Motorcycle Battery Voltage Range

If the battery begins to hold and then steadily drops in voltage there is a problem.

Motorcycle battery voltage range. Motorbike batteries are made up from a combination of such cells connected in series to give the required voltage. 12 volt motorcycle batteries supply useful energy only through a limited voltaic range from over 14 volts when fully charged and rested down to 10 5 volts in use under load this battery is noticed when lights dim or your motorcycle is hard to start. When any 12 volt battery is discharged below 12 4 volts sulfation begins to occur within the battery. Here is a quick breakdown on the spectrum of voltage ranges.

If it reads below those values then your battery is not keeping a full charge. Positive to positive and negative to negative. Even though you are testing a 12 volt battery you should know that a battery that is truly 12 0 volts is a boat anchor. No 12 volt battery will remain at over 14 volts for more than seconds unless it s being charged.

A good battery should read between 12 4 to 12 6 volts 12 6v being optimal. If the voltage instantly drops to 0 volts that is also a problem. 5 use a multi meter and test your battery s voltage range. A battery is at a discharge anywhere from 11 9 to way below that range.

Place the voltmeter leads to the battery terminals. Likewise a 12v battery is made up of six individual cells giving a total of 6 x 2 1v 12 6 volts. A 6v battery is comprised of three cells giving a total voltage across it s terminals of 3 x 2 1v 6 3 volts. The full range of the battery is from just over 14 volts when being charged by the bike running at high rpms down to 10 5 volts under heavy load for example when the lights are on and the bike is being started.

A fully charged 12 volt motorcycle battery should measure about 12 6 13 5 volts between terminals depending upon its chemistry. We call this the open cell. A healthy 12 volt motorcycle battery should maintain a range from 9 5 10 5 volts under the load for a good 30 seconds straight.