Battery fluid

I just purchased a 77 KZ650B. It has sat for five years. The battery was new at that time. I see no fluid in it. What can I put in there? Distilled water, or something special?
After that how long do I charge it for?

Thanks

If the battery still had the air tight storage and shipping plugs in it, you can go to an automotive supply store and buy battery acid for it. If it has been unsealed and moisture got into it, it will be no good and must be replaced. A motorcycle battery only lasts about three years.

Thanks for the reply. It was still sealed up with the plugs in it. I will get some acid and see what happens. Will I need to give it a charge?

If it was once charged and is now dry it is most likely toast. Do you see and white between the fins? If so it's toast. Be careful with battery acid. It will eat your clothes and get it no where near a flame or your eyes. Neutralize any leftover acid with baking soda before discarding. New batteries develop a charge with the addition of the acid but it's still best to trickle charge them to full before installing. I think I'd get a new battery just to be sure. GLuck

Yes, you should charge it w a low amperage trickle charger before putting it into service. Here's a good battery page. Scroll down to the Care & Feeding section...

MC Consumer News - The Care and Feeding of Your Pet Battery

PS: I would try to buy electrolyte (sulfuric acid) that's in a sealed container. I wouldn't trust the purity &/or competence of having an auto parts store fill it, since they'll most likely take your battery to the back & out of sight to do it.

Thanks for the info. guys. I just picked up some motorcycle specific battery acid. Came sealed with a tube to fill up.
I now have it on a trickle charge.
And thanks for the link.

fer real? Buy a new battery!

For F*cks sake buy yourself a new battery and quit messing!

Next thing you'll be putting a post on here saying my battery won't hold a charge.

Buy a used bike, buy a new battery, that's the deal!

You can always smash the old one one apart & melt down the lead and make yourself something really nice!

jeeplover wrote:

I just purchased a 77 KZ650B. It has sat for five years. The battery was new at that time. I see no fluid in it. What can I put in there? Distilled water, or something special?

If it is a new (sealed) battery shipped dry, you put battery acid in it (which is sulphuric acid). If it has ever had acid put in, you only ad DI water after that. If it was filled and charged and allowed to go dry, punt it because it is ruined.

For the KZ650 the battery is not that expensive. But, when I went out to buy a battery for a KZ1100 it was well over $100. I would not advise anyone to chuck a battery so fast until it has been determined that in dead it is no good.

New battery.

$100 bucks is cheap insurance. I hate being stranded, or asking for a boost.

If your on the cheap, filling an old one with new fluid can prove fairly reliable, certainly economical.

There will be lots more $$$$$ spent on many other things with your bike. Cheaping the battery is one thing, but cheaping frame/engine/blah blah, well thats another...

Cheers.

jeeplover wrote:

I just purchased a 77 KZ650B. It has sat for five years. The battery was new at that time. I see no fluid in it.

IMHO, any battery left uncharged that long where all the fluid evaporated away is going to have severe sulphation, which is to say a deposit of garbage on the plates. If the plates look white, that's the sulphation. The battery is not safe or reliable if it has undergone this.