Bad Boy 2013 INSTINCT, Owner'S Manual

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MAINTENANCE
Read all of this manual to become thoroughly familiar with this vehicle. Pay particular attention to all Notices, Cautions, Warnings, and Dangers.
Page 5 - 16
5
Battery Charging
The battery charger is designed to fully charge the battery set. If the batteries are severely deep cycled, some automatic
battery chargers contain an electronic module that may not activate and the battery charger will not function. Automatic
chargers will determine the correct duration of charge to the battery set and will shut off when the battery set is fully
charged. Always refer to the instructions of the specific charger used.
Before charging, the following should be observed:
Do not overfill batteries. The charging cycle will expel electrolyte and result in component damage.
• The electrolyte level in all cells must be at the recommended level and cover the plates.
• The charging must take place in an area that is well ventilated and capable of removing the hydrogen gas that
is generated by the charging process. A
minimum of five air exchanges per hour is recommended.
• The charging connector components must be in good condition and free from dirt or debris.
• The charger connector must be fully inserted into the vehicle receptacle.
• The charger connector/cord set is protected from damage and is located in an area to prevent injury that may
result from personnel running over or tripping over the cord set.
• The charger is automatically turned off during the connect/disconnect cycle and therefore no electrical arc is
generated at the DC plug/receptacle contacts.
BATTERY TROUBLESHOOTING
In general, troubleshooting will be done for two distinct reasons. First, a battery that performs poorly and is outside of the
manufacturers specification should be identified in order to replace it under the terms of the manufacturer’s warranty. Dif-
ferent manufacturers have different requirements. Consult the battery manufacturer or the manufacturer’s representative
for specific requirements.
The second reason is to determine why a particular vehicle
does not perform adequately. Performance problems may
result in a vehicle that runs slowly or in a vehicle that is unable
to operate for the time required.
A new battery must mature before it will develop its maximum
capacity. Maturing may take up to 100 charge/discharge
cycles. After the maturing phase, the older a battery gets, the
lower the capacity. The only way to determine the capacity of
a battery is to perform a load test using a discharge machine
following manufacturer’s recommendations.
A cost effective way to identify a poorly performing battery is
to use a hydrometer to identify a battery in a set with a lower
than normal specific gravity. Once the particular cell or cells
that are the problem are identified, the suspect battery can be
removed and replaced. At this point there is nothing that can
be done to salvage the battery; however, the individual battery
should be replaced with a good battery of the same brand,
type and approximate age.
HYDROMETER
A hydrometer is used to test the state of charge of a battery
cell. This is performed by measuring the density of the electrolyte, which is accomplished by measuring the specific grav-
ity of the electrolyte. The greater the concentration of sulfuric acid, the more dense the electrolyte becomes. The higher
the density, the higher the state of charge.
Float Bulb
Cylinder
Thermometer
Add to Float
Reading
Subtract
from Float
Reading
Weight
Hydrometer