Needed: Battery Tender Plus Expert

[Finewest]

I recently purchased a Battery Tender Plus so I was wondering if I should plug in the bike every night, or just once in a while like once a week to top off the battery?

Thanks!

 

[Rob Hephner]

My two bikes are plugged in every night, as they have been for the last 5 years with no issues.

Have used Battery Tenders this way over the last 15 years for various types of vehicles.

 

[Blrfl]

If you're riding daily (or at least weekdays), there's not usually a need to put it on the tender. I'll plug mine in if I know I'm not going to ride for a few days or if it's been a few days since I last ran it.

That said, a fully-charged battery can sit for months without problem as long as nothing on the bike is draining it.

--Mark

 

[Vern]

Hi Boys and Gilrs,,,

Remember if you use a Tender, you need to check the water/acid level in the battery every month, if the level gets too low it won't start the bike. Usually you can just add Distilled water and charge the battery, and sometimes the battery is shot.


There's my 2 cents worth,,,,,

Later,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Vern

 

[Blrfl]

Remember if you use a Tender, you need to check the water/acid level in the battery every month...

The recommended batteries for the 1100 and 1300 are both absorbed glass mat (similar to a gel cell, but not quite the same) batteries which contain no liquid.

--Mark

 

[snowmoer]

If the bike is going to sit for more than two days, I plug it in. My NX will sit for a month or more with it plugged in. No problems.

I used the two day method on my PC 800, got 8 years out of that Battery, Have 4 years on the ST, and not a hint of any problems.

 

[Finewest]

So plugging it every night won't hurt it? Good! Just want to keep the battery maintained what with all the farkles on it! LOL.

 

[Blrfl]

The BT is a three-stage charger that bases what it puts into the battery on its state of charge. A fully-charged battery will put it into float mode, which gives it just enough to stay charged but not so much that it produces gas.

--Mark

 

[Finewest]

The BT is a three-stage charger that bases what it puts into the battery on its state of charge. A fully-charged battery will put it into float mode, which gives it just enough to stay charged but not so much that it produces gas.

--Mark

Your the man Mark! Thanks! That's just what I needed to know. :clap2:

 

[Viggo]

Plug it in every day if you want. It will do no harm. Being as lazy as I am, I only plug mine in if the bike has sat for more than 3 or 4 days or if I know it will. My tender is plugged in all winter and my 4 year old battery still cranks like new.

 

[dduelin]

That said, a fully-charged battery can sit for months without problem as long as nothing on the bike is draining it.

--Mark

What about the self discharge rate that all electric storage batteries exhibit? It can be as little as 3% of capacity a month to as much as 3% a week depending on the type of construction and battery temperature.

 

[Voodooridr]

The first thing I do when I pull my 9er into the garage is plug in the tender, that way I don't have to remember to do it later if I'm not going to be riding it. Now I just need to get one of their cool multi station tenders so I can keep the XR650L juiced.

Dan

 

[Blrfl]

What about the self discharge rate that all electric storage batteries exhibit?

Sorry, I didn't mean months without end or more than a couple.

Lead-acid's monthly discharge rate of 3-6% (at 70?F) per month is pretty good compared to NiMH, which is close to 30%. I think the only non-primary chemistries that do better are lithium-based. Discharge rates are also not constant, because as the voltage drops, so does the amount of current flowing through whatever resistance it's finding.

One other thing I forgot to take into account is that you and Fred live in warmer climes and are more likely to have higher discharge rates than I would. I've heard the rate doubles between 70 and 90?F. When it's not running, my bike spends November through March at at temperatures below 50 degrees, which would more than halve the discharge rate if the change over 20 degrees is linear.

--Mark




e better end of the self-discharge scale when it comes to batteries that are rechargeable.

 

[MidLife]

I do not get to ride very often, so I am careful about Battery Tendering.

My old NightHawk wouldn't start if left unattended for more than two to three weeks (Lead Acid battery). So the BT was plugged in all the time the NH was in the garage.

Continued doing the same after purchasing the ST, but noticed that the BT would stay on Red only for a few minutes before turning Green. So I started waiting longer and longer before plugging the BT in, and it always seems that it takes very little time before turning on Green again. So now I don't even bother to plug in the BT if the "rest" period is less than 2-3 weeks. If longer than that, I usually just use the BT the day before riding, and so far it has always required only very short "Red Time".

I am still on the original 2003 battery but have no heavy farkle drain, nor have I ever accidentally drained the battery (yet!).