Today I’d like to discuss a topic that any motorcycle rider will ask themself at some point. We don’t really care about our motorcycle battery, until we start realising that the bike doesn’t start as well as it did before. This is the moment that we ask ourselves: How long does a motorcycle battery last?
A sealed AGM battery will last 3 to 5 years on average, but a lifetime up to 8 years is possible. A conventional acid filled battery has a lifetime of 2 to 3 years, but a lifetime of 5 years is possible.
These factors affect a motorcycle battery’s lifetime
The lifetime of a motorcycle battery can vary, as you can see in the paragraph above. There are several factors that affect the lifetime of your motorcycle battery. I’ll try to explain them below.
Weather conditions
The first factor that comes into play is the weather. Maybe you already know that batteries have a much harder time in cold weather conditions.
Ever noticed that your phone drained faster whiles being outside in the snow? The maximum capacity of the battery gets smaller as it gets colder.
Same goes for motorcycle and car batteries. It’s no wonder that most people have to replace their car battery in the winter. It might be just strong enough during summer, but in the winter the battery has to be replaced at last.
Average temperature is best for a motorcycle battery. Storing your motorcycle in a heated garage will not only prevent corrosion of your motorcycle, but it also helps to maintain the battery.
Usage of the battery
A second factor that affects the battery lifetime is the actual usage. There are different types of users. Some ride their bike every day for at least an hour, whiles others only ride it every other week for 10 minutes or so.
A battery that is used on a daily basis has a bigger chance to survive longer. Batteries that sit still most of the time, generally have a shorter lifetime.
Are you one of those riders that only uses his bike every now and then? You might want to consider a battery tender for your motorcycle to maintain it. Charging your battery is the best defense against a short lifetime.
Charging from riding your bike
As said above, it’s good to charge your battery on a regular basis to expand the lifetime of the battery. This doesn’t always require a battery tender since your motorcycle can also charge the battery itself. All you have to do is riding your bike.
However, there is a difference between the charging systems of motorcycles. Some motorcycles are better at charging their battery than others.
In general, newer bikes are better at recharging the battery than older motorcycles.
Another factor is the usage of any extra electrical accessories. Are you using a radio, phone charger, navigation system of additional lights? The battery might have a hard time keeping up with all these systems because it all drains the battery. This can shorten the lifetime of your battery as well.
How to maintain your battery so it will last longer
Maintaining your battery is one of the most important factors when it comes to lifetime of the battery itself. A neglected battery will rarely survive longer than a well maintained battery.
Do not completely drain the battery
You might have done it before. Leaving your key in the ignition and completely draining the battery over time. If you recharge your battery fast enough, your battery might come back to the full 100%. But this isn’t something you should do all too often. It’s like hitting your battery in the face, it will definitely shorten the life of your motorcycle battery.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you should turn the bike off by switching the key in the ignition and not by using the kill switch.
The kill switch is an emergency measure and all the electronics get switched off immediately. It’s like pulling the plug out of your TV, in stead of just turning it off with the on/off button.
Charge your battery when needed
As mentioned beofre, you should charge your battery on a regular basis. This can be done by riding your bike, or by using a battery charger.
Lack of proper charging will shorten the life of your battery. At the very minimum, you should charge your motorcycle battery at least every month. Probably no problem during summer, but do you do this during winter too? Something to think about.
Maintaining the right water level
Your conventional battery can lose water over time by overcharging it, or simply because of evaporation. Your battery has a minimum and maximum level for the water/acid mixture.
The battery plates can be left open when it goes below the minimum level. This can cause corrosion very quickly. A battery with corroding plates can cause an internal short, which will destroy your battery in a short period of time.
This is why it’s super important to check your water levels on a conventional motorcycle battery. Are they below or almost below the minimum? In that case, you can fill them up with distilled water (no tap water!).
Sulfation on the plates
Crystals can build up on the plates of your battery. This is caused by charging the battery improperly. The more sulfation that builds upon the plates, the harder it is to charge the battery. Eventually, you’ll not be able to charge the battery at all.
Different types of motorcycle batteries
I’ll try to keep it simple by saying that there are two types of batteries. Ther eare the sealed AGM batteries and conventional batteries.
Both of these are available from known and unknown brands.
AGM vs. conventional batteries
The sealed AGM batteries usually live longer than the conventional batteries.
Sealed AGM batteries typically give a warning before they die completely. You’ll mention that your bike doesn’t start as well and they need more charging than they used to. You might want to replace your battery when you start getting signs like this because there is nothing as annoying as a dead battery on your trip far away from home.
I’ll sum up the lifetime below as said in the beginning of the article:
| Average lifetime | Maximum lifetime | |
| Sealed AGM battery | 3 to 5 years | 6 to 8 years |
| Conventional battery | 2 to 3 years | 4 to 5 years |
How to charge a battery the proper way
I felt like I had to include this in the article since I told you that improper charging may cause a decline in your battery’s lifetime.
The most important things to keep in mind whiles charging is the voltage and the Amps. Most motorcycle batteries are 12V batteries, so you should use a 12V charger in that case.
Next, you should check the Amps you are charging with. Overcharging might destroy your battery, so you want to prevent that from happening. That’s one of the reasons that you shouldn’t use a car charger!
Check the Ah of your battery, and divide it by 10. This is the number of Amps you’ll need to charge your battery. For example, A 12V/14Ah battery has to be charged with a 12V charger with 1.4 Amps.
Using a slightly higher amount of Amps doesn’t have to destroy your battery immediately, but make sure you never charge it at more than 3 Amps. Using a car charger literally cooks your battery, which means you’ll have to get a new one after all.
Are you looking for the best battery tender to do the job? The most common battery tender is the Battery Tender Junior by Deltran (check the low price on Amazon). It’s inexpensive and gets the job done.
Charging a new battery for the first time
Did you just get a new battery and do you want to know how to charge it? And maybe you also still need to fill it up yourself?
I wrote a complete article about filling and charging a new motorcycle battery, go ahead and check it out!