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Ten Top Tips for Winter Battery Care 

Whether you plan on riding your bike through winter, or parking it up until spring, the battery saving experts at OptiMate have ten top tips to keep your motorcycle battery in peak condition.  

  1. Check the Age of Your Battery: Older batteries are more prone to failure in cold weather. Consider replacing your battery if it’s over four years old.
  2. Test Your Battery’s Health: Use a voltmeter or the OptiMate TEST device to check your battery’s condition. It should show 12.6 volts or more. Anything less and it needs attention.
  3. Protect Your Battery from Temperature Extremes: Use a dust cover to insulate your battery in unheated garages or sheds. For outdoor storage, use a waterproof and breathable cover.
  4. Take Longer Rides: Short trips may not provide enough time for your alternator to recharge the battery. Aim for rides of at least 10-15 miles at motorway speeds.
  5. Clean and Tighten Battery Terminals: Corrosion can hinder battery performance. Check their condition and clean and tighten the terminals if required.
  6. Check Electrolyte Levels: this only applies to lead acid batteries, with the filler caps on top (not sealed Gel or AGM batteries). Ensure electrolyte levels are adequate and add distilled water if necessary. You will then need to charge the battery.
  7. Remove the Battery for Extended Storage: For extended storage, consider removing the battery and keeping it indoors on a maintainer. You will need to disable any alarms and trackers first.
  8. Invest in a High-Power Battery: If you use heated grips or clothing, fog lights or other power-hungry accessories, upgrade to a higher capacity battery to handle the increased demand.
  9. Fit a weatherproof premium battery lead: Cables like the OptiMate O-11 bolt onto the battery terminals at one end and have an SAE type plug at the other, so you can connect a charger quickly and easily, without needing to get acess to the battery itself.
  10. Use a Battery Charger/Maintainer: If you don’t use your bike often, connect it to a charger/maintainer like the OptiMate 1 Duo to keep it charged during the winter.

Find out more about OptiMate chargers and testers at optimate1.com.

Ten Top Tips for Winter Battery Care  | SuperBike