Motorbike Battery

[PeteCooper]

I have just bought a new battery for me bike. I didn't realise when I bought it that it is supplied dry - and needs to be topped up with sulphuric acid before use.
In the instructions it says sulphuric acid but my local chandlers assured me that de-ionised water would be just as good - i.e. fill it, charge it and it would be fine.
I have been trying to find where to buy sulphuric acid - and so far that is proving tricky - so any ideas on that would be useful as well.
So do I fill it with sulphuric or de-ionised?
Where can I buy sulphuric acid?
Thanks.

 

[Sandyman]

You need both.

 

[vyv_cox]

There is no way that deionised water is the same thing as sulphuric acid! Most car parts shops sell battery acid at the correct concentration, just add that.

 

[Davy_S]

Not much help I know but, last week I bought a battery for my twist and go, it came in a box with six sachets of acid and a flat strip of plastic that said ;do not remove; on it. The shop man said, wait five minutes, he took the box away, he came back later and placed a voltmeter thingy on the battery, it showed 13v, strip of plastic had been placed on the top of the battery, he handed me the battery and away I went, job done.

 

[sarabande]

I wouldn't consider using a wet battery for a bike today, having seen how they leak when the rubber side is not down. AGM batts are now available in all shapes and sizes, and can be used in any orientation. My SilverWing has its battery lying on its side.

 

[Spyro]

I seem to remember reading something about this before. Charging it turns the water into acid. When you top up a battery you use water not acid?????

 

[Skylark]

I recently bought a similar battery for my bike. It came "dry charged" but needed acid adding before use. The acid came with the battery in a separate container. I'd go back to the seller and ask him to supply it. At the very least, you need to know the required concentration. Don't use water or you'll bug-gar it, for sure.

 

[saxonpirate]

Yes... it definitely needs acid. I'm wondering why you weren't supplied with it in the measured sachets. I bought one for my bike several months ago and it came with the required acid for each cell. As others have said don't fill it with water.

 

[nimbusgb]

I seem to remember reading something about this before. Charging it turns the water into acid. When you top up a battery you use water not acid?????

Wrong quote, that was some bloke who turned water into wine iirc.

Unless the battery was supplied with powder form acid already in it ( very unlikely ) there is no way to 'turn water into acid' ( electolyte) by charging the battery.

When a wet cell battery loses electrolyte it actually loses water as it boils off, so replacing the water with de-ionised water is what is required but the acid needs to be in there in the first place.

 

[Spyro]

Wrong quote, that was some bloke who turned water into wine iirc.

Unless the battery was supplied with powder form acid already in it ( very unlikely ) there is no way to 'turn water into acid' ( electolyte) by charging the battery.

When a wet cell battery loses electrolyte it actually loses water as it boils off, so replacing the water with de-ionised water is what is required but the acid needs to be in there in the first place.

Yes I suppose that sounds more likely
Sorry

 

[CreakyDecks]

When I buy bike batteries (which is every two years if I am lucky) the shop always has them stored dry and takes them into the workshop to fill them with acid from a big bottle. I suppose the problem is that if I took a dry one in the shop owner might be a bit miffed that I bought it off Ebay or wherever and didn't buy it off him. However, I'm pretty sure that if I went into the workshop and missed out the boss, the young lad who actually does the filling would do it for the price of a pint!

 

[PeteCooper]

Thank you for all the advice. I 'phoned the place that I bought it from this morning and he was very apologetic. Some of the batteries come complete with an acid pack and some don't. Those that don't should flag up on the till to remind them to ask the customer if they need acid but this one didn't. Fortunately they have bottles in stock so I should be the proud owner of a litre of sulphuric acid later on today.

 

[CreakyDecks]

Keep it somewhere safe!!

 

[mcframe]

I wouldn't consider using a wet battery for a bike today, having seen how they leak when the rubber side is not down. AGM batts are now available in all shapes and sizes, and can be used in any orientation. My SilverWing has its battery lying on its side.

+1

3 out of 4 bikes on AGM, and AGM start batt on boat - only Moto Guzzi and boat domestics are still wet.