So here I am in the deep in Winter in eastern Pennsylvania and the last ride was in early December (more than 60 days ago.) Do I need to be concerned about keeping the battery charged? I rolled the bike out into the driveway a couple of weeks ago and started it up and let it run for a few minutes, thinking that would help to "keep the charge." Not sure if I should be investing in a battery tendor or not.
Keeping the Battery Charged
19 posts Started 6 Feb 2010 Last recovered post 7 Feb 2010 Wayback Machine snapshot 12 Apr 2010
Most defiantly, why do ask twodog, that�s funny. Yeah man go to harbor fright and get an $8 trickle charger and you don�t have to worry about it, that is if its a good battery to begin with.
Yes, you do need to worry about keeping the battery charged if you're going to let it sit for months.
One thing to keep in mind is at what RPM's your battery is charging your bike and at what point it is running off of the battery. The stators on motorcycles don't put out much power at idle, and you may actually be draining your battery (slightly) if you're just letting it idle. Either way, just letting it sit does little to charge the battery. This is why a battery charger or riding are best.
One thing to keep in mind is at what RPM's your battery is charging your bike and at what point it is running off of the battery. The stators on motorcycles don't put out much power at idle, and you may actually be draining your battery (slightly) if you're just letting it idle. Either way, just letting it sit does little to charge the battery. This is why a battery charger or riding are best.
[image: View Post]Ryanme17, on 06 February 2010 - 10:14 AM, said:
Yes, you do need to worry about keeping the battery charged if you're going to let it sit for months.One thing to keep in mind is at what RPM's your battery is charging your bike and at what point it is running off of the battery. The stators on motorcycles don't put out much power at idle, and you may actually be draining your battery (slightly) if you're just letting it idle. Either way, just letting it sit does little to charge the battery. This is why a battery charger or riding are best.
+1
better to spend a few bucks on a charger, than bigger bucks on batteries. also, if its sitting for that long, you might want to think about fuel stabilizer
jim
Thanks all. I'm not much of the mechanic and previously I lived in California where this was not an issue.
[image: View Post]2Dogs, on 06 February 2010 - 06:10 AM, said:
So here I am in the deep in Winter in eastern Pennsylvania and the last ride was in early December (more than 60 days ago.) Do I need to be concerned about keeping the battery charged? I rolled the bike out into the driveway a couple of weeks ago and started it up and let it run for a few minutes, thinking that would help to "keep the charge." Not sure if I should be investing in a battery tendor or not.Yes, you are likely slowly killing your battery by allowing it to sit and discharge.
Also, per advice pointed out to me on this site by SilverVee, pay attention to the specific charger you choose to purchase as they're not all created equal. The particular charger I used to have had a light on it for power and another labeled charging. I noticed that the power light was on while it was plugged in and the charging light cycled on and off. I then read the manual carefully and to my surprise, I found these words.
"Charging: Indicates the condition of the charging system. When the trickle battery charger is properly connected to the battery and the battery is charging, the indicator light will be lit. Once the battery is fully charged the indicator will go out.
The trickle battery charger does not shut off automatically when the charging indicator light goes out. The charging process continues. Once the battery is fully charged, disconnect the trickle battery charger from the outlet."
For emphasis: "THE TRICKLE BATTERY CHARGER DOES NOT SHUT OFF AUTOMATICALLY WHEN THE CHARGING INDICATOR LIGHT GOES OUT"
This explains the battery acid on the floor under my bike. I realize it's just a trickle charger but obviously, the charging rate is more than the battery can handle on a continuous basis.
I replaced it with a battery tender jr which specifically changes to a lower charge rate when the battery reaches full charge.
BC
Definately get a battery tender for the winter. Not only will it keep your battery properly charged, it will increase the life of the battery.
The Battery Tender made by Deltran is considered one of the best and will cost you around 40 bucks. I connect my bikes batteries to a tender once I store them and I leave them on until riding season returns. I don't start my bikes during winter storage as it is not needed. For what it's worth, I leave the batteries in the bike as well. Some prefer to remove them, but I never have.
The battery in my VFR is 6 years old and still works well.
