Bought an AGM Battery - now what?

[Vince in Milwaukee]

Thanks to the many suggestions on my K75 thread and even a message on here from my Guzzi riding uncle (thanks Uncle Carmine), I went ahead and bought an Odyssey PC680 for my BMW.  This is a step in the right direction for me as I have over came my inherent cheapness and didn't get the lawn and garden battery.  So, this brings me to a few questions.  Once my battery arrives, it's just plug in and play, right?  No adding acid, no letting it sit over night, no initial charge on a low amp setting, etc..., right?  Also, can I just leave it in the bike over the winter and charge it with my BMW battery charger, via the accessory outlet on the dash?  Seems I've heard an AGM battery requires a special charger, but don't really know the exact reasons why.  Looking forward to your responses. 

[canuguzzi]

Just put it in. Nothing else to do. For our purposes, an AGM requires no special charger. AGM batteries have a very low self discharge rate so they can withstand much longer period sitting idle. However, if you are going to let the bike sit for months, disconnect it. You also don't have to worry about low temps. If you let it sit more than a few months, give it a charge once and then go another few months.

There is no need to trickle charge an AGM every week or so. If you end up needing to trickle charge an AGM once a week or even once a month with no parasitic drains, something is wrong with the battery.

[pehayes]

Typically, AGM have very little self-drain and will sit for months.  Does your bike have a clock or radio that requires a constant electrical supply for memory?  That might draw a battery down over time.  I don't use any special chargers and I routinely get 10 years on an AGM.  Mild California climate.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[Triple Jim]

The big thing with AGMs is they don't have any extra electrolyte, so they're sensitive to overcharging.  If you charge them at too high a voltage, they'll vent, and it doesn't take much venting to cause damage.

[Vince in Milwaukee]

Typically, AGM have very little self-drain and will sit for months.  Does your bike have a clock or radio that requires a constant electrical supply for memory?  That might draw a battery down over time.  I don't use any special chargers and I routinely get 10 years on an AGM.  Mild California climate.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

My K bike has a clock.  I will disconnect the battery over our long winter months.  Would love to get 10 years out of it, but would be happy with at least 5 and call it good. 

[John A]

Don't charge it over 14 volts. I have one old charger that stays just under that in the 2 amp mode. My agm is over ten years old. If you put a charger on it, also hook up a voltmeter .

[nowgrn4]

Odyssey's are great batteries. I got eight years off the first one and am five years into the second one. The bike is at my fishcamp in Ocala NF and only gets rode every two weeks. It's on a $6 Harbor Freight battery maintainer. Keeps it right around 13 volts.

[drw916]

I'm celebrating my 10 year anniversary for the Oddesy I put in my R1100S.

Just put on the battery tender and within 15 seconds was blinking the 80% level.  I only ride it once a month or so and I'm amazed how long it has lasted.

[dilligaf]

I would read the instructions that come with the battery.   :BEER:
Matt

[RinkRat II]

Hi Vince, When you get your new battery measure the height of the old one compared to the new  as I had to add a 1/2" to 5/8" spacer under the battery otherwise it will crush down on your coolant bottle. The top bracket holds the bottle in place, no biggie just look for the difference.

    Paul :BEER:

[Guzzistajohn]

http://www.odysseybattery.com/ultimizer.aspx

[Rough Edge racing]

Don't charge it over 14 volts. I have one old charger that stays just under that in the 2 amp mode. My agm is over ten years old. If you put a charger on it, also hook up a voltmeter .

They are still lead acid batteries and need about 14.5 volts to fully charge..

[canuguzzi]

They are still lead acid batteries and need about 14.5 volts to fully charge..

 :+1  AGMs for car and motorcycles are a proven battery technology. There are no mysteries to figure out. Install it and go on riding.

[Vince in Milwaukee]

Hi Vince, When you get your new battery measure the height of the old one compared to the new  as I had to add a 1/2" to 5/8" spacer under the battery otherwise it will crush down on your coolant bottle. The top bracket holds the bottle in place, no biggie just look for the difference.

    Paul :BEER:

Thanks for the tip.  I will, no doubt, figure something out.  Looks like my pile of small boards may come in handy. 

[Guzzistajohn]

Here's your charging information, interesting read.
http://www.performancebatteries.com/technical_specs/charging.php

[kevdog3019]

I thought these AGM's were no frills??  You guys are making these things out to sound like LiFe batteries.

[John A]

They are still lead acid batteries and need about 14.5 volts to fully charge..

That's good, I thought I might be hurting it when it went up to 15 sometimes, I haven't been always successful at keeping it at or under 14 v

[Guzzistajohn]

I thought these AGM's were no frills??  You guys are making these things out to sound like LiFe batteries.

They're a great battery, HUGE improvement! I have 2 of 'em!

[oldbike54]

I would read the instructions that come with the battery.   :BEER:
Matt

 That wouldn't be any fun  ;D

  Dusty

[Triple Jim]

That's good, I thought I might be hurting it when it went up to 15 sometimes, I haven't been always successful at keeping it at or under 14 v

You probably will be hurting it, at least a little, if you go to 15 volts.

