The Exploding Moto Guzzi Battery

The Moto Guzzi is my ‘go-to’ ride, I’ve kept it taxed and used it regularly through the winter period, no chain to worry about, just press the button and go, the soft power delivery more than enough for the greasy, leaf lined, salt strewn and muddy wet roads that the season brings.
   I’ve been regularly charging the batteries on my collection of bikes, I’m not a fan of the ‘optimate’ chargers and would rather start my bikes regularly or let them discharge naturally and charge as appropriate. Battery’s, like everything else have a finite life, for all our advances in technology I think that the modern batteries don’t seem to last as long as they used to? Anyone else think the same?
   Anyhoo, I knew that the Guzzi battery was ready so decided to bite the bullet and invest in a new one so I could avoid that embarrassing chhhkkkk, chkkkkkkkkk, cccchhhhhhhkkkk that you get when you’ve called for fuel and the bastard won’t start, you have to call the Mrs to pick you up, go home, get tools and ask if it’s ok to do the ‘walk of shame’ and push your motorcycle across the forecourt out of the way whilst you get it sorted.
    So, I invest in a new battery, no cheapskate bollocks here for team loveless, a genuine Yuasa quality item, terminals greased, fitted good to go. [this is pre-lockdown folks, last Sunday] Sunday dawns bright and dry. All indications show that lockdown is coming so probably best to get out for a ride while I can, which is what I do, avoiding all the biker haunts and hitting the Staffordshire moorlands and more remote Derbyshire roads, no hardship, that’s what I prefer anyway, a quick 70 mile blast and i don’t realise how cold it is until I’m home, change out of my bike gear and brew on, that’s when I notice the smell, acid, battery acid, it’s all over the back end of the Guzzi, wheels, frame, swinging arm, bastard! Battery disconnected and wash the bike down, initial inspection reveals a slight dulling of paint finish on the wheels/swing arm.
    First world problems, nothing in the scale of what’s happening in the world, first reaction is to strip it down and rebuild it finishing it back to standard, then a little voice in my head says that this is the perfect time to just chop the fucker up and make it into a special, then there’s the ‘love it and leave it’ thing that I’m currently favouring, let it evolve naturally, after all I can always do option 1 or 2, it does seem a little strange to me being ocd but I’m liking the natural progression and I’m digging the sound of that shagged battery ‘ffffizzzzzzzznnnnnnnnnnnn’ on my bench................