Battery - APRILIA RS 50 - 1999 Manual

Carefully read p. 55 (MAINTENANCE).
Check the electrolyte level and the tight-
ness of the terminals after the first 300 mi
(500 km) and successively every 2,500 mi
(4,000 km) or 8 months.
 
WARNING
Batteries, when charged, give off hydro-
gen gas, which is highly explosive.
Therefore, do not smoke while working
on or around the battery, and keep naked
flames or sparks away from the battery.
Keep gasoline and other flammable sub-
stances well away from the battery, since
a battery spark could easily ignite them
and cause a devastating fire.
Battery electrolyte is toxic and caustic
and can severely burn your eyes or
skin. Always wear tight fitting goggles
and protective clothing when handling
battery electrolyte. It is particularly im-
portant for you to protect your eyes
since even a minuscule amount of bat-
tery acid could destroy your vision.
Should you accidentally get even the
smallest amount of battery electrolyte
on your skin or eyes, immediately flush
with large quantities of clear cool water
and immediately seek professional
medical attention.
If someone should accidentally swallow
battery electrolyte, drink a large quanti-
ty of milk or cool clear water and contin-
ue with milk of magnesia or vegetable
oil. Seek professional medical assis-
tance immediately.
Since the battery gives off explosive hy-
drogen gas, especially when it is being
charged, when you are charging a bat-
tery, make sure that the room is proper-
ly ventilated. Do not inhale the gases
released during charging. Do not per-
mit any open flames, sparks or ciga-
rettes or any other source of heat any-
w her e n ear the batte ry w hile it is
charging.
Do not tip the motorcycle too much, or
tip the battery too much, to avoid elec-
trolyte leaking out. Should you acci-
dentally spill battery electrolyte on any
part of your motorcycle, immediately
wash it off with lots of cool clear water.
Spills may be neutralized with a mixture
of baking soda and water, as well. This
is particularly important, as the battery
electrolyte will severely corrode metal-
lic parts and destroy the finish of plastic
and painted parts.
 
CAUTION
Never switch the battery cables. Ob-
serve the proper polarity of the battery.
Incorrectly attaching the battery to your
motorcycle will irreparably destroy the
electrical system of your motorcycle.
Connect and disconnect the battery

only with the ignition switch (1) in the
" " (OFF) position.
First connect the positive cable (+), then
the negative (–).
Disconnect the negative cable (–) first,
then the positive (+).
If your battery needs to be charged, use
a constant voltage, or "taper" charger,
with a current rating no greater than
1/10th the capacity of the battery (i.e.,
for a 50 amp hour battery, the maximum
charging current should be 5 amps).
Use of a more powerful charger can not
only damage the battery irreparably, but
could cause it to overhead and explode.
If your battery is equipped with an over-
flow tube, always ensure that it is proper-
ly installed, and properly routed. Failure
to adhere to this instruction can cause
corrosive fumes from the battery to cause
serious damage to your motorcycle.
use and maintenance RS 50
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