Battery tender or deal with it in the Spring

[Jaycen]

Well, last year I decided to do the responsible thing and throw a battery tender on my FJR for the first time (its an 05). Spring time rolls around I'm ready to do all the normal spring things to my bike, I ignore the battery, the tender shows the battery to be fully charged. I did all my spring checks, and was ready to fire up the bike......Guess what dead battery!!! WTF???? So my question is this, was this a complete coinsidence? or has other people seen this. Turns out the battery was cracked some time over the winter and needed to be replaced.

I decided this year to not put the tender on and just deal with it in the spring. I'm not really sure what the best thing to do is.

 

[Geezer]

If the tender is showing a solid green light then either the battery is good or the tender is bad. You sure you don't have a wiring problem? Maybe a loose connection between the battery and the starter.

I keep my battery installed and a tender plus on it all winter. I cycle the key on a couple times a week, just to keep the fuel pump running and stir the fuel in the tank. I suppose a side benefit is that I would know if the battery went dead if the pump didn't run.

 

[JasonB]

In my 30+ years of motorcycling and boating I have been able to definitively deduce (for myself) that a battery tender does not increase the life of a battery. In fact, I am lead to believe that my battery tender tends to shorten the life of a battery. That being said, I do keep a battery tender on my bike, simply because the battery is charged and the bike is ready to ride. When we get to odd warm winter day I can start her up and go for a ride, no need to install the battery or charge it up.

 

[kenporider]

I've never used one and have never had a bike fail to fire right up in the spring. We're only about 40 miles from each other so our bikes probably sit about the same length of time.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

I decided this year to not put the tender on and just deal with it in the spring. I'm not really sure what the best thing to do is.

I'm with 'JasonB' and 'kenporider' and think that (now) you're doing it correctly.

Batteries are storage devices and they do a very good job of it -- especially in the winter cold. If you invest in anything, I'd recco a digital voltmeter/multimeter (inexpensive is okay). 12.8 is the number you'll be looking for.

Just sample the voltage once in awhile (if you're curious) and if it's like 12.5 -- then charge the battery a little. Unless you have some problem (electrically), a good battery will store those electrons for a long time.

At least that's been my experience. :huh:

 

[Richouse]

My bike is wired for a tender but I don't have one. I really don't worry about it. I try to find 1 or 2 good days a month (in the winter) just to get out and ride it some to keep the battery up. I live in the south so its not hard to find a day here or there I can ride alittle. I know its not an option for some of you...

 

[OhioFJR1300]

I have 2 bikes and 2 battery tenders. I keep the tender connected to the bike when ever I am not riding the bike. So far, it has worked well for me. Most newer bikes have some draw on the battery at all times, (clocks, odom and such) so if you are not charging the battery , you will be slowly draining it. Whatever works for you is the best way to go.

 

[fjrob1300]

I used to store my bike in the basement of our store where it was warm all winter. Then we moved the store and my wife told me there was no room for my bike in the showroom... Imagine! Anyway, now it winters in the garage at home with a Tender Plus wire into it. Also took the time to make sure the screws were tight on the battery.

Just my 2€ worth.

Rob

 

[Zolton]

A question for those of you who have their battery tender leads installed on the battery, on their bike. How did you route the leads and where are they hidden?

 

[DonRed7]

This slightly justifies my opinion of allowing a battery sink down a bit during colder dry temps and giving it a chance to "load" by starting the bike and then giving it time to get back up,..Preferably by running the bike through a couple of fan cycles every 3 to 4 weeks or if it was a bit sluggish to start the bike then maybe charge for 24 to 36 hour's afterwards @ an 1 amp or so. I just don't trust tenders to shut down when they should and my 03' 600R never refused to start during several -20 deg C rendevou's during 4 years of ownership.

-Don

 

[LAroo]

A question for those of you who have their battery tender leads installed on the battery, on their bike. How did you route the leads and where are they hidden?

I plug my tender directly into my powerlet socket which is wired directly to the battery. Nice and neat!

 

[GreyGoose]

I've used the tenders for last 20 years and never had a battery failure of replacement since. My st1100 had the same battery in it for 10 years. These types of electical storage devices dont do well when theres large fluctuations in there holding tanks. Best way to maintain a battery is to keep it at a full charge. thats exactly what the battery tender does. I use to lose batteries every couple of years when doing periodic charges to them with a small trickle charger or letting them sit over the winter.

I hide the wires in the foam within the right side of the fairing in the summer. In the early winter and early spring i expose it and velcro the connector to my handle bars and plug my electric gloves into the socket.

Its well worth the time and effort to use this device.

GreyGoose

 

[FJRScorpion]

This winter, I use two Battery Tender Juniors. One is on a 'glass matte' (FJR) and one on a standard 'wet' battery. It seems to work for the glass matte (with a 4watt lamp for heat) but the wet battery is completely dead even though the green lamp is lit on the Tender.

 

[SkooterG]

Back in the day, when I lived in cold climes and actually had to store my bikes for months, I didn't use a battery tender and would have dead, or near dead batteries come spring.

For years now, I have used a tender religiously. They extended the life of my Harley batteries, and my 04 FJR still has it's 4 year 6 month old original battery. I believe in battery maintainers and highly recommend the Yuasa or BatteryMinder chargers.

 

[Geezer]

A question for those of you who have their battery tender leads installed on the battery, on their bike. How did you route the leads and where are they hidden?

I wired a SAE jack with about 24 inches of wire directly to the battery posts, with an inline fuse near the battery end of the plus wire. I routed the wire out the bottom of the dash panel and looped it over to the brake lines and tie wrapped it to the brake lines. The SAE jack is not hidden, but it is out of the way. I also made a short adapter with an SAE plug on one end and a cigar lighter on the other end so I can use it for temporary accessories when necessary, like charging the cell phone.

 

[stormrider]

Bikes have always been on a tender for the winter. Usaully the bike goes away in decmeber and does not come out until april.

Once the cinders go down on the road it is just too risky for the "warm" day

Tender leads directly to the battery and tucked in the foam in the slit of the right fairing

 

[i64X]

I've never used a tender and haven't had problems. I've always just gone out once a week or so and started the bike, let it heat up, and then turned it off. Sometimes I miss a week - still, never had a problem. My garage (where my bike lives) is warmer than the outdoors, since it's attached to the house, but it's not heated or insulated.

 

[Phugedaboudet]

what is this "winter" and "storage' of which you all speak?

tho for some reason, I still barely get a year out of a battery. I don't have a garage so there are lots of nights for a few months where the battery gets chilled down to the low 30's. It's having to try a little to start in the mornings, and cranking speed is definitely lower.

-sent from San Jose, CA. Breakfast Cereal state, oppressive politics, but year round riding!

 

[i64X]

what is this "winter" and "storage' of which you all speak?
tho for some reason, I still barely get a year out of a battery. I don't have a garage so there are lots of nights for a few months where the battery gets chilled down to the low 30's. It's having to try a little to start in the mornings, and cranking speed is definitely lower.

-sent from San Jose, CA. Breakfast Cereal state, oppressive politics, but year round riding!

I hate you.