Battery Tender Question

I think about 2 amps should be good for a motorcycle battery. That's what I set mine for.

If I remember right, the equation for the ideal amperage is amp-hours/10. So if youve got a 16 Ah (like me) battery, then you should put it on 1.6 amps.

You'd want the car setting, as long as it isn't ridiculously high amperage, and keep it on 12 volts.

Thanks Aguacate [thumbsup]

You can buy a genuine Battery Tender for motorcycles for about $30. Just get the real thing, install the connector, and no more worries about your battery.

The big advantage of a Battery Tender is that you can leave it on just overnight or for months at a time without worrying about it.

It is my opinion that everyone who owns a motorcycle should also own a Battery Tender.

dcal said:

I have a charger that does car and deep cycle batteries, and it also has a 6 volt battery option.

Does anyone know if this type of charger/tender will work on a motorcycle? Also what is the volt and amperage for a motorcycle charger/tender?

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2nd!!!

So when you say $30 are you talking about something likt the Battery Tender Jr.? Is that good enough? I just got a 2000 M750 and was looking to get one. Thanks

The Battery Tender Jr. is good enough. The only significant difference between that and the regular one, as far as I'm concerned (and I have one of each), is the physical size and the number of lights on it.

Scott R. Nelson said:

The Battery Tender Jr. is good enough. The only significant difference between that and the regular one, as far as I'm concerned (and I have one of each), is the physical size and the number of lights on it.

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+1 unless you plan on charging larger batteries the jr. should be fine for just a motorcycle. I bought a bigger one so I'd be able to help out my bro with his car if he ever needed it, but now that I think about it, I've never heard of a car battery needing to be charged where there was access to an electrical socket. Maybe if he left his lights on in the garge...?

I used my battery tender on a 1981 Ford F-150 I used to own, after the interior light had been left on for a couple of weeks. It was rather dead. It took over 24 hours to fully charge the battery. That was good enough to drive it to the junkyard to send it to the crusher. California pays $650 to get pre-1983 vehicles off of the road, and that seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

Where did you purchase(or from whom?) Can you leave the battery hooked up to the bike while using(like over the winter?) Thanks, Mike

Some chargers have a smart charge that won't overcharge, some don't. I would think a quick Google search would probably give you plenty of info on brands/features.

Whenever I used the term "Battery Tender", with the letters capitalized, I'm referring to the ones made by these guys: http://www.batterytender.com/

You can type "Battery Tender" into Google to find places that sell them online. I prefer to buy such things from local motorcycle shops to help support the local guys.

The whole point of using a Battery Tender is that you just hook it up whenever you're not riding the bike and you don't have to worry about it again. You can leave it on for six months and be assured that your battery is in the optimum condition.

Thanks Scott, the info I needed. Plug it in, leave it be, start it up every other week, and ride in the spring. Regards, Mike

Mikesduc said:

Thanks Scott, the info I needed. Plug it in, leave it be, start it up every other week, and ride in the spring. Regards, Mike

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Almost. Read this.

http://www.ducatimonster.org/faq/faq_winter.html

Mikesduc said:

Thanks Scott, the info I needed. Plug it in, leave it be, start it up every other week, and ride in the spring. Regards, Mike

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Correct, except the start it every other week bit. Don't start the bike at all unless you can ride it for 20-30 minutes. You're much better off leaving the bike without starting it at all for six months than running it for a few minutes every other week. That just adds acids to the oil that would otherwise be burned off if you actually rode the bike.

If you're not going to ride it, don't start it.

I have a Battery Tender Jr. My bike sits next to my classic car in the garage. I have the pigtail connector on the car and the bike.

I leave the unit connected and plugged into the Ducati when I'm not riding it every day.

For a few days a month, I hook up the car. It works great.

I love my bike, but my old car needs love too!

Good info guys, great link by BCM on the winterizing. Have always done the majority, but found a couple new tricks, and I had never heard the acid in the oil concept. Using fully synthetic, I would have thought it would be unaffected(once in the bike, the oil is considered to have a life span, regardless of miles, because it is contaminted) I am assuming by the aforementioned acids. I have for years always changed the oil prior to winter, and started the bike and got it to running temp. every couple of weeks, both to keep the parts inside the engine lubricated, and give the battery a quick charge(not to mention my delight in listening to a finely tuned engine!) But I appreciate the input. Mike

I've been using Harbor Freight battery float chargers for a year on my '69 Camaro and '05 KTM Adventure. I convert the charger leads to SAE plug and make an SAE pigtail for the battery. Just installed leads on the S2R tonight. A friend has used the Harbor Freight float chargers on his fleet of 9 street rods for a few years now with no problems, that was good enough for me. HF puts them on sale occationally for $7.95.


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So you just leave the pigtail on there all the time and just cap it and tuck it when not in use?

erkishhorde said:

So you just leave the pigtail on there all the time and just cap it and tuck it when not in use?

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yuppers.

[thumbsup]