Solar Powered Battery Charger/Conditioner

try here for a kit

but all you need is a suitably sized solar panel and a shunt regulator at rswww.com RS Stock no. 194-082 download the data sheet

or try this site, if you want to DIY

martin

Put some constraints around it. Do you want something that uses great big expensive panels that generate enough to charge a dead battery or just to keep the battery from discharging when the bike isn't being used. How large is the battery in ampere hours?

I put some flexible solar panels on my gas tank. One blocking diode to keep it from discharging at night. Never had to resort to a charger as long as the bike was parked in sunlight. 100 ma output, 15 volts open circuit, battery was a 14 amp hour size. The bike probably got about 4-5 hours of sun a day.

For my sailboat I used two 1 amp panels, and a shunt type regulator to limit the voltage to 14.5. Ran the radio and lights on it and started the motor which had an alternator. More than enough power. Car size

One thing to keep in mind is that a panel is only as good as the weakest cell - shading one cell will dramatically drop the power and may make the difference between some charge and no charge. Two small panels (and two blocking diodes) will be better than one if you can't predict where the shade will be.

At many auto outlets there are solar powered battery chargers for infrequently used vehicles. Use one of those (a small one for the small battery of a Motorcycle).