[Biker John]

Seems a lot of you guys use a Battery Tender on your bikes for winter lay up, does it hurt the battery to be constantly charged with these things?

Been thinking about getting one for the winter storage, and would like to leave it pluged in all winter in a non heated building.

 

[J-mac]

get the battery tender PLUS, it will automaticly "float" a full charge to the battery. I charge my battery CONSTANTLY. If I know the bike is going to sit for a couple of days, I'll put the battery tender plus on it to keep the battery fully charged.

A constantly ( fully ) charged battery will last 30% longer than a battery that is only charged on occassion.

 

[Biker John]

Thanks, I'll order one from HDL.

 

[BlkPirate]

Yes its safe and doesn't hurt the battery...read all about it here...

http://www.batterytender.com/

 

[IBTrike]

Absolutey the way to go. Will keep your battery up to par safely and indefinately.

It will come with a failsafe polarized connector that you can permanenty attach to your battery terminals, and leave the plug accessable through the left lower vent behind the battery. Just reach in and grab the plug and hookup. No need to even pull the battery compartment tupperware panel when you want to plug in the charger. Just be sure you get the polarity correct when you attach the pigtail plug to the battery.

And yes...get the BT Plus unit.

Ride safe.

 

[Big Wes]

I own 4 of them. Incredible tool. Both my bikes are hooked to them when they are in the garage. In the winter the other two are hooked to my Z-turn mowers in my trailer until spring. 8)
.

 

[ironmike120]

get the battery tender PLUS, it will automaticly "float" a full charge to the battery. I charge my battery CONSTANTLY. If I know the bike is going to sit for a couple of days, I'll put the battery tender plus on it to keep the battery fully charged.

A constantly ( fully ) charged battery will last 30% longer than a battery that is only charged on occassion.

+1

I gotta agree, but let me point out that the "Battery Tender PLUS" is really intended for AGM batteries and delivers a higher charge for a longer period. The GL1800 battery (OEM & stock repalcement) is a sealed lead-acid battery - not an AGM... The standard "Battery Tender" is more than adequate for this application.

8)

 

[All Boots No Saddle]

These "Battery Tender" units are best described as "battery maintainers" and will not overcharge the battery. It's perfectly safe to leave them constantly connected to the battery.

 

[richard h]

I got the BT+ for my bike. I was riding my bike so much that my truck battery went dead! :shock: Now I use it to maintain my truck battery.

My bike doesn't sit idle long enough for the battery to go dead.

The BT+ is a battery maintainer. It will charge the battery to a full charge and then monitor the battery voltage. When the battery voltage drops to a certain level, the BT will go into the charging mode and bring the battery to a full charge again. This keeps repeating over and over.

 

[DrtiBird]

I use the Battery Tender Jr. I kept it connected to my Ultra that doesn't get ridden very much. I'm not convinced that it does a very good job though, after 5 1/2 years I had to replace the Ultra battery. :wink:

That Ultra battery was discharged a couple of times when the stator went out and that little BT Jr recharged it, but it took a few days to do it.

I like the Jr because it only has the "wall wart" to plug in and the cord for the battery, and they use the same connectors as my Gerbings heated accessories (old style).

 

[OWL]

BATTERY TENDER

WAL-MART SELL ONE MADE BY BLACK AND DECKER FOR 17.44 THAT COMES WITH A 2 YEAR WARRENTY, THAT HAS EVERY THING INCLUDING THE "FLOAT" WITH A 2AMP OR 1AMP SLOW TRICKLE WITH ALL HOOK UPS THE TENDER HAS. AND IF YOU READ THE SPEC SHEETS THAT COME WITH IT THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN B&D AND TENDER. OTHER THAN THE PRICE. BUT IT IS YOUR CHOICE. THEY BOTH WORK GREAT AND WILL NOT HURT YOUR BATTERY.

 

[richard h]

Re: BATTERY TENDER

WAL-MART SELL ONE MADE BY BLACK AND DECKER FOR 17.44 THAT COMES WITH A 2 YEAR WARRENTY, THAT HAS EVERY THING INCLUDING THE "FLOAT" WITH A 2AMP OR 1AMP SLOW TRICKLE WITH ALL HOOK UPS THE TENDER HAS. AND IF YOU READ THE SPEC SHEETS THAT COME WITH IT THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN B&D AND TENDER. OTHER THAN THE PRICE. BUT IT IS YOUR CHOICE. THEY BOTH WORK GREAT AND WILL NOT HURT YOUR BATTERY.

I picked up one of those a few weeks ago. It is still in the box. It looks like it will do the job and the price isn't bad at all!

 

[iverazzia]

Here's a *very* good page on understanding batteries:

http://www.yuasabatteries.com/motor_battery.asp

I used a "battery tender" for the first time last year on my Wing. Seeing as how it was a fairly mild winter in Indiana last year, I rode all winter. The "tender" is a terrific help for keeping a bike battery up to snuff.

Yes, my bike was in an unheated garage all winter and still started *immediately" everytime.

Get yourself one!

 

[daddysbike]

Absolutey the way to go. Will keep your battery up to par safely and indefinately.

It will come with a failsafe polarized connector that you can permanenty attach to your battery terminals, and leave the plug accessable through the left lower vent behind the battery. Just reach in and grab the plug and hookup. No need to even pull the battery compartment tupperware panel when you want to plug in the charger. Just be sure you get the polarity correct when you attach the pigtail plug to the battery.

And yes...get the BT Plus unit.

Ride safe.

That's what I do, I have a plug connected to both bikes and leave one bike connected to charger while I'm riding the other. The plug stays conneted to the battery and hangs out the side cover.

Steve

 

[poleman]

I've been using the BT Jr. since buying my '01. It's kept the original battery going strong and just may get me into next year.

The one time I did kill the battery, I hooked it up to the Tender and it was charged within 24 hours.

A good little investment, and more than adequate for the Wing. In fact, it's been hooked up to my car all riding season.