There’s nothing about battery care that the guys and girls at OptiMate don’t know, so we caught up with them to find out what we should be doing to look after our batteries, and why…

Tech Talk

FB: Why and how do batteries degrade over time?

OM: All batteries rely on a chemical reaction to produce electricity and, over time, those chemicals gradually lose their ‘sparkle’. Most bikes are fitted with lead-acid batteries and they often become sulphated, especially if they are allowed to go flat. The acid forms crystals around the lead plates, which impedes performance. In extreme cases it prevents the battery from recharging, either when the engine is running or from an external charger.

FB: How do I know when my battery’s had it, rather than just flat?