Can I Get By??

[ZR7Srider]

I guess my only excuse is that I am too lazy or too cheap to buy a battery tender for my new (used) bike this winter. Plus my internet research has told me I have to partially remove the gas tank to get to my battery. Fortunately this Ohio  winter has been pretty mild.....so far!

What I am doing instead is to start up my bike once a week and let it idle in my garage for 10-15 minutes. Should this be sufficient to keep my battery strong and have I decreased it's life by not buying The battery tender and going through what looks to be a pretty tedious chore of hooking up a pig tail to the battery?

Just Wonderin'

[Squareman357]

Actually idling will kill the battery.  In order for the charging system to work, the engine has to turn at greater than a certain RPM (I think about 4K but I'm not totally sure) for a certain amount of time.  You'd do your bike better just taking the battery out and taking it in the house or actually riding it for a half hour or so every week than starting it up and letting it idle for 10-15 minutes.

[Sport]

Actually idling will kill the battery.  In order for the charging system to work, the engine has to turn at greater than a certain RPM (I think about 4K but I'm not totally sure) for a certain amount of time.  You'd do your bike better just taking the battery out and taking it in the house or actually riding it for a half hour or so every week than starting it up and letting it idle for 10-15 minutes.

Absolutely!  Idling does nothing for the charging system.  Revs have to be above 2,500 or so for the system to properly recharge.  BTW, if you get pigtails for the tender you'd only have to remove the tank once.  Good luck!

[stromgal]

If $$ is the issue, you can pick up inexpensive trickle chargers at Wally World.

[Kootenanny]

What I am doing instead is to start up my bike once a week and let it idle in my garage for 10-15 minutes.

Apart from the battery issue, this practice is hard on your engine.  Better to let it sit all winter without starting it--starting causes extra wear, and idling with no load for 10-15 minutes puts moisture and contaminants into the oil without getting the oil hot enough to boil 'em off.

[FoolishMortal]

Honestly, battery tenders are cheap and it's really easy to get to the battery (on most bikes).  Either remove the battery as suggested or pay the little bit for a tender:

Click for Deltran Battery Tenders and "pigtails".  You can get set up for less than $40.  

[Cpl Punishment]

Or ride thru winter. though that depends how snowy is where you live.

[Windblown]

I've got way too many gas powered toys with batteries to fuss with battery tenders and such.

Garden Tractor (sometimes sits from November till march)

Four-wheeler (Often sits for a month or more between starts)

Track-bike (Will start it maybe two times through the winter)

Diesel Tractor (Sometime a month or so between starts)

Sprint (Gets ridden often enough to not be an issue)

Concours (Tends to sit as much as a month without being started at times during the summer)

Boat (Sits all winter without being started unless I get the urge to do some Striper fishing in January.

I don't have a problem with batteries dying a premature death.    The only preventive measure I take has to do with the fuel system. I use Stabil in all gas engines that may sit for a period of time between uses.

[cjohns]

I take the batteries out for winter, keep them inside in the laundry room.  

Really like the Battery Tender.  Once the pigtail is in it  is extremely easy to keep the battery charged.  

Use this whenever I think to hook it back up inside.  Tender came with alligator clamps for this also.

Gosh, it really shouldn't be too hard to access your battery.  Even if under the tank, they had to have made it so you can just pull the tank up with a screw or two to get at the battery???

I just don't think starting your motorcycle up (and probably not getting up to operating temperature) (think moisture trapping) is all that good for the bike engine.  Also have doubts that the battery will charge at idle as posted above.

My 2 cents.

cj


 

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

This is the first year I used or still am using one before I never did a thing. Put the charger on before I would ride when it got warn.

[St_rydr]

Yuasa battery=bout 70-125 bucks, dead battery no start tow fee when out of town...200-300 bucks.
Battery tender from auto zone(has float mode for winter and harness to install to make charging a no brainer) 35 bucks with tax...being cheap is just that it will cost you ten times more in the long run.

