There is a lot of confusion as to exactly how sealed lead acid batteries are constructed.

The construction of sealed lead acid batteries is in actual fact it is not as complicated as people may let you believe.  The following is a short piece on exactly how these batteries are constructed.

The whole ethos of how the battery construction is designed is basically to eliminate the loss of electrolyte through evaporation, gassing or spillage.  The basic premise that the batteries are sealed leads to a longer battery life and also reduces the amount of maintenance needed compared to other varieties of batteries.  Other types of batteries have simple valve caps to let gas escape from the batteries, whereas sealed lead acid batteries are constructed using pressure valves which open in extreme conditions.  To reduce the release of oxygen and hydrogen in the air by galvanic action as the sealed lead acid battery is charging the electrolyte needs to have an adapted design.  The electrolyte is designed in sealed lead acid batteries in such a way that it triggers the oxygen and hydrogen to re-amalgamate into water and is often known as a recombinant technique.  Because of the reasons given above and the sealed nature of the batteries, sealed lead acid batteries are much safer than other variants of batteries for a mobility scooter battery for example.

Motorbike security comes in various forms depending on usage, requirement of location and type of bike. The main devices are disc locks and chains, padlocks and chains and ground anchors.

Motorcycle theft has been rising year on year although it must be remembered that the number of motorbikes on the road has also grown. 80% of motorbikes are stolen from the home. According to the Police, around 50% of motorbikes stolen were not locked. In the UK, mopeds and scooters are the most stolen forms of motorcycles.

Established in 1992 by Northumbria and Essex Police with the help and backing of the Home Office, Sold Secure is an independent body funded by UK insurers that tries to set a bar to eliminate low-level products from the market. Manufacturers and suppliers can apply to have their products approved by Sold Secure. They assign three levels: bronze, silver and gold.

Sold Secure: Bronze: These products offer resistance or attack from the basic tools (aimed at preventing opportunist crime). Sold Secure: Silver: These products offer theft resistance against enhanced tool list (aimed at preventing more determined attacks). To award Gold they test the products on the bikes to recreate a real-life theft situation. Disc-locks undergo some of the hardest tests to pass on a bike: wedge test with hammer chisel and screwdriver. Locks without double-locking pins do not pass. The Gold testing also involves lock picking, drilling, slide-hammering, sawing, wedging test and a torque test. Testers require 6-8 samples, and they study technical drawings before the tests to determine weak points. They re-test annually. It isn’t just for the assurance that the lock has been thoroughly tested but having a lock approved by Sold Secure can even reduce your insurance premium.

Leading manufacturers of motorcycle security devices are Xena, Squire and Oxford. Squire Locks are well respected in the motorcycle sector. Henry Squire and Sons Limited have been manufacturing locks and theft prevention devices in England since 1780. XENA Security began in the early 1990s when a group of UK engineers and motorcycle enthusiasts set out to design a better motorcycle lock and Oxford Products was founded in 1973 by a group of enthusiasts at University City of Oxford. Still today, Oxford Products is staffed by active enthusiasts who test and develop the product range.