Battery question

[RossKean]

I have an '07 as well with the OEM battery and 125,000 miles on the clock. Never used a battery tender. It gets ridden a lot from late March to early December. The rest of the time it is in heated storage. I used to disconnect the battery in the winter but don't bother anymore. I top up the charge a couple of times during the off-season and again just before getting it out for the year. Still starts the bike easily but I suspect it won't last a lot longer.

 

[DennisJ]

My '09 bought in '10 is on the original battery but because my commute is just over 11 miles each way the bike spends nights and weekends on the battery tender except during the summer when I think the several hundred mile rides keep it pretty well charged. Even then I will put it on the charger when I get back and leave it there until the next ride. So far this seems to be working well, engine starts in a couple of revolutions every time. Probably won't now that I have said that. Live and learn.

 

[RadCat]

I ordered a new battery online, got it, added the acid and put it on Battery Tender Jr. to hopefully charge it over a few days. My multi-meter died today so I can't measure the voltage. I got a steady green on the Tender so it should be good. Has anyone use a Jr. to initialize a new battery successfully?

 

[RossKean]

I ordered a new battery online, got it, added the acid and put it on Battery Tender Jr. to hopefully charge it over a few days. My multi-meter died today so I can't measure the voltage. I got a steady green on the Tender so it should be good. Has anyone use a Jr. to initialize a new battery successfully?

I don't have or use a battery tender but it should work just fine. Since the green light came on, it means that there was sufficient initial voltage for the tender to start working - these batteries are dry-charged and are fairly good right out of the box. A SLOW full charge before the first run is always a good idea. The use of a proper tender rather than a trickle charger ensures that you don't overcharge.