[Windblown]

Yuasa battery=bout 70-125 bucks, dead battery no start tow fee when out of town...200-300 bucks.
Battery tender from auto zone(has float mode for winter and harness to install to make charging a no brainer) 35 bucks with tax...being cheap is just that it will cost you ten times more in the long run.

Sorry, I just don't get it, really.  I don't have to jump start my equipment after long layovers, I don't use a battery tender, and in 30 years of vehicle ownership I've never had to have an emergency tow due to a battery.

Maybe it's climate related? We don't get more than a handful of winter nights that go sub teens all year.  

[1KPerDay]

I guess my only excuse is that I am too lazy or too cheap to buy a battery tender for my new (used) bike this winter.

Spend your money on a Gerbings heated liner and go for a 30-minute ride every week or two.

Course, if you're too lazy to hook up a battery tender pigtail...

[JimWilliamson]

Spend your money on a Gerbings heated liner and go for a 30-minute ride every week or two.

Perhaps the best post in the thread!!

[RickC1957]

Harbor Freight Tools has a battery tender...on sale for $6.99....regular price is $9.99....get one, go down to the auto parts store buy a $1.99 2 wire trailer hook up....take the clips off the charger, attach one part of the trailer hook up to it...make note polarity, the other half attach to battery terminals, use spade connectors (50 cents), again making note of polarity...leave that end where you can get at it easily....presto, magic...quick disconnect to battery tender...all for about $10! Whenever my bikes are parked...they go on the tender. Oh...if you buy the Battery Tender brand expect to pay @$40, you have to pay for the word "Motorcycle" and the graphics of a motorcycle on it Only thing stopping you now....is yourself

[airborneXX]

Harbor Freight Tools has a battery tender...on sale for $6.99....regular price is $9.99....get one, go down to the auto parts store buy a $1.99 2 wire trailer hook up....take the clips off the charger, attach one part of the trailer hook up to it...make note polarity, the other half attach to battery terminals, use spade connectors (50 cents), again making note of polarity...leave that end where you can get at it easily....presto, magic...quick disconnect to battery tender...all for about $10! Whenever my bikes are parked...they go on the tender. Oh...if you buy the Battery Tender brand expect to pay @$40, you have to pay for the word "Motorcycle" and the graphics of a motorcycle on it Only thing stopping you now....is yourself

+1 I've been using this set up for 2 years now. You can't beat the price

[Scoop]

Over time, the battery will tend to discharge itself, especially if it is still in the bike.  Dirt etc will cause a path across the top through which current can flow. There is also some internal discharge as well.  The plates will start to sulfate and eventually you will get premature death.  This is usually made worse in colder climes, but it can still be a problem.  
However, for many years before their advent, there were no battery tenders and we still managed to live.  
I would advise you not to continue your current practice of starting the bike occasionally, for the reasons already stated.  But it would be a good idea to have some sort of system for charging the battery through the winter, either with a tender or a trickle charger put on once in a while.  Or not.  You can leave it as is, don't start the bike and see how it goes. You will probably find that battery life is somewhat less than optimal, but that's the tradeoff for minimal battery maintenance.
Bill

[St_rydr]

Batteries lose charge over time they all do...motorcycle batteries are not winterized nor is your car battery when you leave it sit for three to four months. Gel batteries are less prone to freezing than lead acid but hey like I said before and btw...It gets damn cold where I live for a month at the least. Buy a battery charger no more than 2 amps/hr and use it...some stabil is a good idea too, but i haven't used it yet on mine being that it never sits for more than two months.

[andmoon]

Anyone know if one of the 12v chargers for phones, faxes, printer...etc will work if spliced to the terminals?

[ctfz1]

Modern MC batteries like smart chargers.  The Harbor Frieght chargers  are in question as "true" float chargers, I seen claims they can boil a battery dry left on.  Someone has battery tender jr closeout for $20. I  use a Wally world charger every 4-6 weeks.