scarfacetm1984 Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi guys,just bought a new bike battery with separate acid pack.Can i charge it with car battery charger?Although did a small research regarding that,want your all opinion aswell as answers to this question are ranging from " Oh yes,if used carefully" to "Oh no you'll explode the battery".Charger itself is Halfords make for engine 1800cc and over.Fast charge rating is 7.5adc,slow/standart 5.5adc Any help is appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi, NO you CAN'T, that's the simple answer cos a car charger has a different amperage to a bike charger, if you look at your car charger you will see the OUTPUT is about 1.3 to 4.5 amps but a bike one will be about 500 to 650 milliamps so if you use your car one it will cook the bike battery into a pile of crud, even if your CAREFUL it will wreck the battery cos it will be to much input for the battery to cope with. If your new battery has the seperate container of acid/distiled water pack with it then fill it as directed and connect it to your bike (it has been pre charged but the manufacturer) then start your bike and take it for a run of about 40/50 miles that should be enough for the battery to get fully up to power, that's all you need to do anything else is a waste of time. Hope that helps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nayruf Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi Car battery chargers have a high charge output and Car batteries can cope with higher charge rates, If you charge a bike battery with one it can cause the battery to get very warm and this can damage the bike battery, but that is not to say you could not get away with it but I wouldnt try it, I have just brought a trickle charger from wemoto for bike 6/12 volt batteries it came with in 2 days and it only cost £15.52 delivered to my door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarfacetm1984 Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi, NO you CAN'T, that's the simple answer cos a car charger has a different amperage to a bike charger, if you look at your car charger you will see the OUTPUT is about 1.3 to 4.5 amps but a bike one will be about 500 to 650 milliamps so if you use your car one it will cook the bike battery into a pile of crud, even if your CAREFUL it will wreck the battery cos it will be to much input for the battery to cope with. If your new battery has the seperate container of acid/distiled water pack with it then fill it as directed and connect it to your bike (it has been pre charged but the manufacturer) then start your bike and take it for a run of about 40/50 miles that should be enough for the battery to get fully up to power, that's all you need to do anything else is a waste of time. Hope that helps? Yeah think you're right.problem is won't be able to take it for a ride as it has no mot or tax(bought it last week without battery).so just want to see if bike starts and engine running smooth and to see if anything else needed sorting out.Will it hurt a battery if i feel it with acid(and yes it came in separate container) and try to start the bike until i sort th bike charger?thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarfacetm1984 Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi Car battery chargers have a high charge output and Car batteries can cope with higher charge rates, If you charge a bike battery with one it can cause the battery to get very warm and this can damage the bike battery, but that is not to say you could not get away with it but I wouldnt try it, I have just brought a trickle charger from wemoto for bike 6/12 volt batteries it came with in 2 days and it only cost £15.52 delivered to my door. Yeah,thanks pal will have to sort bike battery charger,saves me spending more if i wreck that new battery.thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi, you should be able to start the bike with the PRE charge that it comes with, even on tickover it will charge the battery, if you leave it for a week or so the battery can run down a bit but regular engine running should be enough to keep the battery charged up, about 10/15 mins should see you alright if you do it 2/3 times a week. Also it gives you a chance to check what the alternator is putting out in the way of a charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Munsey Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I did this once as I had no choice and it fried the battery lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littletriple Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 You can use a car type charger. All you need to do is insert some resistance in series with the charger to limit the current. You can do this easily with a low wattage bulb (2W). I've been doing this for years & it works perfectly. Use a mA meter & you can even monitor the charge current. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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