Blog: Understanding Batteries You only know about them if yours dies at the most inopportune moment Linc Biggins
Batteries in scooters have a high attrition rate! This can however be minimised through an understanding of what it does and how it lives.
I will write about small capacity Scooter batteries (50cc) as they are most prone to failure. The average 50cc scooter runs a very small 4-5amp hr battery in comparison the average small car which runs a 20-30 amp hr battery. The average 50cc scooter when running only creates a usable charge adequate for any sort of re-charge from 50-100% throttle opening. By comparison even a small car with headlights on will create an effective re-charge at idle or above. What this means on the road is you would almost have to ride your 50cc from Cairns to Townsville non-stop at 100% throttle opening to effectively re-charge a flat battery.
In an effort to provide owners as
much power as possible the Alternator in a 50cc is built as lightly as
possible to minimise mechanical drag. A car by comparison charges at a
much higher amperage rate (they take into consideration the maximum
running load a car may have to provide - stereo, air con, high beam,
indicators, and horn all operating at once). This is why a good
indication of impending battery failure in a scooter is the horn and
indicators doing funny things while at idle – aside from the fact you
had to kick start it!... Read
the rest at Linc's Blog!
published 25/03/2010 |