Battery question

[Coyote]

My 550 wouldn't start the other day due to a dead battery. I charged it up and it hit right off. Went to ride it today and the battery was once again flat. I removed the battery and 3 cells were half empty. The other 3 were just below the minimum line. Is it safe to add more electrolyte (acid) to the half empty cells? I didn't think it was so I just topped them all up with distilled water and it's back on the charger. Is it a safe to add more acid?

[Zook-e]

Do not add new electrolyte. Add distilled water instead and recharge the battery.

[rbond]

The acid does not evaporate, only the water is lost during the charging cycle. If you are adding a lot of water, it is over charging and you need to look for the problem. Adding a little bit, say every two months is quite acceptable.

[Coyote]

Well, the battery charged just fine after the distilled water was added to fill the cells. The bike still coughed and stumbled and wouldn't start except on one cylinder occasionally. Then a little light came on. I flipped the petcock to prime for a few seconds and then to reserve. She fired instantly. It was plain and simply out of gas.
I didn't add any electrolyte - just water. I remember a 69 Triumph I had that had a nearly dry battery. I added electrolyte to fill the cells. After a short ride, the battery was hot as hell and was swelling as I looked at it. It fried the battery big time. I can only surmise what may have happened if I had kept riding it like that.
Exploded battery, fire?
I replaced the battery with a fresh one and had no further problems. So when I recalled that incident today, I said to myself "no Chris - just add water".

[H2RICK]

rbond +1.
Old bikes with their rudimentary charging systems are hard on batteries, especially in hot climates.
You'll have to keep an eye on your electrolyte levels over the coming weeks to make sure that the battery is okay.