[dilligaf]

I would read the instructions that come with the battery.   :BEER:
Matt

That wouldn't be any fun  ;D

  Dusty

I know.  :BEER:
Matt

[canuguzzi]

15 Volts will not hurt an AGM battery. In fact, 15.5 volts is used to equalize AGM batteries (in a bank) if they show signs of wear or the difference between battery voltages is excessive. Should you maintain a constant charge rate over 15 volts? Of course not but most bikes don't do that anyway.

There are a lot of myths floating on the internet about AGM batteries and most of it comes from a lack of knowledge and stories being passed around until someone believes it.

If your charging system is in good condition, put the AGM battery in it and stop worrying about it. Just ride your bike.

If you aren't going to be riding the bike for months, before putting it away, check the state of charge, charge it if needed and then disconnect it if you have parasitic drains. Then go away and when you come back, the battery will be ready for use. If it is more than 6 months, check the charge and if needed (it will most likely be just fine) then give it a charge and go riding.

This is so simple, really it is. AGM batteries are a buy and install and go about your business affair. Anything else is  :beat_horse

[Tom]

An auto amp charger would be a better charger.  Mine can start a 40A 12V then work it's way down to show what the battery is drawing.  A 2A or !A charger will not push enough into the battery. 

[gentlemanjim]

Just buy a battery maintainer Battery Tender or Home Depot has Black and Decker which I use leave it on all the time and forget about it.

[canuguzzi]

An auto amp charger would be a better charger.  Mine can start a 40A 12V then work it's way down to show what the battery is drawing.  A 2A or !A charger will not push enough into the battery. 

Batteries do not draw current, they accept it. Appliances and accessories draw current. As a battery is charged, the internal resistance increases and smart chargers sense this and adjust their voltage and current accordingly. It is therefore a good practice to use a charger designed to the capacities of the batteries you are charging. An appliance will only use the current it needs so long as the voltage is compatible. A battery will accept a greater voltage and current than it was designed for and not do anything but sit there until it gets damaged or does some other nasty thing.

A 1.5 or 2 amp charger does have enough voltage and current to charge a motorcycle battery, especially an AGM. AGM have far less resistance than flooded batteries and the amount of current need to charge a battery is relative to the capacity of the battery.

Motorcycle batteries have far less capacity than those use in cars and so on, you do not need a large capacity charger. If you need more than a 1.5-2 amp charge on a motorcycle battery, then that battery has been discharged far below what should be happening and there are other problems in their the charging system or the amount of accessories drawing on the battery.

AGM battery can however, accept very high current rates to charge very quickly. Unlike flooded (the kind where you add water) batteries, you can put a high current on an AGM so long as the voltage is compatible and charge an AGM in minutes, not hours. To do this though, you need very good chargers, not the Home Depot, Sears or many other chargers that you'd not question about using to charge farm implement or car/truck batteries.

You should be very wary of using high current chargers on motorcycle batteries because of their limited capacity and unless it is a very good charger, you can toast your battery. Batteries are not like appliances where the source only supplies the current needed if the voltages are compatible. A battery will not refuse current, it simply self destructs or gets damaged.

The whole point is that if you keep needing to charge your battery, something is wrong and the better approach should be to address the root cause of the problem, not slap band-aid fixes on it.

[John A]

My Odessy 925 just croaked. 11 years almost to the day. Good service, no complaints.

[Tom]

Batteries do not draw current, they accept it. Appliances and accessories draw current. As a battery is charged, the internal resistance increases and smart chargers sense this and adjust their voltage and current accordingly. It is therefore a good practice to use a charger designed to the capacities of the batteries you are charging. An appliance will only use the current it needs so long as the voltage is compatible. A battery will accept a greater voltage and current than it was designed for and not do anything but sit there until it gets damaged or does some other nasty thing.

A 1.5 or 2 amp charger does have enough voltage and current to charge a motorcycle battery, especially an AGM. AGM have far less resistance than flooded batteries and the amount of current need to charge a battery is relative to the capacity of the battery.

Motorcycle batteries have far less capacity than those use in cars and so on, you do not need a large capacity charger. If you need more than a 1.5-2 amp charge on a motorcycle battery, then that battery has been discharged far below what should be happening and there are other problems in their the charging system or the amount of accessories drawing on the battery.

AGM battery can however, accept very high current rates to charge very quickly. Unlike flooded (the kind where you add water) batteries, you can put a high current on an AGM so long as the voltage is compatible and charge an AGM in minutes, not hours. To do this though, you need very good chargers, not the Home Depot, Sears or many other chargers that you'd not question about using to charge farm implement or car/truck batteries.

You should be very wary of using high current chargers on motorcycle batteries because of their limited capacity and unless it is a very good charger, you can toast your battery. Batteries are not like appliances where the source only supplies the current needed if the voltages are compatible. A battery will not refuse current, it simply self destructs or gets damaged.

The whole point is that if you keep needing to charge your battery, something is wrong and the better approach should be to address the root cause of the problem, not slap band-aid fixes on it.

 Draw, suck, accept, receive or store.  AGM's like higher amps than 1.5 or 2.0.  Read what was posted before.

http://www.performancebatteries.com/technical_specs/charging.php 
http://www.performancebatteries.com/technical_specs/charging.php