 
Ready to store your bike for the long summer?
You as a motorcyclist knows the importance of charging the battery during the winter months to ensure that the engine starts. Come springtime and with the warmer weather starting it won’t be long until they take their first ride of the year. That is where the need for a smart bike battery charger comes in.
It’s during the summer months however that major battery damage can happen. Mainly due to lack of summer maintenance, knowledge of the charging process and confusion over how battery chargers work.
And that’s because, during the summer months, the battery is faced with a different set of challenges.
Sulphation:
This occurs when the battery is left undercharged, something that many only addresses during the winter. Don’t leave your battery purely in the hands of your regulator that will probably charge the battery to 80% capacity. Then factor in alarms, trackers etc. and even during regular summer use, there is a risk that your battery could become discharged.
Drying out:
To make things slightly more complicated, don’t overcharge the battery. Modern maintenance-free batteries can easily dry out and or the plates could become damaged. Additionally, a common problem with batteries that are left attached to an old technology trickle type charger or are connected to a charger that is too powerful for the battery.
Overheating:
Delivering an uncontrolled charge risks fluid loss through overheating or boiling, the battery will become unusable due to dried-out cells. If ambient temperatures hit 25 degrees and above, batteries should be charged at a lower voltage to avoid this.
Battery chemistries: the development in different battery chemistries poses greater complexities, as each needs treating in a slightly different way. As an example, AGM batteries, commonly used in motorcycles, can benefit from a slightly higher charge voltage and longer charge absorption time than that say of a traditional wet battery.
The answer is to choose a Smart Bike Battery Charger or intelligent charger.
Though with the number of products now available making the right choice can be difficult. With a broad span of chargers where the charging programme is either too basic too complex.
The CTEK XS 0.8 smart charger maximises the performance of lead-acid batteries and has a practical and easy to understand display. It allows the complete six-step charging process to be followed. By determining accurate readings from the battery, the XS 0.8 will ensure that an appropriate charging and conditioning cycle is delivered. This helps to maximise capacity and maintain the battery for use. Thereby prolonging the life of the battery.
The patented CTEK six-step battery charging system maintains and conditions the battery. It can be left attached indefinitely without risk of over or undercharging. Intended for unsupervised use, the XS 0.8 is simple to connect. In addition, it is spark-proof and reverse-polarity protected to protect the user and also the battery.
Furthermore, there is no need to disconnect the battery before use as it regulates mains voltage to protect any sensitive electrical equipment.
Check out the review at Product Review
