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What is a trickle charger? Trickle Chargers are used both to charge batteries and to extend their life. They should be relatively cheap to purchase and for the most part draw power from a static source. Solar panels can be used as a power source but will have a slower charging rate. Other names include battery tenders, battery chargers or battery maintainers. Trickle charger characteristics Most batteries for vehicles, such as: automobiles, bikes, boats, mobility devices, ATVs, Jetskis and snowmobiles use 12 Volt batteries. The Power output will have a direct relation to how quickly the battery is charged. Power (measured in Amps) A typical battery tender starts at 0.75A and a rating of 1.5A would be an effective mid range device. What trickle charger is appropriate for which battery? There are 2 major types of batteries – primary and secondary. Primary types are designed work only once a should be thrown away after use. Secondary battery types are: Valve Regulated Lead-acid battery abbreviated as VRLA are used in most cars When choosing a charging device you must only check that is appropriate for your type of battery. The most common type of batteries you will find will work with most trickle chargers. It is there fore better to talk about exceptions; Gel Cell batteries need a different charging profile, are more expensive but can give improved performance. Chargers can come with different settings or programs to allow them to charge Gel Cell batteries. What is important when choosing a trickle charger for a motorcycle? When choosing a trickle charger for a motorbike you should consider what is it that you will use it for? The normal people buy a trickle charger for a bike is to keep the battery from total discharge when not in use. Maybe over the winter or during the holidays A normal motorbike battery will have a Amp hour (Amp/Hr – a measure of how long it will take to charge) value of 3 – 5 and a performance type may be up to 9. This means that a 0.75A trickle charger (the entry models) would take about 7 ½ hours to completely charge a typical battery and 12 hours to charge a performance model. The above calculations are a gross oversimplification but in essence a trickle charge for a Motorcycle Battery can be 0,75 Amp with no problems and function without too many problems. You can find out more at the following link:
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