How to make your motorcycle or scooter battery last longer

Yuasa motorcycle batteries are built to last longer and deliver more power. By following a few simple tips and looking after your battery correctly you can get the maximum possible service life.  Always take care and follow the correct health and safety guidelines to protect yourself from serious injuries from fire, explosions or leaking acid.

Use the right battery

It might sound obvious, but check that your battery is the correct specification and technology for your motorcycle. Using the wrong battery will result in a short service life. You can check the correct battery for your bike here.

Upgrade for maximum life

For some battery models, an upgrade is available which will provide up to 3 times longer life if looked after correctly. If an upgrade is available it will be shown after you’ve checked for your bike battery here.

Charge Correctly

When charging a YuMicron or Conventional motorcycle battery, always open the vent caps and check that the vent tube is not obstructed in any way. This will make sure no flammable and potentially explosive gases build up during charging.

Take Charge

Keep your battery fully charged to prevent any internal damage. This isn’t difficult whilst your bike is in regular use as frequent journeys of over ten minutes will do this, providing your alternator is in good order.  If you take long breaks from riding or make short, infrequent journeys your battery will not be charged fully so you’ll need to connect a motorcycle battery smart charger when your bike’s not in use.  Intelligent chargers can safely monitor and maintain a battery whilst it is still on the bike. By using one during extended storage periods, you can keep the battery at an optimum voltage and allow security systems and ECU memories to remain active.

Always check your charger’s instructions to make sure it has a maintenance mode and is safe for unattended charging.

Storage

Batteries lose their charge naturally when not being charged. If the charge level drops too low then the they cannot be recovered. As well as natural self-discharge, the battery may also have to support electrical loads such as security systems, immobilisers and ECU memories which will drain its power.

Yuasa recommend charging your bike battery throughout the winter, see above.

Maintenance

Keeping to a proper maintenance schedule will extend service life. Although this can differ depending on battery model, a typical schedule is to:

– Disconnect the battery from your bike, negative terminal first
– Place the battery on a clean, even surface in a well-ventilated location
– Check the terminals for corrosion. If any is present clean with a wire brush
– Remove lid plugs and top up with distilled water to the level indicated on the battery. (Non maintenance free types only)
– Replace the lid plugs securely

Download the full guide here: How to make your motorcycle or scooter battery last longer by Yuasa