Battery tender

[Glamisking]

So for the last 2 years my FJR has been my only transport but my son was just born and I see some changes in store. First off we bought a second car (mini van) so now I have an option when it comes to getting around and now it looks like the only consistent riding will be my commute to work. Of course I will still do the fun rides on occasion. But do I need a battery tender if I am only ridding 15 minutes of mostly freeway each way 3xs a week?

 

[garyahouse]

It never hurts to have a battery tender, they're easy enough to hook up. It'll certainly give you some peace of mind when you're off on short vacations or away from the bike for extended periods. Of course you could always give the keys to your young son while you're gone; they're never too young to learn :blink: (I did NOT just say that). However, I really don't think you'll need one as the bike will hold up fine with a 15 minute ride 3x per week IMHO.

Another thought would be to install a volt meter. I assume you're aware of these and have seen them installed, but in case ya'd like to see one, here's a pic of mine: CLICKY

It might not be as good as a Datel, nor as expensive, but it works great. It cost me about 25 bucks or so and was easy enough to put in. Having a volt meter will take the guesswork out of how your battery's doing each time you get ready to start your FJR. You'll learn in short order exactly what voltage is normal for your bike each morning.

Gary

darksider #44

EDIT: +1 on RaYzerman19's comment about the need to get the bike good and "warmed up." Prevents unburned fuel from fouling up the oil. Thanks RaY.

 

[RaYzerman19]

A 15 minute commute isn't long enough to completely warm up the bike and I'll only guess not enough to restore a full and proper charge to the battery. The fix is to go on at least an hour ride per week to get all the condensation out of the system, and to ensure the battery has a full charge. When you know you're going to not ride for a week or so, best plug into a Battery Tender.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

I disagree with the tender use. My commute is 1 mile, the bike doesn't even warm up when I take it to work. It sits a lot too, only 30k on my 03. It sits all winter here in NJ. I've never used a battery tender and the batteries in every bike I've ever owner lasted well over 5 years.

Personally I think tenders cook batteries, shortening their lives.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

Dosen't hurt to have a maintaining battery charger. I'm still running my original battery on my 07. If you feel the need look at the Shumacher line of products. they sell them at Auto Zone, priced about the same but I think they are better. My own $0.02

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Q: Battery tender Do I need one?

A: Yes.

I really like the BatteryMINDer Plus. It is a 3-mode charger/maintainer/conditioner. I think I got mine at Northern Tools.

 

[fossilrider]

I disagree with the tender use. My commute is 1 mile, the bike doesn't even warm up when I take it to work. It sits a lot too, only 30k on my 03. It sits all winter here in NJ. I've never used a battery tender and the batteries in every bike I've ever owner lasted well over 5 years.

Personally I think tenders cook batteries, shortening their lives.

+1

 

[RossKean]

I do not use a tender and i am still on the OEM battery (2007, 65,000 miles). Still cranks with some authority.

In the winter, I disconnect and remove the battery to eliminate parasitic draw (computer). I would typically put it on a slow charge (1-2 amps) for a few hours once or twice during the approx 4 months the bike's off the road. I would expect if you ride for 15-20 minutes on a pretty regular basis, the battery will stay in reasonably good health as long as you do a good long(er) run from time to time. If you expect to be not riding for a period of time (i.e. greater than 2 weeks), I would suggest disconnecting the battery or plan on a slow charge ( 1-2 amps max) for a couple of hours. I might consider a tender to bring the battery back up to full but wouldn't leave it connected all of the time. I have also compared my success with batteries with people who leave their bikes on tenders all of the time and I never lose!

Ross

 

[Fly Bye]

I have four Deltran Battery tenders.

I have two cars that are stored in winter and two motorcycles, the HD and the FJR.

I have been using them for about fifteen years and wouldn't be without them.

The HD FLHR is a cold hearted beast and sitting through a long winter doesn't help matters any.

With the battery tender I get very good cranking power out of my battery, very much needed for that first start. When returning from a motorcycle ride no matter how long or short, I always connect to the battery tender.

The battery tenders have saved me a lot of $$$ replacing batteries over the years.

 

[jim oneill]

Look on EBAY they're inexpensive, easy to hook up and offer some peace of mind

 

[RPrice]

Posts from those who have never used a battery maintainer, but have a strong opinion that they are not necessary or even desirable, to those who have had good luck using them.

I use two battery maintainers, one on my 2006 FJR, and the other on my 2003 Honda Rincon Quad. Both have original batteries, and "start with authority".

+1 on battery maintainers, but it's just my opinion.

 

[RossKean]

Posts from those who have never used a battery maintainer, but have a strong opinion that they are not necessary or even desirable, to those who have had good luck using them.

I use two battery maintainers, one on my 2006 FJR, and the other on my 2003 Honda Rincon Quad. Both have original batteries, and "start with authority".

+1 on battery maintainers, but it's just my opinion.

Yes, my INFORMED opinion is that for MY habits and application, there is very little need to use a battery tender. I don't care for your suggestion that I can't have a valid opinion since I don't use a tender. I HAVE seen batteries that were damaged by (likely defective) tenders. I have certainly encountered a number of individuals who routinely use tenders and experience less battery lifetime than I see with my vehicles.

