Leaving battery charger on in bike

PrivatePilot said:
.....The tried and true method of ensuring a powersport battery remains healthy is proper use of a battery tender (NOT a trickle charger), long story short. All other methods have downsides, or do not apply universally. Putting a battery on a tender is NEVER a bad thing.
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A tender is fine if you are diligent. Tender just takes the "work" out of the equation. I don't even use a tender, just a manual 2A charger, but I pay attention to the bikes during storage.
 
Riceburner said:
A tender is fine if you are diligent. Tender just takes the "work" out of the equation. I don't even use a tender, just a manual 2A charger, but I pay attention to the bikes during storage.
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Yes, I should’ve specified that a trickle charger is perfectly acceptable so long as it is only left on long enough to return the battery to a 100% state of charge.

The problem with trickle chargers is people put them on the battery and then just leave them indefinitely which not only overcharges the battery, but boils away the electrolyte.

A tender will turn on and off automatically as the battery requires, a trickle charger is just a dumb device that keeps outputting amps whether the battery needs it or not.
 
Robbo said:
Hi Joe, if you unplug it, leave it for a bit, and plug it back in...does it start off flashing red then solid red then flashing green but doesn’t get to solid green?

Do you have a multimeter?


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Unplugged it and back it. Went straight back to hyper flashing green.

I have a multimeter. Knowing how to use it however.....

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Joe Bass said:
Unplugged it and back it. Went straight back to hyper flashing green.

I have a multimeter. Knowing how to use it however.....

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If it does that on both the old and new battery, I’d say it is time to buy a new one.

Do you have anybody up near you who has the same tender that you could borrow and see how theirs behaves?

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Robbo said:
If it does that on both the old and new battery, I’d say it is time to buy a new one.

Do you have anybody up near you who has the same tender that you could borrow and see how theirs behaves?

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Where do you live? Lol
Let me check and get back to you

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Use a tender, just plug it in and forget about it. My 2002 ST has run 16 seasons. 1st battery lasted about 9 seasons and I replaced it as a precaution, not because it failed. My 2nd Yuasa is now starting its 8th season and it is doing fine. I'll probably replace it next season as a PM item.

IMHO, never start your bike in the off season and run it for just 5 minutes. If you going to do this, and why bother unless you plan to ride it, let it run for at least 15 minutes or until the rad fan comes on. In late November I add Stabil to a tank of zero ethanol premium, fog the engine, put the battery on a tender and park it until spring.
 
PrivatePilot said:
No. No no no no no. Just NO.

Everything Gatekeeper said. Starting a bike in the winter without actually getting out and bringing things up to full operating temperature afterwards just does more harm than good, contrary to what people still insist on thinking.

If you aren't going to take the bike out and ride for at least 15-20 minutes, don't start the bike. Keep a proper battery tender on it and leave it alone.



Nope. That's a woefully incorrect blanket statement most certainly does not apply to all bikes, specially those with stator based charging systems that barely charge the battery at riding speed, much less sitting.

And many bike alternators are barely adequate to begin with, and again, do not make any significant amperage at idle speed, despite showing a positive voltage. Starting the bike can easily cause a greater loss in state of charge than what even 10-15 minutes idling can recoup, if it manages at all.



Again, incorrect blanket statement. Glad all your bikes apparently have little to no phantom loads, but again, not all bikes apply.

Also, lead acid batteries self discharge at a rate of 5% per month, meaning the average rider who's bike is left idle for 6 months is losing 30% of the batteries charge just sitting, assuming zero phantom load. Add in a small phantom load and that same battery could be at a 50% SOC, or less.

Enough to still start the bike in the spring? Maybe, if it fires right off, but maybe not if it wasn't tended to over the winter with occasional top-ups.

Then there's the reality that depth of discharge effects the lifespan of a battery.

The tried and true method of ensuring a powersport battery remains healthy is proper use of a battery tender (NOT a trickle charger), long story short. All other methods have downsides, or do not apply universally. Putting a battery on a tender is NEVER a bad thing.
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"NOT a trickle charger" -incorrect blanket statement, lol couldn't resist. Certainly using a trickle charger is fine. You do not require a tender. Just don't leave the trickle charger on for long periods - I use my trickle charger a few hours to top up the battery every 3- 4 weeks or so during the off season. Other than that- and I agree with what you are stating ..
EDIT -I use a tiny 500mA (1/2 amp) trickle charger. paid about $6 for it more than a decade ago...
 
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Can't add much to the debate that hasn't been said; just my experience with my battery this year:

New battery April 2017

Last ride: Nov 28, 2017

-- DID NOT START / RIDE / CHARGE AT ALL

Charged mid APR; based on battery size and tender charging speed, it should have taken something like 16 hours (if my math is right); it was fully charged in just over two hours using the Battery Tender Junior.
 
GateKeeper said:
not really sure what this does.....

it won't charge the battery

it don't get the bike up to temp

it just sloshes old oil around for no good reason

since it does not get up to temp, it probably just creates condensation in areas you don't want.

Probably other things as well....

just get a proper tender, hook up to battery, plug into wall, and leave it all alone until your ready to go out and start your season...

at least it's how I do it....

ohhh and I do the same as CHRIS63, when I come back from a ride I just plug in the tender, and never worry about a weak battery...

.
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^^^^ This!
I ended up with a dead battery once after starting the bike then short trip to a gas station. Wouldn't start after I gassed up. Never again after I installed the BT direct to the battery terminals. Just plug her in after each ride and never worry :)

And yes, starting your bike for a short while during winter storage provides no benefit that I know of.
 
to the OP,

I've used 2 x NOCO G1100's for 10 years or so on both lead acid and lithium ion batterys. Track bike stays plugged in year round, street bike during the winter. Never a problem.
 
@Robbo no luck getting a borrowed tender.
I have an analog multimeter.
Never used one before.
What am I testing? The tender coming out of the wall, not plugged into the battery?

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Joe, I would test battery voltage at the battery terminals...

1. Battery at rest before starting the tender
2. Immediately after tender is plugged in for the first minute to see if the tender begins to charge the battery and at what charge rate.
3. If the result is good on #2, then check it once again in 10-15 mins to see if it’s charging at the same rate.

If that works, you could probably get away with using it as a charger and put it on the battery to charge while you are at home, but not for long periods.

Btw, Is the light flashing normally or still flickering when charging the new battery?

Probably best to keep an eye out for when they go on sale at Cdn Tire, and get a new one anyways...just so you can sleep at night.


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Thanks @Robbo
I will get to that this weekend.
And I will keep an eye out.

Does anyone know if: battery tender, tender plus, tender jr, b&d smart charger and Genius chargers....all basically the same? And will the others use the same connector as my tender?

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I leave mine on all winter and even during the riding season, if im not riding for more than 2-3 days, i still plug her in. Mainly because i have a V-Twin motor which starts more rough than the in line 4s and my battery is 5 years old and still works lol So leaving it in wont do damage if its one of those smart chargers which cycles and doesnt constantly charge
 
Joe Bass said:
Does anyone know if: battery tender, tender plus, tender jr, b&d smart charger and Genius chargers....all basically the same? And will the others use the same connector as my tender?
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I think the NOCO/Genius brand chargers use a unique connector. You'd have to add their pigtail to your battery. The battery tenders and others use the 'SAE' connector.
 
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