My battery is dead; how can I bring it back to life?

0. Charge the battery after disconnecting and removing it. You may have a current-leak on the bike somewhere.

1. Check that the leads are on correctly. (I know you didn't hook it up wrong... but you'd be surprised.)

2. If the charger has a voltage switch, set it to 12V.

3. Try a different charger if you have access to one.

4. If the battery has removable fill-caps, add distilled water to the fill-line. Only ever add water to batteries. If you add more acid, you upset the balance and will kill your battery even more quickly.

5. If the battery has removable fill-caps and adding water does not improve its ability to charge and hold a charge, buy an electrolyte checker. Follow the instructions. This device checks the acid content (and hence the ability to take a charge) of the water in the individual cells.

6. If the battery does not have removable fill-caps, you're done. Get a new one.

In general, check the voltage after you unplug and disconnect the charger. Shouldn't make a difference, but you want to eliminate all but one variable in testing.