Quite simply, lead-acid batteries are happiest if they are stored in a (close to) fully charged state. Allowing these batteries to discharge completely on a regular basis will ensure an untimely demise. Even discharging to < 50% on a regular basis will kill them eventually. On the other hand, charging at too high a rate (> 2 amps) and overcharging will wipe them out quite effectively in a short period of time. Self-discharge or parasitic drain over the space of a week or so is inconsequential but longer periods may be problematic. Again, I ride very regularly during the season and store/charge the battery properly in the off-season. When I charge, I do so at a low rate.

My opinion is that if a bike is ridden a modest distance on a regular basis, a tender probably is not necessary. If ride times are very short and/or infrequent, the tender (as long as it is working properly) might be a better choice if the owner doesn't want to bother with disconnecting the battery or doing a periodic top-up charge. Your riding habits may differ from mine or you may be using the tender out of long habit (and no bad consequences). Either way, you do what you want and I'll do what I want. We'll leave the original poster to decide (based upon a variety of opinions) what is best for him.

 

[Glamisking]

Thanks for the input. The responses from those who don't use them weigh heavy on me cause I would rather not have to by another gizmo and be connecting/disconnecting it prior to each ride.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Here is an Excellent commentary from XCSP:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=134836&st=0&p=818275entry818275

Q. Can I use Lead-Acid battery charger and tenders?

A.Yes. HOWEVER, you may NOT use a charger/tender if it has an automatic "desulfation mode", which cannot be turned off. We have confirmed with Deltran, makers of the "Battery Tender" brand, that their products do NOT have a desulfation mode, and are therefore OK for use with Shorai LFX, for example. But the best possible charger/tender for Shorai LFX is the SHO-BMS01, which will be released in February of 2011. It uses the 5-pin BMS port in the LFX batteries, in order to monitor, diagnose, and balance the individual cells during charge. And it also has an optimized storage mode that will give the longest possible service life to your LFX.

 

If you are storing your vehicle and want to check the remaining capacity, or you're a racer with a constant-loss system, you'll want to know how resting voltage (i.e. with no load or load under 200mA) maps to remaining capacity. LFX batteries should be maintained such that 20% capacity remains at minimum, as best practice. Use a good-quality voltmeter to check remaining capacity, and consider recharge whenever the battery capacity falls to about 50% remaining. Of course, if you get the Shorai dedicated BMS01 charger, you can just hit the "Store Mode" button and leave it to do the work for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Q. Should I use a battery tender?A.The short answer is "only if you really need to". Most powersports enthusiasts have gotten used to hooking up a tender to their lead-acid batteries, all the time. Shorai LFX have much slower self-discharge than the best lead acid do (1/6 to 1/7, on average), they do not sulfate as capacity drops, and they are the ultimate "deep cycle" battery, which means that they can still crank your vehicle even if the remaining capacity is quite low. Therefore most riders will not need to use a tender at all. Even a charger or tender uses energy you have to pay for, and there is always the possibility that a charger or tender can fail in some way, so if not really needed the best practice is to not use one.

A fully charged LFX can sit for a year or more and still retain adequate starting capacity, without damaging the battery. As such, any vehicle which has no current flowing when the key is OFF should never need a tender. At most it should be charged every 6 to 12 months, depending on the average storage temperature (cool storage is much better for any battery). Many older vehicles and most dirtbike/atv fall into this category.

Newer vehicles may have a significant draw even when the key is OFF, to maintain clocks and computers, etc. In this case we expect that a few hours of riding per month will be all that is needed to avoid tending. If you know that you will go a number of weeks or months without riding, you can either attach a tender, or disconnect the negative cable from the battery. In any case, during storage you may use the voltage chart above and an accurate voltmeter, and consider recharging when the battery is around the 50% capacity remaining mark, or above.

 

[RPrice]

Posts from those who have never used a battery maintainer, but have a strong opinion that they are not necessary or even desirable, to those who have had good luck using them.

I use two battery maintainers, one on my 2006 FJR, and the other on my 2003 Honda Rincon Quad. Both have original batteries, and "start with authority".

+1 on battery maintainers, but it's just my opinion.

Yes, my INFORMED opinion is that for MY habits and application, there is very little need to use a battery tender. I don't care for your suggestion that I can't have a valid opinion since I don't use a tender. I HAVE seen batteries that were damaged by (likely defective) tenders. I have certainly encountered a number of individuals who routinely use tenders and experience less battery lifetime than I see with my vehicles.

Quite simply, lead-acid batteries are happiest if they are stored in a (close to) fully charged state. Allowing these batteries to discharge completely on a regular basis will ensure an untimely demise. Even discharging to < 50% on a regular basis will kill them eventually. On the other hand, charging at too high a rate (> 2 amps) and overcharging will wipe them out quite effectively in a short period of time. Self-discharge or parasitic drain over the space of a week or so is inconsequential but longer periods may be problematic. Again, I ride very regularly during the season and store/charge the battery properly in the off-season. When I charge, I do so at a low rate.

