Battery removal

[Gaoler]

2016 ES...

'Got the panel cover off and leads disconnected, but how the hell does the battery slide out??

Searched the forum, but no joy...

Is it a matter of wriggling until you find just the right angle..?

Am I supposed to remove more than just the right top panel??

 

[RacinRay]

I had the top panel off my 2016 to connect my battery tender leads but I didn't try to remove the battery. I know on my Gen 2 you had to pry the right fairing back a little with your hand to slide the battery in/out. I actually just put a new battery in my '06 last weekend.

 

[Gaoler]

It's out...!

Damn what a tight fit though.. LoL

A little squirt of silicone spray lube and... Presto!

I want it out to keep inside over the winter...

It seems as if the foam thin pad(s) that line the battery box to protect the battery from vibes take up the space needed to get it out.

Silicone lube for the win.!

 

[RacinRay]

For what it's worth, I live in the frigid Northeast and I never take the batteries out of my bikes in the winter. I just plug them in to a Battery Tender and the results have been impressive. The battery in my '06 FJR lasted 10 years, my '02 VTX's lasted 12 years and the original battery in my '11 Speed Triple is still going strong. These bikes sit in an unheated garage all winter.

Edit: I also keep the bikes on the battery tenders in the Summer if I'm not riding them for a few weeks.

 

[steveoreno]

For what it's worth, I live in the frigid Northeast and I never take the batteries out of my bikes in the winter. I just plug them in to a Battery Tender and the results have been impressive. The battery in my '06 FJR lasted 10 years, my '02 VTX's lasted 12 years and the original battery in my '11 Speed Triple is still going strong. These bikes sit in an unheated garage all winter.
Edit: I also keep the bikes on the battery tenders in the Summer if I'm not riding them for a few weeks.

I'm an old DC current guy, (Telephone man), and I plug my battery tender in as soon as the bike cools down.

 

[Gaoler]

In retrospect I think I may be over doing it by removing the battery for the winter.

The bike is only parked for four to five months anyway...

It would be much easier to just plug in a trickle charger in the garage.

That'll be my plan from here on.

That said, Apparently the battery I have in my '16 shouldn't be charged with a conventional charger.

'Any advice?

 

[mcatrophy]

In retrospect I think I may be over doing it by removing the battery for the winter.The bike is only parked for four to five months anyway...

It would be much easier to just plug in a trickle charger in the garage.

That'll be my plan from here on.

That said, Apparently the battery I have in my '16 shouldn't be charged with a conventional charger.

'Any advice?

Use a motorcycle-specific battery tender.
Whatever you do, don't leave it on a trickle charger, nor leave any charger connected with the mains supply disconnected.

 

[garyahouse]

I want it out to keep inside over the winter...

Over the winter? Now that the temps outside are finally less than 90, I'm just now getting the bike ready for riding season...

Much as I hate this place in the summer, for the next six months, I love Florida for half the year.

Gary

 

[Gaoler]

'Manual mentions that the VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) battery requires a "special" constant current tender/charger.

How special I'll have to find out.

 

[ionbeam]

'Manual mentions that the VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) battery requires a "special" constant current tender/charger.
How special I'll have to find out.

A battery charger will bring a low battery up to full charge. A trickle charger will deliver a small current to replenish a battery at the same rate as the self-discharge. A battery "tender" will maintain the battery as necessary to keep it at full charge and turn off the charging unless needed which is called the float mode. There is some loose use of these terms, what some chargers are called and what they do may not be the same.

You will find that this has been discussed at the same rate as tires and oil, a quick search could keep you reading until next spring.

IMO --

A true trickle charger will slowly cook a battery to death. You want a real battery "tender" with float mode if you are going to leave the charger connected for the entire duration of the winter. The following picture is of a true battery tender, this is just an example of the right stuff, there are other brands. Personally, I wouldn't leave any charger or tender on a battery for the duration of the winter. The picture is a clickable link to some data on the tender which has the right specifications. Note the text specifically includes VLRA as one battery type suitable for this tender.

 

[thewrenchbender]

A VRLA battery basically is a sealed lead acid battery without any free electrolyte. New, is serviced like a flooded cell battery, but the amount of electrolyte is limited to the amount needed to saturate the plates. Supposedly the valve regulated part means they don't vent much.

Pretty sure has been standard equipment for awhile (my '08 had one).

Have maintained various VRLA batteries, and used a typical constant potential charger. Is more a case of not overcharging the battery, which can be common if you use a higher-powered automotive battery charger on any motorcycle battery.

Using a battery tender, it really isn't any different than a flooded cell motorcycle battery.

 

[ceddec]

When you put the battery back in, tie a couple of nylon strings like a harness around the battery. Makes it easy to pull the battery next time.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Bless your hearts. I always monitor good battery maint/charging advice. You never know what might happen. But I'm lucky and stupid enough to ride mostly year round. If we get a week or two where frozen precio or salt shuts me down, it's a rough winter. I'd never admit to stubbornly riding with a freshly torn hamstring and having to get off the bike a block from work to stretch and make sure I didn't dump it in the parking garage at the office. Or riding days after an emergency appendectomy that didn't go well. Smart I'm not. I don't know why I haven't installed a pigtail simply for ease of jumping.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

What is this "winter" you speak of? COLD?? What sorcery is this??!!

 

[RossKean]

... I don't know why I haven't installed a pigtail simply for ease of jumping.

Don't think I would use the SAE plug "pigtail" for jump starting! It should be fused and probably not higher than 20 amps - OK for running a compressor, heated gear or charging your battery. Not OK for jump starting the bike. If you put a larger fuse in it than that, you better be considering heavy duty wiring and connectors. Also, you won't have the fused protection for the device you have plugged into the pigtail in the event of a problem.