new battery volt level

[Iahawk]

bought a new Yuasa battery for my little Ninja. Filled it with the supplied acid last night and let it sit a bit before I put it on the charger. I thought I'd check the volts on it before charging, just for the heck of it. I assumed it would be very low....but it was 12.87 volts. I guess I don't completely understand the way a battery works. I had no idea just adding acid would put it as this charging level.

I did test it, after charging, with my battery tester. It checked out at 100% health, as it should. It actually showed a higher CCA ability than it is rated for.

[rjs987]

Yep, Battery plates, anodes and cathodes, already have the potential charge on them when new due to the materials they are made of. The acid just enables that charge to "flow" inside the battery. Activates it.

[randyo]

I haven't seen or used a battery that had to add acid in years, AGM for me

[Iahawk]

Randyo, it is an agm battery. It ships without acid in it..it’s added by the end user. It’s my understanding it is to prolong the life of the battery so it isn’t sitting on a shelf for a year with its lifespan declining.

[rjs987]

I haven't seen or used a battery that had to add acid in years, AGM for me

One time I bought a battery for one of my former bikes where I did have to add the acid to the battery. But I learned there are other versions of the same batteries that come with acid already installed.

Example: My AK uses a Yuasa TTZ12S from the factory. Though the newer model years seem to have the TTZ14S from the factory. The direct cross optional battery is the YTZ12S or YTZ14S. BOTH are AGM batteries. But the TTZ has the acid shipped separately in a plastic container that you simply push onto the top of the battery with each opening of the acid container lining up with the cell openings. The YTZ battery comes with the acid already in the battery. Both can be bought in the USA and most other countries. I prefer not to mess with separate acid containers and choose to go with the YTZ batteries for all my bikes.

[randyo]

I put a Yuasa GYZ Series in my AK550

[Ruffus]

"Quote
Randyo, it is an agm battery. It ships without acid in it..it’s added by the end user. It’s my understanding it is to prolong the life of the battery so it isn’t sitting on a shelf for a year with its lifespan declining."

..second that, they are precharged, otherwise you would get a shelfsitter..

[randyo]

I keep a spare fob battery in my glove box that you can't fit gloves in

[mousejunks]

bought a new Yuasa battery for my little Ninja. Filled it with the supplied acid last night and let it sit a bit before I put it on the charger. I thought I'd check the volts on it before charging, just for the heck of it. I assumed it would be very low....but it was 12.87 volts. I guess I don't completely understand the way a battery works. I had no idea just adding acid would put it as this charging level.

I did test it, after charging, with my battery tester. It checked out at 100% health, as it should. It actually showed a higher CCA ability than it is rated for.

This is how it's supposed to work. A rechargeable battery is simply a reversible chemical reaction.

When you charge a lead-acid battery to 100%, the sulfuric acid concentration is at its maximum limit. So adding fresh acid to a new battery for the first time will give it a charge close to 100%. The higher the concentration of acid, the higher the voltage.

Then the acid will react with the lead/lead oxide plates and the voltage will go down a bit.

[scooterfan]

bought a new Yuasa battery for my little Ninja. Filled it with the supplied acid last night and let it sit a bit before I put it on the charger. I thought I'd check the volts on it before charging, just for the heck of it. I assumed it would be very low....but it was 12.87 volts. 

Quite interesting. 
Usually a brand new battery from a dealer is only about 80% charged - it actually needs to be charged with a charger before installation. A salesman from a battery factory has told me this many years ago and since then I always put a new battery on a charger before installation. Since I started charging new batteries I never found a new battery that was fully charged.

[wymple]

I haven't bought a lead acid battery since the AGMs 1st came out.