how long should i charge my brand new battery for

[Mattman88]

Hey everyone somewhat new to the forums and I just recently bought an 02 400ex and I was informed that it would need a battery. I bought a new battery for it but im not sure how long I should charge it for. The directions say that at 1 amp I should charge it for 2-4 hours and at 1.5 amps I should charge it for 1-3 hours. My problem is that, the battery charger I am using doesnt measure amps on it. The settings it has on the charger is 6v 12vmed 12vhigh and 24v. I am assuming because it is a 12v battery I should use 12med but I am not sure how long to keep it charging for. Any help would be appreciated.

[400exrider707]

Is there a gauge on the charger? Definitely do the 12v charge. It is best to do a long low amp charge. I usually do mine on 1-amp for 5 or 6 hours.

[Mattman88]

Thats the problem, there are no gauges on the charger or any lights that go off when the battery is done charging. There is a voltmeter on the charger but it is still reading 0, but I checked the battery and it was reading slightly over 12 volts and that was 10 mins after I put the charger on. My charger doesnt have any settings for amps and I dont know much about electric so I have no idea how many amps it is putting out.

[leasureryan]

scary.....just make sure you do it right. Yuasa say to use 6 amp or less for 1hr....or .75 amp (tricle charger) for 10 hrs. They also suggest the battery sit fill for 2 hrs PRIOR to charging, to allow the acid to do it's thing. I fill so many batteries at work...most people don't have chargers. We use a Christie charger for about 45min to 1hr, and send them on thier way. But to do it the best way possible...do it SLOW!


if the battery stinks to high heaven....you know that the charger is WAY to strong for the battery

[Mattman88]

well it hasnt started to stink yet so I guess im good there. In the directions it said let it sit 30 mins before charging, which I did. I guess its all kinda trial and error from here on out. Ill keep an eye on the battery and charger though.

[tri5ron]

is it possible that there might be a tag/lable on the back/bottom of the chargier, that says what the charging amp rates are?
just a thought.

[Mattman88]

checked it out, I dont see anything that says the charging rate, thanks for the idea though