Is It Riding Season Yet? How To Replace a Motorcycle Battery

Finally, the snow is melting (well sorta) and the weather is getting better and spring has sprung, at least we hope, and when it does weekend warriors are ready to saddle up their bikes and get riding. Maybe it's time for a new battery for your motorcycle or scooter! Here are 7 steps to replacing your motorcycle battery:

Step 1: Locate your motorcycle’s battery.

Don’t laugh! Many first-timers don’t know where the battery is stored or how to get to it. Fortunately, that problem is easily remedied. In most motorcycles, that battery is stored underneath the seat. For instructions on how to remove the seat, or if you still can’t find the battery even after removing it, consult your owner’s manual. It should tell you everything you need to know.

Step 2: Ascertain the necessary specs and purchase a new battery.

Before you purchase a new battery, make sure that you read your owner’s manual, or at the very least, the labeling information on the old battery. There’s no point to ordering a new battery only realize that it won’t fit inside the compartment or it can’t handle the power requirements. Powerstridebattery.com has a nifty tool called "smartfinder" that helps you find the correct battery for your motorcycle or scooter or any application for that matter. Just choose the application such as in this case motorcycle/scooter. Then choose your year, make and model etc in the drop down menu and the smart finder will find you the battery you need.

Step 3: Carefully remove the old battery.

Replacing a vehicle battery always poses some level of danger due to the amount of raw electrical energy they can release. Always be sure to keep the positive and negative wires away from each other while in process of disconnecting! The last thing you need is a complete short circuit. Also, on a side note, it is usually safest to disconnect the negative terminal first (the terminal connected to the black wire).

Step 4: Clean all connection points and remove any build ups.

Before you install the new battery and re-attach the cables, it’s always a good idea to make sure that all connection points are nice and clean. Remove any build ups and/or deposits on the ends of the positive and negative cables, and be sure to double check that the terminals of your new battery are free of debris and other hindrances. This will keep your electrical system stable and will discourage any nasty surprises in the future. Powerstridebattery.com has a section called battery accessories where you can purchase some battery cleaner and acid preventative products to help.

Step 5: Carefully install the new battery.

Keep your new battery in the same orientation as your last battery. When you go to reconnect the cables, be very careful again that the positive doesn’t touch the negative, or vice-versa. No reason to mess it up now if you’ve made it this far! Now, this last part is important: for safety reasons, you’ll want to re-attach the positive cable first, and the negative cable last, which is the exact opposite order of operations in step three.

Step 6: Test the battery by turning on your motorcycle.

Turn your bike on to make sure that the battery switch was successful. If your motorcycle has trouble starting, double check the battery specs and the connections. If both seem to be in order, call a mechanic or consult an experienced biker to troubleshoot the problem.

Step 7: Dispose of the old battery properly.

Unfortunately, many people skip over this important step. Always, always be sure that you dispose of your batteries properly. If possible, recycle them. You might even get paid for the old battery – but even if you aren’t, at least you’ve done your part to help the environment.

If you are interested in checking out the latest and greatest batteries and accessories from Powerstride Battery give us a call at 877-576-9379.  We would be glad to help You!