Battery Life New in Box

[litigator]

I have a Westco battery, new in the box, which I don't need to install this season. How long can I leave it on the shelf before it is no longer a viable choice to put in the bike?

[dirtrider]

Afternoon litigator

 

That really depends on the state of charge when stored & the ambient temps/conditions during storage.

 

Most standard AGM batteries self discharge about 1-3% per month but again that can vary by storage conditions & temps.

 

I don't know who (actually) makes the current Westco battery so no way to know the storage data for sure.

 

If you have a new battery sitting there might as well put it in as you don't gain much in overall battrey life with it just sitting on a shelf.

 

If you don't put it in now, then just fully charge it before storage, then store in a cool dry place (cooler the better). Then put a battery tender on it about every 6 months or so.

 

[litigator]

I have extra Battery Tenders. Should I just put one on it and leave it?

[dirtrider]

I have extra Battery Tenders. Should I just put one on it and leave it?

 

Afternoon litigator

 

Some would but personally I sure wouldn't do that.

 

I would just put that new battery in the bike & be done with it.

 

If you insist on not using that battery for a while then a battery tending about every 6 months should be fine.

 

One thing to consider-- Personally I haven't had much luck with Westco batteries lately (they seem to have changed vendors) so if you happen to have a bad one it will too late to get Westco to replace it if you sit on it for 6 months or a year.

 

If you put it in now & have issues then you can get it replaced if needed.

 

[moshe_levy]

DR, I would double that 6 month recommended, if I were the OP. In our experience (my company makes UPS Systems for the military) we find the self discharging rates of low-end VRLA batteries (Westco would fall into this category) as being much faster than advertised, and in actuality some can completely self discharge in 3 months, especially if the temp creeps up over +25C or so. I'm talking self discharge to the point of permanent damage. And of course, the hotter it is, the faster the discharge takes place. So I'd say put it on the tender every 3 months max, especially if storage is above +25C. The BEST idea, as DR said, is to treat batteries like meat - they have a shelf life, and it's far better to work from fresh inventory than to try to preserve one until later. Just my 2 cents.

 

-MKL

[Guest Kakugo]

DR, I would double that 6 month recommended, if I were the OP. In our experience (my company makes UPS Systems for the military) we find the self discharging rates of low-end VRLA batteries (Westco would fall into this category) as being much faster than advertised, and in actuality some can completely self discharge in 3 months, especially if the temp creeps up over +25C or so. I'm talking self discharge to the point of permanent damage. And of course, the hotter it is, the faster the discharge takes place. So I'd say put it on the tender every 3 months max, especially if storage is above +25C. The BEST idea, as DR said, is to treat batteries like meat - they have a shelf life, and it's far better to work from fresh inventory than to try to preserve one until later. Just my 2 cents.

 

-MKL

 

Intriguingly enough when I went to pick a new battery for the Honda recently the guy at the counter (they are a family-run business selling electric automotive parts) told me the defective ratio of some VRLA batteries has forced them to stop stocking some brands altogether. This is due to self-discharging damaging the battery beyond the point of non-return in well under six months. Not exactly what you want when you are an area's main battery supplier with months worth of stock.

 

He also told me the main Yuasa warehouse in Europe (located near Hamburg, where batteries arrive from Asia by container) discards "thousands" of batteries at each shipment, damaged by faster discharge rates due to the hot conditions chips sail through in the Indian Ocean.

[moshe_levy]

That's correct. That's why I steer well clear of these low end brands to begin with. An Enersys like I have in my bike will not self discharge for up to 24 months (vs. 3) @ +25C, and will self discharge at a FAR lower rate in high temps vs. conventional brands.

 

This is why my controller at work still has his OEM replacement Enersys in his Harley - since 1998. And my wife's former '71 R60/5 had one that was maybe 13 years old, still going. When my OEM battery died, I put in an Enersys, and I fully expect it to last longer than I plan to actually keep the motorcycle itself.

 

-MKL

[litigator]

This is from the horse's mouth:

 

I apologize for the delay. I would charge 1 time a month during periods of non-use.

 

Thanks,

 

Jason Smith

Manager of Customer Service

and Technical Support

MK Battery

714 922-2014 (Direct)

800 372 9253 (Customer Service)

 

 

 

Go paperless, visit our MK E-Store and register on-line

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www.mkbattery.com

 

 

[moshe_levy]

That's a very safe answer. The component there to worry about - and he should have mentioned it - is temperature. Nothing has as much of an effect on self discharge assuming a new battery as temperature does. If you're storing it, store it under +25C if at all possible. The colder, the better, within reason (see spec sheet for your cell to determine upper and lower temp limits for storage).

 

-MKL