Activating a motorcycle battery

Important: Since 1 February 2021, when EU Regulation 2019/1148 of the Council and the European Parliament came into force, it is no longer possible to send sulphuric acid separately to end consumers together with batteries. However, this post remains valid for companies and professionals who can purchase batteries with the acid supplied separately and who must activate them before handing them over to the end consumer.

This means that all motorcycle batteries, without exception, must be activated before being dispatched. It is no longer possible to send the sulphuric acid separately for the customer to activate the battery themselves.

Motorcycle batteries usually arrive without activation. This means the battery has to be activated before it is installed.

Activating a motorcycle battery as soon as you buy it has the advantage of avoiding the deterioration a battery suffers between the time of purchase and the time it is installed. For this reason, once activated, a motorcycle battery will be just like one fresh from the factory, with all the benefits in terms of quality and durability that brings.

But what does the process of activating a motorcycle battery actually involve?

Essentially, it involves filling the battery with electrolyte and waiting for a period of time for the chemical reaction taking place inside the battery to finish. The electrolyte is basically diluted sulphuric acid, so you must be careful when carrying out the activation, as it is a corrosive substance. To avoid any mishaps, we recommend protecting your hands with gloves and your eyes with goggles, and carrying out the process in a well-ventilated, shaded area at a temperature no higher than 30ºC.

Remember that each cap or cell provides 2 volts, so a 12-volt battery will have 6 cells and a 6-volt battery will have 3.

There are basically 4 types of motorcycle battery:

  1. Wet (flooded) motorcycle battery: the electrolyte remains in liquid form inside the battery. For this reason, these batteries must not be tipped over.

  2. AGM motorcycle battery: these are also activated by filling the cells with electrolyte, but the liquid is absorbed into a kind of fibreglass mat. This means that, once properly activated, they can be mounted on their side. However, it should be noted that if the activation is not carried out fully, a few drops of acid could leak out if the battery is tipped.

  3. Gel batteries: these come activated from the factory.

  4. Lithium batteries: these also come activated from the factory, so they don't need activation either.

Since the last two options don't need activation, we'll focus on the first two.

1) Activating a wet (flooded) motorcycle battery

To activate a wet motorcycle battery, the process is as follows:

  1. Remove the caps from the cells, or the adhesive seal covering them, on the top of the battery.

  2. On one side, find a small overflow tube fitted with a plastic cap.

  3. Remove the cap and connect the long tube supplied to the overflow outlet.

  4. Fill with electrolyte between the two lines indicating the minimum and maximum electrolyte level. It's important to watch and keep to this level.

  5. Leave the battery to rest for 40 minutes and, if necessary, repeat the process again. Always fill without exceeding the maximum level indicated.

  6. After a total resting period of 2 hours you'll be able to use your battery. If you think it necessary, you can give it a charge before using it.

2) Activating an AGM battery

If the battery is sealed (AGM), the activation process is as follows:

  1. Note that you have a container with the exact amount of electrolyte, covered with a strip.

  2. Remove the strip of caps from the electrolyte container. You'll see six nozzles sealed with a kind of aluminium foil.

  3. Place the container on top of the battery, lining up the nozzles – without removing or piercing them – with the holes in the cells.

  4. Once you're sure they line up, insert the container and press down firmly on the base until the nozzles pierce through and release the electrolyte inside.

  5. Remove the container and leave the battery to rest for 2 hours. Even if it looks like it's short of liquid, do NOT top it up with more electrolyte, as you could damage the battery!!

  6. Cap and seal the cells once activated. Be careful, because once sealed, we must stress once again that you will not be able to open it again.

Finally, remember that by clicking the following link you can access our wide range of motorcycle batteries.