Battery Voltage Reading Using A Voltmeter; Charging A New Standard Battery - Suzuki SV650/S Service Manual

3
Inspecting, Testing
and Charging
TAPER CHARGER: Similar to the trickle charger, the
automatic taper charger charges at a fixed voltage. As
the battery's voltage increases with the amount of charge,
the current drops accordingly.
A drawback of both the automatic taper and trickle
chargers is speed... they don't have it. As the chart on
page 20 shows, it can take days to bring a discharged
battery up to 100%. Here, too, check batteries for over-
heating as they charge.
CONSTANT CURRENT CHARGER: A professional-
quality charger, the constant current makes charging
simple. It maintains a constant supply of current to the
battery at all levels of charging. You select the charging
current. As the battery voltage increases with the amount
of charge, this charger automatically increases the charging
voltage to maintain the current output.
CHARGER/MAINTAINER: This type of charger
monitors the voltage constantly during charging and
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Fully charge battery when new and keep it fully charged.
Test charging batteries as necessary for overheating, water and state
of charge.
Trickle and taper chargers are generally slow.
Constant current and pulse chargers are professional quality.
High rate charger can cause battery damage.

Charging a New Standard Battery

The most important thing to remember about charging a
new battery is do it!
A battery out of the box with only adding electrolyte is
approximately 80% charged. Our recommendation is to
initial charge, bringing the battery to 100% before use.
standby modes. When battery voltage reaches a speci-
fied low level, the charger/maintainer then delivers a full
charge. Then when the battery gets to the specified volt-
age, it automatically drops to a float charge.
HIGH RATE CHARGER: Not for use with small engine
starting batteries. They force a high current into the bat-
tery, which can lead to overheating and plate damage.

Battery Voltage Reading Using a Voltmeter

State of Sealed
Charge VRLA
100% 13.0v
75% 12.8v
50% 12.5v
25% 12.2v
0% 12.0v or less
This completes the electrochemical process. However, a
long ride with a regulated charging system may also bring
the battery's capacity to a higher level.
Note: See "Section 5" for charging sealed VRLA
batteries.
19
CX &
YuMicron Conventional
12.7v 12.6v
12.5v 12.4v
12.2v 12.1v
12.0v 11.9v
11.9v or less 11.8v or less