Battery Maintenance; Battery Already In Service; Table Of Battery Charging Times - Triumph Thunderbird Service Manual

Battery Maintenance
The battery is a sealed type and does not require any
maintenance other than checking the Voltage and routine
recharging such as during storage.
It is not possible to adjust the electrolyte level in the
battery.
Note:
• The charge level in the battery must be
maintained to maximise the battery life.
With normal use of the motorcycle, the charging system
will keep the battery charged. If the motorcycle is unused
the battery will gradually discharge due to battery self
discharge and the continuous current drain for the clock
and the engine control module memory.
The rate of battery discharge can be greatly increased by
the addition of electrical security systems or other
accessories.
Allowing a battery to discharge, or leaving it discharged
over a period of time, causes sulphation of the lead plates
within the battery.
Sulphation is a normal chemical reaction inside the battery
and over a period of time sulphate will crystallise on to the
lead plates making charging difficult or impossible. The
Table
of
Battery Charging Times
Electrical System
result is a permanently damaged battery, which would not
be covered by the motorcycle warranty.
Keeping a battery at full charge reduces the chance of it
freezing in cold conditions. Allowing a battery to freeze
can cause serious internal damage to the battery.
When leaving the motorcycle standing for more than a
few days, regularly check the battery Voltage using a
digital multimeter. Should the battery Voltage fall below
12.8V, charge the battery using the BatteryMate 150-9.
Refer to the instructions supplied with the BatteryMate
150-9.
For extended periods of storage (beyond two weeks) the
battery should be removed and the battery Voltage
checked regularly and charged when below 12.8V.
Battery Already in Service
Use the guidelines in the table on the following page for
charging. Always verify the battery condition before
charging, and 30 minutes after charging.
Note:
• A fully charged battery should read 12.8 Volts
or higher after the battery has been off the
charger for 30 minutes or more.
State of charge
Voltage Action Charge time
(using BatteryMate 150-9)
100% 12.8V - 13.0V None. Check at 6 months from None required
date of manufacture
75% - 100%
12.5V - 12.8V May need slight charge. If no 3 - 6 hours
charge given, check in 3 - 4
months
50% - 75%
12.0V - 12.5V Needs charge 5 - 11 hours
25% - 50% V 11.5V - 12.0V
Needs charge At least 13 hours
0% - 25%
11.5V or less Needs recovery using 20 hours
BatteryMate 150-9. Re-test after
recovery.
Service Manual - Thunderbird
18.11