At the end of last season my battery died. It would charge up to full voltage, but as soon as you hit the starter, nothing. Multi-meter shows its down to 7.6 volts. So I check the acid level etc. Rinse and repeat, same deal 7.6v. So I pulled the battery, put it on the shelf for recycling and put the bike into storage.

I saw some crazy Russian YouTube video where they were restoring batteries by draining them completely and then charging them in reverse polarity. I wasn't into the idea of reversing the polarity, and I don't understand why it would work; but I decided to try completely draining the battery anyway. I hooked it up to a 60watt halogen bulb and left it several hours. When the light went out the voltage was around 1.5v

I put the battery on the trickle charger overnight and recharged it. It works fine and I've been using it for a few months now. Has anyone else ever tried this?

interesting.i have a few dead batteries, would you describe the process more throughly? i could try it

Can't see the point. Many years learning have taught me that once a battery is 'on the blink' it'll never properly recover. Just bite the bullet and buy a new one.

Quote from: Armandorf on June 05, 2024, 03:09:37 PMinteresting.i have a few dead batteries, would you describe the process more throughly? i could try it

Just put a load on the battery and drain it down until it shows 1-2v on the multimeter. It took several hours. Then I just recharged it overnight with a slow (2 amp) charge setting. Note the battery electrolytes were good.

Quote from: Joolstacho on June 06, 2024, 10:38:49 PMCan't see the point. Many years learning have taught me that once a battery is 'on the blink' it'll never properly recover. Just bite the bullet and buy a new one.

Yeah, I had pulled the battery and had it on the shelf for recycling. I saw the video and just tried it as a lark and it worked. Its been holding a charge for a couple of months; bike starts and runs fine, even if the bike isn't used for a few weeks. IDK maybe batteries build up internal resistance?

Any updates on this?
Supposedly you can "restore"the battery by removing deposits that prevent the chemical reaction. the acid could be saturated and a new acid solution benefits chemical reaction.
something like "unclogging"them.
But the reaction cathode-anode is irreversible and I would still be looking for other term than restoring.

The technique of draining down the battery to about 1 volt and then slow charging it, got me through the last season. I did it again in the spring and it worked for a short time until I finally replaced the battery with a gel type. It's not a true fix, but I found I was able to extend battery life for a few months as long as the bike was ridden frequently--and it didn't need much cranking.

The gel battery is pretty good. I got it from Fortnine and can be shipped "ready to go" so no need to buy an acid pack etc. It came charged at 13v and spins the motor much faster than the old tired one.

MY wifes Nissan oem battery died, after 13 years!! It went form perfect to a lost cell in 12 hours. Amazing lifespan. I bought a yuasa to replace it (figured get the best quality you can) , and the battery moulding was identical except the yuasa was gray and the OEM was black. I'm sticking with Yuasa in the future for cars and bikes.

Yuasa is always a solid choice.