Battery Charger

I have an automotive battery charger with 2 settings 6 and 12 volt. I want to charge the batt on my XJ but I'm not sure if its a 12 or 6 volt system. Any help? Also could I potentially jump the bike with a car?

 

If your bike is an XJ it has a 12 volt system. Remove your battery and make sure the water is up to the level marked on the battery. Use distilled water to bring up to the proper level. While the battery is out you can charge it. Put the charger on two amps if it has the option. After a couple hours check the voltage on the battery. If it has taken a charge, put er back in the bike and start it!. If it won't take a charge, buy a new battery.
Yuasa is a great brand of battery to buy.

You can jump start of a car, make sure the car is not running. Also, I have heard that when you disconnect the jumper cables from the battery and there is a spark, and there will be, you take a chance of blowing your bikes charging system. Never hook the jumper cables from neg post to neg post. Hook the neg cable to, say, the bolt on a rear foot peg.

 

Good advice Casey. In terms of proper charge rate, the specific gravity of the electrolytic solution will tell you the state of charge on the battery and the amperage range you need to put on the battery. 2 amps is fine for our XJs but, as you suggested, check it in a few hours. If you have the choice of battery chargers, get one with a gauge or meter on it so you can monitor the current draw.

 

The charger I have is 6 amps, could that be too much? It also has a gauge so I'll hook it up tonight and hopefully it won't be taking a charge in the morning.

 

6 Amps is strong enough to make the Battery "Gas"

Bubbles of Hydrogen Gas are going to form and will need to escape.
Pull-out the Plastic screw-in Caps.
Lay a paper towel across the Top to prevent droplets from escaping.
Ventilated space.
Well vented.

Beware that the space between the top of the Fluid Level and the Bottom of the Top of that Battery Case is going to be FULL of Hydrogen Gas.

UNPLUG THE CHARGER ~~> Before <~~ You touch the Battery Charger Leads.

Hydrogen is a Powerful Explosive.

If you get any of the moisture on top of the Battery on your clothes ... you won't know until they come back from the laundry looking like you used them for target practice.

 

Mopedman, it sounds like you have a battery charger that is capable of 6 amps of output. My 225 Amp charger can put out max amps but it limits output based upon what the battery needs so as the battery approaches full charge, the amperage rate drops accordingly. Yours should be ok for a little while (an hour or two but it really depends upon what the battery needs) but I would expect it to boil out the battery if left overnight at 6 amps. If yours adjusts to the battery's needs, you should be ok overnight. Heed Rick's advise about the battery acid and hydrogen fumes.

 

The charger I have has a gauge of what amperage the battery is taking. I don't think I can overcharge the battery because the amps will just go down as it gets charged.

Thanks for the advice rick, to be on the safe side I think I'll just take the battery off the bike; if it does explode I wouldn't want it hurting my bike.

 

The bike will be fine.

You only get one face and one pair of eyes!