The Battery Tender made by Deltran is considered one of the best and will cost you around 40 bucks. I connect my bikes batteries to a tender once I store them and I leave them on until riding season returns. I don't start my bikes during winter storage as it is not needed. For what it's worth, I leave the batteries in the bike as well. Some prefer to remove them, but I never have.
The battery in my VFR is 6 years old and still works well.
Is your screen name due to the fact that you have 2 dogs or does it relate back to the joke of how indians would name their new borne?
If you only have one bike, a Battey Tender Jr will only run between $20-30 and does the job just fine.
Yep. Battery Tender works like a charm.
I leave the batteries in the bikes and just alternate weekly by hooking one up at a time.
It's got a circuit of some kind in it to turn off the charging after it reaches a full charge.
It's worked great for me for the last ten years.
The only dead batteries I've had is in my '84 by leaving the key in the accessories position instead of off ;)
I leave the batteries in the bikes and just alternate weekly by hooking one up at a time.
It's got a circuit of some kind in it to turn off the charging after it reaches a full charge.
It's worked great for me for the last ten years.
The only dead batteries I've had is in my '84 by leaving the key in the accessories position instead of off ;)
[image: View Post]seamus, on 06 February 2010 - 10:16 PM, said:
If you only have one bike, a Battey Tender Jr will only run between $20-30 and does the job just fine.Not to disagree with all of the above....but my 03 vfr has the original battery in it.
It never sits on a trickle charger unless it goes flat/discharged , then I recharge it.
My supersticious (curly-3 stooges) opinion is that even a float charger may cause a battery to lose its fluids.
Now I may be completely wrong and admit I have some bizarre ideas but just adding...
7 year old oem battery never sits on a tender longer than 24 hrs.
It never sits on a trickle charger unless it goes flat/discharged , then I recharge it.
My supersticious (curly-3 stooges) opinion is that even a float charger may cause a battery to lose its fluids.
Now I may be completely wrong and admit I have some bizarre ideas but just adding...
7 year old oem battery never sits on a tender longer than 24 hrs.
I have my 02 on a tender Jr...I ride all day and plug it in the after. No worries. Best 20 spent!
It never sits on a trickle charger unless it goes flat/discharged , then I recharge it.
My supersticious (curly-3 stooges) opinion is that even a float charger may cause a battery to lose its fluids.
Now I may be completely wrong and admit I have some bizarre ideas but just adding...
7 year old oem battery never sits on a tender longer than 24 hrs.
[image: View Post]DougFromIndy, on 06 February 2010 - 03:17 PM, said:
Not to disagree with all of the above....but my 03 vfr has the original battery in it.It never sits on a trickle charger unless it goes flat/discharged , then I recharge it.
My supersticious (curly-3 stooges) opinion is that even a float charger may cause a battery to lose its fluids.
Now I may be completely wrong and admit I have some bizarre ideas but just adding...
7 year old oem battery never sits on a tender longer than 24 hrs.
i keep my 02 on my battery tender 24/7 when im not riding it.yes if you put it on a regular charger you will over charge the battery and ruin it or maybe blow up.
I pulled the batteries out of both bikes, I keep the bikes in the garage but it hit's -20C here sometimes so I brought the batteries inside. I hook them to the battery tender every 3 or 4 weeks. My 03 katana is still on it's original battery so I figure I might as well do the same with the VFR.
[image: View Post]Switchblade, on 06 February 2010 - 09:24 AM, said:
Most defiantly, why do ask twodog, that�s funny. Yeah man go to harbor fright and get an $8 trickle charger and you don�t have to worry about it, that is if its a good battery to begin with.Make sure you measure the voltage on these. I have several of this brand and two of them only charged to 12.2Vs (I returned them) instead of 13.5.
[image: View Post]woobie, on 06 February 2010 - 10:25 PM, said:
I pulled the batteries out of both bikes, I keep the bikes in the garage but it hit's -20C here sometimes so I brought the batteries inside. I hook them to the battery tender every 3 or 4 weeks. My 03 katana is still on it's original battery so I figure I might as well do the same with the VFR.at -20C UNCHARGED batteries freeze and then they are done. As the battery discharges it's specific gravity gets closer to that of water.
