Battery muppet

Charged up the Street Triple, parked it ready for use this morning,
and accidentally left the parking lights on. Bah. I believe gel
batteries don't like being flattened completely, do they?

 

No. Myth. They are used in deep-cycle applications such as radio controlled
vehicles as they handle being frequently charged from very flat better than
standard ones.

Chemically they are identical to standard batteries, just that the
electrolyte is held in suspension and the gases produced are mostly
recombined.

What they don't like (same applies to gel or AGM as they are both valve
regulated) is being over-charged. If you have an Optimate or other similar
device that switches to float mode once the battery is fully charged then
you won't have a problem.

Use a constant current charger and, once the battery is fully charged, the
gas pressure will build up in the battery, the valves will blow and you
will permanently weaken the battery as there will be less O2 & H2 in the
system. Unlike a wet battery, you can't just add some more from a tap.

 

Interesting. Ta. I used an antique 6v/12v charger I've got - bought it
about 30 years ago - which starts off with about a 2-3 amp charge and
then ratchets down to one amp or less.

Seems fine now.