely Dead?
Now, if the motorcycle battery is completely dead, we can use a car battery charger provided that the battery of the motorcycle still has some juice in it. If the battery is completely gone or with zero charges, there is no way we can revive it even by using a car charger.
Why Do Specific Car Battery Voltage Chargers Be Needed For Charging Motorcycle Battery?
The first thing that we need to know is to find out how much voltage is required for a car charger to charge a motorcycle battery.
A 12V motorcycle battery can supply energy through a limit of the range. Something between a 14V if it is fully charged to 10.5V when in use or under load. The 12V will never remain over 14V longer not unless you are charging it. The lowest limit you can have is at 10.5V when you are using it.
Once the battery feels hot during the charging process, you have to stop charging. Give the battery some time to cool down before starting to charge again. Overheating will damage the plates, and there is a danger of exploding the battery when it gets too hot.
A motorcycle charger can give out not more than 7.5 amps when in the charging process. So if you will be using a car charger, you have to make sure that your charger is the same voltage (6V or 12V) like the battery that you are charging.
You have to charge it for 8 to 12 hours. When you are using a car charger for your motorcycle batteries, remember these few things:
If your battery gets HOT – you have to STOP. You are not doing it correctly or its just that your battery is already damaged.
If the battery SWELLS – you need to STOP too. It is either you are not doing it correctly, or the battery is damaged again.
If the battery SMOKES – you need to STOP too. Something is wrong with what you are doing.
Call the experts if you are not sure of what to do!
What’s The Average Of Motorcycle Battery Voltage Range?
Every battery type has its battery voltage range. However, we knew that the average voltage of a motorcycle battery is set at 12V. Each battery type has its set standards.
Let us find out what they have below:
1. Lead-acid Battery. Majority of the old and conventional motorcycle batteries are lead-acid types. We think that these are either 6V or 12V. There is a slight difference since the real voltages are rarely 6 or 12V if the battery is in good condition.
The chemistry of the lead-acid battery determines the prime battery voltage. When the battery is in full charge and peak condition, the tension comes across the terminals of the 2.1V.
Motorcycle batteries are a combination of the cells that are series connected to give out the desired energy.
A 6V battery is made up of three batteries, which gives a total voltage of 3 x 2.1V = 6.3V. In the same way, a 12V battery comprises of six individual cells that provide a total of 6 x 2.1V =12.6V.
These are not fixed voltages, and it will continue to vary in both the SOC (state of charge) and discharge of the cells and the electrical load that you used on it.
If you use more battery, the more you lose its cost and the lower the voltage becomes. In the same way, when an electrical load connects to the battery, it will also lower the voltage.
2. State of Charge. The State of Charge or the SOC is straightforward to determine. The voltage across its terminals can measure the SOC of motorcycle batteries. Most intelligent or smart chargers work by measuring the voltage now and then. It automatically stops once the desired level is already achieved.
3. Charging Voltage. It is essential to know the voltage applied to a battery. When you want to maintain your battery’s condition, you have to know the exact energy and the chemistry of the lead-acid cells to ensure their peak capacity.
It is not recommended to fast charge a motorcycle battery daily. If you do this, it will just result in gassing. It will require close monitoring and topping up of your battery.
Smart chargers may use higher charge rates as part of their charging program to correct battery chemistry.
How the charging system feeds the charge into the battery of most battery chargers is the standard charging voltage range. The minimum charging voltage in a lead-acid array is 2.15V. It’s just a little over than its energy of 2.10V.
Low charging voltage or trickle charging is used for maintenance. You can always connect this to your battery if you are not going to use it for a long time. It will keep your battery active and ready for use anytime.
What Voltage Should You Charge Your Motorcycle?
A 12V motorcycle battery should be able to maintain a range of 9.5 to 10.5 V below the load for at least a straight 30 seconds.
This 12V battery will give off energy ranging from 10.5V when it is connected to a load when fully charged. Voltage fluctuations will happen as per the charging and discharging condition that the battery has experienced.
However, it all depends on the electrical loads. It lowers the voltages temporarily. The buffering charge decreases the standard operating voltage.
Is It Good Idea To Use A Trickle Charger To Charge A Motorcycle Battery?
Using a trickle charger for charging your motorcycle battery is a great idea. Trickle chargers have low amperage and voltage that will not harm or damage your motorcycle batteries.
Trickle chargers are also helpful if you will be storing your motorcycle for a long time. It will keep your battery active even when not in use.
Car Battery Charger Vs. Motorcycle Charger: Same Effect?
A car battery charger is suitable for cars and other vehicles while a motorcycle charger is only for charging motorcycle. When used for its purpose, it gives the same effect. It loads the battery.
However, if you will be interchanging these chargers, the effect won’t be the same. Using a car charger for a motorcycle battery is not adaptable and acceptable. It will only cause overheating and battery damage.
In the same way that a motorcycle battery may not be able to give enough charge to a car battery because of its small capacity.
Therefore, the idea of charging a motorcycle battery with a car charger is not recommended, but you can try the plan if it is an emergency case, provided that you know the proper protocol in battery voltages and amperage and work with extra precaution when doing so.
