How often should battery be charged?

[zac6164]

My battery was dead this morning but was fine a few days ago bad battery or should it be charged often?
thanks

[afplayboy18]

you shouldnt have to charge it...the altenator charges it when you ride...something weird is going on

[scratch]

How old is the battery?  Did it come with the bike?  Does it have fluid (distilled water)?  Does it look like there's a bunch of flakey white stuff settled on the bottom?  Is the bike parked outside, and did it get really cold last night?

Over time, parked outside when it's really cold, for some reason is not good to a battery.  Mostly, I just find that the battery just needs to be recharged, and/or filled back up with distilled water (and recharged).

Flakey white stuff is bad; time to get a new battery.

[Cal Amari]

My battery was dead this morning but was fine a few days ago bad battery or should it be charged often?
thanks

Fill the battery to the proper level with distilled water, then charge it. Use a motorcycle-specific battery charger, not something designed only for automotive use. Motorcycle batteries are much smaller than car batteries, and you can easily damage a motorcycle battery by using the wrong type of charger.

FWIW, the alternator is ONLY designed to keep a healthy battery charged; it is NOT going to fully charge a battery that is low on electrolyte, or that has been weakened by neglect and time... Once you've got the battery fully recharged (which will take a few hours, depending on how much distilled water you added and the existing level of charge), you can put it back into the motorcycle and use it. If it fails again, you should have it checked by someone more knowledgeable about batteries, at a dealership or battery store, for example.

While the battery is charging, shine a flashlight through the case so you can keep an eye on the electrolyte level in each cell, and top it up as needed. Don't let the electrolyte level fall below the tops of the internal plates; they need to be completely submerged in order for the battery to take a full charge. You can also look for particulate matter (sediment) building up in the bottom of the battery; once it reaches the bottom of the internal plates, it will ruin the battery, and you'll need a new one.

You can also read this thread for more information:

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24321.0

Also, there are MANY previous threads concerning battery problems, so a quick search can help you if you don't find the answers you need from what I've already provided here...

Let us know how this turns out; low / weak electrolyte is the most likely cause of this problem, but now you know how to deal with that...