A 12-volt motorcycle battery is made up of a plastic case containing six cells. Each cell is made up of a set of positive and negative plates immersed in a dilute sulfuric acid solution known as electrolyte, and each cell has a voltage of around 2.1 volts when fully charged. It comes in many shapes, size and power depending to the model of your motorcycle.

You may already know that there are 2 main categories that motorcycle batteries can fall into - maintenance free and conventional. For conventional type, it requires you to constantly adding water because of normal process of water evaporating. You always need to ensure water level between maximum and minimun level to avoid battery plates being exposed to the air. In contrast, maintenance free type is fully sealed box and all of the acid is contained in special separators and plate. Even with high temperature,the maintenance free motorcycle battery will still have enough eloctrolyte covering the plates.

Regardless of whether you have a maintenance free model or conventional battery, for motorcycle batteries to perform perfectly only little monthly maintenance is required. Keep the battery charged to 100%, recharging when the lights dim, the starter sounds weak, or the battery hasn't been used in more than two weeks. Other than that, you should follow this simple check list every month;

1. Keep the top of motorcycle batteries clean, dry and free of dirt.

2. Clean the terminals for the prevention of corrosion.

3. Check the electrolyte level. For conventional motorcycle batteries, make sure to keep the acid level between upper and lower lines indicated on the container.

4. Check inside motorcycle batteries for excessive sediment, sulfation or mossing. .

5. Make sure the exhaust tube is free of kinks and clogs and check cables, clamps, and case for obvious damage or loose connections.

6. Replace caps firmly

7. Do not let the battery stand in a discharged condition.

8. Charge battery once a month.

9. If you store your motorcycle for a long period of time (~ 30 days), plug in a good quality battery charger to maintain a proper charge.

10. Protect motorcycle batteries from strong impacts or shocks. Don't drop it!

Author: Zamlan Shamsuddin

About the author:
Zamlan is the owner of http://the-motorcycle-batteries.blogspot.com which provide usefull information and tips regarding motorcycle batteries.

Article source: Free Motorcycles Articles.