jim oneill
triplex
I,ve got 2 bikes, an 08 FJR and a 03 Honda Valkyrie and have never used battery tenders, always thinking that they would be an ass ache to hook up. Are they? And do they work?
Battery tender hook up
- Thread starter jim oneill
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colin
Well-known member
Depends.
The optimate I have has a plug connecter (forget the name of the style) which gives you a couple of changeable 'ends'. One is the +/- clips, so if your battery is easily accessible, than that works fine. Mine also came with one that has allows it to be attached to the battery, and then simply plug that end into the charger end. I was hoping to get a couple more of these 'ends' for other bikes, but they don't have them locally, haven't really bothered to find them since.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'work'. I've not used it enough to know if it really resurrects batteries as it says it does. But certainly it helps keep them charged. I don't use it that often, only when I'm not riding the bikes as much as I think I should. I'm sure there are a few brands out there, I got optimate cuz it was the one in English....
The optimate I have has a plug connecter (forget the name of the style) which gives you a couple of changeable 'ends'. One is the +/- clips, so if your battery is easily accessible, than that works fine. Mine also came with one that has allows it to be attached to the battery, and then simply plug that end into the charger end. I was hoping to get a couple more of these 'ends' for other bikes, but they don't have them locally, haven't really bothered to find them since.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'work'. I've not used it enough to know if it really resurrects batteries as it says it does. But certainly it helps keep them charged. I don't use it that often, only when I'm not riding the bikes as much as I think I should. I'm sure there are a few brands out there, I got optimate cuz it was the one in English....
squeezer
Squirrelly Geezer
Installation is really easy. The toughest part on the FJR is just getting to the battery. I'm actually don't know where it is on a Gen 2 so I'll let someone else offer advice there.
Once you're at the battery, just attach the pigtail (a two prong SAE plug) to the battery terminals. Takes about a minute. Leave it attached. You plug the battery tender into the pigtail when the bike is parked.
I have a battery tender jr. I don't think I'd use it to charge a dead battery. It works great to keep my battery charged and healthy, though. It's a good product.
Once you're at the battery, just attach the pigtail (a two prong SAE plug) to the battery terminals. Takes about a minute. Leave it attached. You plug the battery tender into the pigtail when the bike is parked.
I have a battery tender jr. I don't think I'd use it to charge a dead battery. It works great to keep my battery charged and healthy, though. It's a good product.
El Toro
Innocent Bystander
1. I have an SAE two pin pigtail installed on my battery. It was trivial to install if you are at all mechanically inclined. Once you've got the pigtail, you can plug in the Battery Tender Jr., or whatever. I use the same pigtail for Gerbing heated clothing with an adapter to convert the Gerbing proprietary power cord to the SAE two pin. My pigtail is fused for 15 amps because of the Gerbing stuff. A battery tender would only need to be fused at 5 amps.
2. As for whether or not these things work, I think the answer is "yes" in that they do monitor the battery and charge as needed..... however, with that said, I don't generally bother with them since we get days that are OK for riding in every month, and I've found that a 55 mile ride once or twice a month is generally enough to keep my relatively new batteries functioning well. I try to ride every bike at least once a month in the winter, and more frequently if weather permits.
2. As for whether or not these things work, I think the answer is "yes" in that they do monitor the battery and charge as needed..... however, with that said, I don't generally bother with them since we get days that are OK for riding in every month, and I've found that a 55 mile ride once or twice a month is generally enough to keep my relatively new batteries functioning well. I try to ride every bike at least once a month in the winter, and more frequently if weather permits.
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rfespinosa
Well-known member
I installed a Powerlet plug on my FJR, it is a BMW style cigarette socket. I use it for my heated vest and my battery tender. It's made specifically for the FJR, meaning the mounting and the wire lengths are specific. The installation is easy, mount the socket by the rear set bracket and wires at the battery. Now I have an external connection on my bike for the battery tender. Easy.
Ron
Ron
HartClimbs
Well-known member
I don't know where the battery is on the Valk, but I'm happy to help with the FJR. It's only a few minutes worth of work and really easy to setup.
I've got one battery tender and moved the "permanent" pigtail to the FJR and just use the "clips" for the RoadKing (since the battery is really easy to access).
I've got one battery tender and moved the "permanent" pigtail to the FJR and just use the "clips" for the RoadKing (since the battery is really easy to access).
2006FJR
Administrator of Transportation
+1 I am having mine installed this week. We have a BMW Plug (Powerlet) installed on the wife's scooter for her heated gear and the battery tender. I am going to buy a second unit for my bile too so I do not need to share it.
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PhilMills
Well-known member
Do they work? Yes.
Do you need it? Maybe. If you can get a decent ride in (long enough to recharge the battery) once or twice a month you're probably fine without one. This is pretty weather-dependent, though. I let my BMW F650 sit around sans-charger for a month the first winter I owned it while waiting on parts. That killed the gel-cell battery quite thoroughly.
Does it install easily? Depends on how you do it. If you just let the SAE lead dangle out of a fairing somewhere, it's maybe a 5 or 10 minute job since you've only got to remove one dash panel. I chose to wire mine into a Powerlet socket on the dashboard and that was harder (maybe 30 minutes if you've taken off the dash panels before), but now I've got a good power source up front for GPS, radio, etc. If you go for the pre-packaged Powerlet kit for the GenII FJR (which mounts down by the seat lock), that's probably an hour or two since you've got to take a lot more of the bike apart to route wires but sets you up better for passenger power (heated gear, etc).
Do you need it? Maybe. If you can get a decent ride in (long enough to recharge the battery) once or twice a month you're probably fine without one. This is pretty weather-dependent, though. I let my BMW F650 sit around sans-charger for a month the first winter I owned it while waiting on parts. That killed the gel-cell battery quite thoroughly.
Does it install easily? Depends on how you do it. If you just let the SAE lead dangle out of a fairing somewhere, it's maybe a 5 or 10 minute job since you've only got to remove one dash panel. I chose to wire mine into a Powerlet socket on the dashboard and that was harder (maybe 30 minutes if you've taken off the dash panels before), but now I've got a good power source up front for GPS, radio, etc. If you go for the pre-packaged Powerlet kit for the GenII FJR (which mounts down by the seat lock), that's probably an hour or two since you've got to take a lot more of the bike apart to route wires but sets you up better for passenger power (heated gear, etc).
keizerken
Member
The Valkyrie battery is easier to access than the FJR. Just remove the seat and its right there. I owned a Valk for 5 years and now have an 07 FJR. I recently attached a pigtail to the FJR battery for my heated vest and it should work for a trickle charger as well, although I haven't tried it yet.
squeezer
Squirrelly Geezer
By the way, as long as we're talking about it again, here's how I farkled up an in-dash battery tender pigtail. I then attached a 2 prong SAE plug to my zumo and use this outlet to power it.
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