Working with lead-acid batteries for awhile now, so here is what I know (condensed version of course) about charging them.
Charge ACCEPTANCE varies with the battery State Of Charge (SOC from now on)
Charge acceptance is high when SOC is low (discharged)
Charge acceptance is low when SOC is high (charged)
This is why a GOOD battery charger has 3 rates of charging, going from High to Low:
1. Bulk charge rate where SOC is 10-90% voltage is between 10.8 and ~12.5
2. Trickle charge rate when SOC is >90% (12.5 - 13.5V)
3. Maintenance charge rate when SOC = 100% (13.5 - 13.8V)
In simplest terms, the maintenance charge rate is roughly equal to the 'self-discharge' rate, since batteries discharge on their own, even when not used.
Different charger designs use their own 'charge algorithm' to maximize battery life. Stick with a known brand.
Low end chargers (<10$) typically do not have the maintenance stage, hence tend to overcharge if left on indefinitely. When you overcharge a battery, you (in simplest terms) boil off the electrolyte (acid) forming hydrogen gas, which is why it is so hazardaous. Assuming your battery is not cracked, loss of electrolyte = overcharging!
Note1: the voltages I have indicated above are 'open-cell voltage' that is to say, no load and no charger on the battery.
A fully charged lead acid battery has an open cell voltage of 13.5V
A completely discharged lead acid battery has an open cell voltage of 10.8V (or less if you kick the sh!t out of it)
Note2: when/if you measure open cell voltage, you must wait 30 minutes AFTER you remove the charger to get accurate readings. I know it's a pain, but it is 100 year old technology after all...
Brian
Charge ACCEPTANCE varies with the battery State Of Charge (SOC from now on)
Charge acceptance is high when SOC is low (discharged)
Charge acceptance is low when SOC is high (charged)
This is why a GOOD battery charger has 3 rates of charging, going from High to Low:
1. Bulk charge rate where SOC is 10-90% voltage is between 10.8 and ~12.5
2. Trickle charge rate when SOC is >90% (12.5 - 13.5V)
3. Maintenance charge rate when SOC = 100% (13.5 - 13.8V)
In simplest terms, the maintenance charge rate is roughly equal to the 'self-discharge' rate, since batteries discharge on their own, even when not used.
Different charger designs use their own 'charge algorithm' to maximize battery life. Stick with a known brand.
Low end chargers (<10$) typically do not have the maintenance stage, hence tend to overcharge if left on indefinitely. When you overcharge a battery, you (in simplest terms) boil off the electrolyte (acid) forming hydrogen gas, which is why it is so hazardaous. Assuming your battery is not cracked, loss of electrolyte = overcharging!
Note1: the voltages I have indicated above are 'open-cell voltage' that is to say, no load and no charger on the battery.
A fully charged lead acid battery has an open cell voltage of 13.5V
A completely discharged lead acid battery has an open cell voltage of 10.8V (or less if you kick the sh!t out of it)
Note2: when/if you measure open cell voltage, you must wait 30 minutes AFTER you remove the charger to get accurate readings. I know it's a pain, but it is 100 year old technology after all...
Brian
Yeah I check my $7.99 harbor fright floating 12V dc battery charger and the battery is reading 13.1 V dc. You can�t beatem for the money. Just remember when you start getting over 13 volts YOU can cause a over charge which depending on what type it is and its location, you could have a mess. Old 2dog I like it.
[image: View Post]2Dogs, on 06 February 2010 - 04:10 PM, said:
So here I am in the deep in Winter in eastern Pennsylvania and the last ride was in early December (more than 60 days ago.) Do I need to be concerned about keeping the battery charged? I rolled the bike out into the driveway a couple of weeks ago and started it up and let it run for a few minutes, thinking that would help to "keep the charge." Not sure if I should be investing in a battery tendor or not.Of greater concern would be the moisture you create inside the engine by the short start-up. You should not do that and it does nothing for the battery. I've always been told that any mid-winter start-ups should always involve a decent-length ride, long enough to heat up the engine and burn off the moisture.
End of thread · 19 posts recovered Wayback Machine snapshot 12 Apr 2010