Per i detrattori
dell'argomento, spero sia la parola definitiva. Lamps!
MF (YTX; YTZ) battery problems
A major reason for early failure problems which have been experienced with sealed motorcycle
batteries in recent years by some well-known global powersports vehicle companies, is the fact
that dealers do not give the "new" battery the correct and absolutely vital very first "activation"
charge.
Instead dealers (perhaps because they lack the appropriate special charger) are often tempted
to just fill the battery with the acid pack provided, fix the sealing strip, and install the battery on
the vehicle, whose charging system then irreparably damages the battery by delivering well over
20 Amps from the on-board charging system.
To avoid the disappointment, expense & hassle of premature battery failure (not to mention
creating more lumps of useless toxic lead), it is essential that new batteries of this type are
properly charged using a special charger able to charge the battery up to as high as 16,9V
before exposing the battery to the vehicle charging system.
Otherwise it is almost guaranteed battery life will be reduced down to 12 to 18 months.
If the battery is of the type which has been factory-filled and sealed & pre-charged (e.g. YTZ
models), it is nevertheless important for the avoidance of early failure that the selling dealer
gives the battery a thorough recharge before installing it on the vehicle. This is because it is
quite usual for a considerable period of time to have elapsed between the factory filling and the
installation of the battery on a vehicle, during all of which time the battery will have self-discharged,
especially if exposed to warm temperatures during shipping or warehousing.
We have first-hand experience at a North American dealer that has shown us factory filled &
pre-charged YTZ batteries less than one year old measuring 4V and lower!
Most motorcyclists and even many dealers are unaware of the importance of correct activation
charge procedures for this type of battery, and unfortunately battery companies have generally
not been active in communicating the importance of this, possibly because to sell batteries into
the replacement market does require batteries to fail !
So the important message is this : Once an MF battery has been installed on a vehicle
without receiving the correct activation charge beforehand, it will never achieve more
than about 80% of it's rated power, therefore will always struggle a bit to do its job, and
this results in early failure.
Our BatteryMate 150-09 & 60-03 and OptiMate PRO4-S & PRO4x4 models have a special
MF mode that allows charging up to 16,9V and monitors the battery to avoid
overcharging.
