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Saturday, May 7, 2011

Things You Should Know About Your Motorcycle Battery

By Inah Besch


While motorcycle batteries share many of the same characteristics as typical car batteries, there are also unique problems that are more specific to motorcycle batteries and their owners. Due to their smaller frame and the positioning of the motorcycle battery itself, motorcycles are much more prone to damage from vibrations. Motorcycle batteries are made with material that resists vibration, particularly glass matting inserted between the plates in order to prevent the shedding effect. Consumers typically have access to three types of motorcycle batteries that are similar to the way car batteries are made.

Flooded cell batteries usually have higher cc ratings but require maintenance throughout their lifetime. To prevent the water or electrolyte from leaking out, factory sealed batteries come pre-charged and sealed. Being less expensive than factory sealed batteries, self-sealed batteries are a nice cross between the two, although before permanently sealing it for maintenance-free operation the owner still needs to fill and charge it himself when installing it for the first time.

Just like motorcycle batteries, although slightly different, marine batteries also have three flavors from which boat owners can choose from, namely flooded cell, gel, and AGM batteries. Flooded cell marine batteries share the same characteristics found in most automobile and motorcycle batteries, being constructed from several lead and lead oxide plates that, when exposed to a solution of water and sulfuric acid, results in a chemical reaction that produces electrons.

Gel batteries have an added gelling agent combined into the electrolyte mixture of sulfuric acid and water. The structure of the lead plates allows for more surface area to be exposed to the electrolyte due to its compact spiral arrangement. AGM (absorbed gas mats) batteries have an even more compact spatial arrangement with the lead plates, making them even more efficient.

Water loss and constant maintenance are virtually eliminated as hydrogen and oxygen are recombined inside the body of the marine battery itself. Also there are no fume discharges from an AGM battery, making them the most convenient choice for poorly ventilated marine vessels, as well as the most expensive of all three types.

Always remember to get the kind of battery that suits your needs whether it is for an automobile, motorcycle or boat, regardless of what kind of battery you are getting. Go online to sites like http://www.impactbattery.com/ to search through all the available batteries for your vehicle and compare between them to make the best choice. Maintenance-free batteries are generally more expensive than other variants, but in some cases more performance can be squeezed out of traditional flooded cell batteries, particularly on automobiles and motorcycles.




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