People with motorcycles understand how important it is to properly maintain all the different components of their rides to ensure that they function properly and do not pose any threat to their security while riding. However, despite this, many people still forget to take proper care of one of the most important components of their motorcycles- the battery.
The battery is what gives your ride the power to run smoothly. A number of things can cause damage to it and shorten its life. If you are not careful with maintaining it, you will have to buy new batteries after short intervals of time. There are a number of ways you can avoid this and take care of your motorcycle battery and improve its life. Read on to find out what they are.
1. Keep Checking the Wiring
One of the best ways to maintain your motorcycle battery is to keep a close watch on the wires that connect to it. A major reason for the battery being damaged prematurely is because of some faulty wiring.
In most cases, this is highly avoidable by regularly checking the wiring and correcting any errors you notice immediately or taking it to a garage. Wiring can be damaged by a number of factors like riding on windy paths, heavy rains, riding through flooded areas, etc.
That is why you need to make it a habit to check the wiring for any damages regularly. This will allow you to get any faults sorted out before it leads to bigger problems in your motorcycle and the battery.
2. Disconnect the Battery when not in use
A very common problem faced by most riders is that their motorcycle isn’t starting after not using it for a long period of time. This problem is caused because the bike’s battery tends to die when it is not in use for a very long period of time. You will then have to buy a brand-new battery to replace it.
To avoid the battery from wasting away when not in use for a couple of months, you should disconnect it from the motorcycle and store it in a cool and dry place. You can reinstall it when you want to start riding again.
3. Do Not Put Extra Burden
It is pretty common nowadays to see motorcycles with extra lights on the wheels or the seats. Bikers like to add this aesthetic element to their motorcycles to make them more visually appealing. These lights are connected to the bike’s battery in order to get power.
As good as this looks, these extra lights can add quite a lot of strain on the battery and might cause it to get exhausted prematurely. In fact, if you add too much of such things to your motorcycle, the battery might blow out completely.
Always take an expert’s advice on how much strain the battery can bear and add things accordingly. Generally, it is a good idea to avoid such things altogether in order to make the battery last longer.
4. Charging the Battery
Putting a dead battery on charge can often revive it. It is a simple way that tends to work almost every time, especially if the battery has run its full course yet and is dead because of not using it much. Whenever your battery dies, you should try this trick to see if you can still use it.
This will allow you to extend the battery life by some time. If, however, this doesn’t work, you might have to get a brand-new motorcycle battery.
Over to you…
The best way to ensure a long life for your motorcycle battery is to address any issues immediately. Many times, riders tend to delay going to a garage thinking that the issues in the rides are minor and won’t have much effect.
However, that is almost never the case. Even small problems in your motorcycle can amplify over time if you do not address them and they would cause your battery to get damaged and shorten its life. Get your bike checked by an expert mechanic the moment you notice any issues with it.
By Kavita Paliwal
Author bio: Kavita is an Outreach Specialist cum Content writer. When not glued to her laptop, she can be found making travel plans that rarely happen.