7 years on a BATTERIES+ ----Z14S

Greetings from a former fellow Des Moiniac. I swear by my battery tender to the point of being evangelical about it. I use it on my car and truck now, too. It's kept my stock battery humming along since the bike was new. Every time I think I should replace it, a few minutes on the tender and it's just like new.

Knocking wood here...5 years and 3 months on a Scorpion battery, and yes, I do put it on a Battery Minder when not in use.

None of you guys report mileage on the battery, just how old it is?

Low/average/high mileage on batteries brings factors of # of cycles of charge/discharge, electrical system loads, operating and storage temperatures, vibration into play. That would be useful information.

A bike ridden several hours once a week doesn't need a tender but it's probably not going to last as long as a battery stored motionless at 60 degrees with a relatively constant full state of charge.

5K a year on the ST (and 5k on each of the other two bikes annually also) Mostly trips of 50-200 miles 3 times a week. 4 days a week to a small town 20 miles South of Des Moines, then some stop and go traffic and then back to Des Moines. 40K total miles on the 2006 ST and 20K each on the other two (Sorry if the years and miles don't add up but I am pay more attention to destinations etc.)

Once every few years a 1500 mi trip is on the schedule. Sorry this info. is so scattered and imprecise but I am 73 years old happily retired so I move whenever the spirit moves me. I ride with 5 grand fathers and one great grand father and sometimes with 10-15 CMA members.

Storred in a cold garage in the winter (4 months) and parked in the garage in the summer. If you can figure out my report and have more questions.... feel free. 7 years is still a ling time on 1 ST battery.

dduelin said:

None of you guys report mileage on the battery, just how old it is?

Low/average/high mileage on batteries brings factors of # of cycles of charge/discharge, electrical system loads, operating and storage temperatures, vibration into play. That would be useful information.

A bike ridden several hours once a week doesn't need a tender but it's probably not going to last as long as a battery stored motionless at 60 degrees with a relatively constant full state of charge.

Click to expand...

klaproth said:

Knocking wood here...5 years and 3 months on a Scorpion battery, and yes, I do put it on a Battery Minder when not in use.

Click to expand...

Double knock here! Feel like I've been living on borrowed time.

dduelin said:

None of you guys report mileage on the battery, just how old it is?

Low/average/high mileage on batteries brings factors of # of cycles of charge/discharge, electrical system loads, operating and storage temperatures, vibration into play. That would be useful information.

A bike ridden several hours once a week doesn't need a tender but it's probably not going to last as long as a battery stored motionless at 60 degrees with a relatively constant full state of charge.

Click to expand...

Good point. I don't have any power-farkles, but it can sit for a good period of time, depending on the time of year. There was a thread some years ago which instructed using a voltmeter to determine the amount of discharge occurring when the bike was being started. That led me to the Tender. If it sits for more than a few days, by habit I hook it up.