How many times have you gone to your local AutoZone or Walmart to get a new battery for your bike and get told it’s all set to go?
You install it and it starts right up. Great!!!! Off you go.
The next day the bike is dead. 
What the…. Why??? What did I do wrong???
Here is the scoop.
You did nothing wrong if the clerk told you it was all set.
Some batteries are sold dry and you have to install the acid.
Some batteries are sold with the acid already installed in them.
I once bought a battery that was on the shelf for more than a year.
How much of a charge do you think that had in it.
When I returned it, the clerk told me I had to charge it overnight.
I then asked him why he didn’t tell me that in the first place.
Then he gave me that look. You’ve seen it.
Either way, the battery must be charged before use.
When I purchase a new battery I always charge it on an automatic charger overnight
(unless you see the battery come off the charger when you get it).
By doing this you activate the acid and lead and whatever else is in them.
The stator/alternator in a bike is probably not strong enough to make this initial charge on it’s own.
Or if it is you probable didn’t ride it long enough to completely charge it.
Ernie