My opinion is that if a bike is ridden a modest distance on a regular basis, a tender probably is not necessary. If ride times are very short and/or infrequent, the tender (as long as it is working properly) might be a better choice if the owner doesn't want to bother with disconnecting the battery or doing a periodic top-up charge. Your riding habits may differ from mine or you may be using the tender out of long habit (and no bad consequences). Either way, you do what you want and I'll do what I want. We'll leave the original poster to decide (based upon a variety of opinions) what is best for him.

WOW!! I made absolutely no suggestion that you can't have an valid opinion!!!

What I did point out is the range of opinions in the thread. And I specified my experience with battery tenders. They seemed to work for me, with my vehicle use patterns. That's it.

BTW, I appreciate your experience AND your opinion.

Thanks!!

 

[garyahouse]

WOW!! I made absolutely no suggestion that you can't have an valid opinion!!!

What I did point out is the range of opinions in the thread. And I specified my experience with battery tenders. They seemed to work for me, with my vehicle use patterns. That's it.

BTW, I appreciate your experience AND your opinion.

Thanks!!

Maybe I can throw in a word here. For what it's worth, I noticed as I was reading that the post in question could be taken more than one way. We've all done this: meant to say one thing, but the wording was such that it was taken ANOTHER way. This happens so often when I'm writing. As careful as I TRY to be in my wording, I've learned to appreciate the patience of so many guys on this forum when things don't come across the way I intended.

Concerning battery tenders, I guess I should be extra thankful. I ride my FJR so much, it's not an issue. Glad it came up though. It's been an interesting thread.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[RossKean]

WOW!! I made absolutely no suggestion that you can't have an valid opinion!!!

What I did point out is the range of opinions in the thread. And I specified my experience with battery tenders. They seemed to work for me, with my vehicle use patterns. That's it.

BTW, I appreciate your experience AND your opinion.

Thanks!!

No problem. It sounded like you were saying that someone who didn't use a battery tender shouldn't have a strong opinion on whether it was either necessary or desirable. Not offended but I obviously took your comment the wrong way. Yes, there are a variety of opinions and like tires and oil, there probably isn't an answer that works for everyone!

Cheers

Ross

 

[Road_Runner]

Here is an Excellent commentary from XCSP:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=134836&st=0&p=818275entry818275

Q. Can I use Lead-Acid battery charger and tenders?

A.Yes. HOWEVER, you may NOT use a charger/tender if it has an automatic "desulfation mode", which cannot be turned off. We have confirmed with Deltran, makers of the "Battery Tender" brand, that their products do NOT have a desulfation mode, and are therefore OK for use with Shorai LFX, for example. But the best possible charger/tender for Shorai LFX is the SHO-BMS01, which will be released in February of 2011. It uses the 5-pin BMS port in the LFX batteries, in order to monitor, diagnose, and balance the individual cells during charge. And it also has an optimized storage mode that will give the longest possible service life to your LFX.

 

If you are storing your vehicle and want to check the remaining capacity, or you're a racer with a constant-loss system, you'll want to know how resting voltage (i.e. with no load or load under 200mA) maps to remaining capacity. LFX batteries should be maintained such that 20% capacity remains at minimum, as best practice. Use a good-quality voltmeter to check remaining capacity, and consider recharge whenever the battery capacity falls to about 50% remaining. Of course, if you get the Shorai dedicated BMS01 charger, you can just hit the "Store Mode" button and leave it to do the work for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Q. Should I use a battery tender?A.The short answer is "only if you really need to". Most powersports enthusiasts have gotten used to hooking up a tender to their lead-acid batteries, all the time. Shorai LFX have much slower self-discharge than the best lead acid do (1/6 to 1/7, on average), they do not sulfate as capacity drops, and they are the ultimate "deep cycle" battery, which means that they can still crank your vehicle even if the remaining capacity is quite low. Therefore most riders will not need to use a tender at all. Even a charger or tender uses energy you have to pay for, and there is always the possibility that a charger or tender can fail in some way, so if not really needed the best practice is to not use one.

A fully charged LFX can sit for a year or more and still retain adequate starting capacity, without damaging the battery. As such, any vehicle which has no current flowing when the key is OFF should never need a tender. At most it should be charged every 6 to 12 months, depending on the average storage temperature (cool storage is much better for any battery). Many older vehicles and most dirtbike/atv fall into this category.

Newer vehicles may have a significant draw even when the key is OFF, to maintain clocks and computers, etc. In this case we expect that a few hours of riding per month will be all that is needed to avoid tending. If you know that you will go a number of weeks or months without riding, you can either attach a tender, or disconnect the negative cable from the battery. In any case, during storage you may use the voltage chart above and an accurate voltmeter, and consider recharging when the battery is around the 50% capacity remaining mark, or above.

Note that the statement above is regarding using a charger wtih Shorai lithium batteries and the rule of engagement are different than wiht lead-acid batteries. The Shorai batts apparently don't discharge by themselves, but there still will be parasitic discharge though.

 

[FB1]

Q: Battery tender Do I need one?

A: Yes.

I really like the BatteryMINDer Plus. It is a 3-mode charger/maintainer/conditioner. I think I got mine at Northern Tools.

+1