It can be somewhat useful to think of your electric scooter battery system as if it were a piggy bank. If you only take electricity out and never put any in, soon you will have nothing. Also, the best way to make the piggy bank full is by having the discipline to always put pennies (electricity) in, whenever possible.
An SLA battery is generally rated at 300 cycles. This is an average. With better care and discipline, you can get more than 300 cycles from an SLA scooter battery. Perhaps as many as 800, Of course, if you abuse the battery, it is likely that you will get less than 300 cycles from your battery. The fact is, that always using only 50% or less of your batteries capacity before charging again, will greatly extend its life. Conversely, using 80, 90 and 100% of the capacity will greatly reduce the number of cycles possible. The fact is that you should never discharge a lead acid battery lower than 80% of its capacity (20% charge left in the battery).
SLA scooter batteries also love to be charged on a regular basis and leaving a battery in a very low state of charge for any period of time will do irreversible damage to the battery. SLA scooter batteries that are fully charged may be stored up to six months with very little detrimental effect. But to keep them at optimum condition, charge your scooter battery pack often, after every use if possible. If you are storing your scooter for long periods of time, make sure your batteries are fully charged before doing so. If you will be away from your scooter for more than six months or storing it for that period over a winter, make sure you or someone else charges the batteries before the mentioned six month period is up.
Undercharging - is caused by not allowing the charger to restore the battery to full charge after use. Continuously operating a battery in a partial or low state of charge may cause premature battery failure.
Batteries and freezing - It is also important to remember that a fully charged SLA battery will not freeze until the temperature drops below -92F, while a battery with a 40% charge will freeze at about -16F
Physical Maintenance - An SLA scooter battery is virtually maintenance free in terms of adding water or electrolyte (acid). You should never open it in an attempt to fill or repair it.