Battery Tender

[Suzuki_Don]

I know members will say USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION, but i cannot really find exactly the information I am after. On Saturday I went to take my bike for a run and was supposed to meet the other guys at Richmond at 9am. But the bike would not start. Battery voltage was down to 12.1 volts and after a few cranks the starter was winding really slowly.

I had not started the bike for about a month. The other problem I discovered was that the float bowls had no fuel in them, or not enough to start the bike anyway. So I've learnt now to put the petcock on prime until the bike has started and then switch to the ON position. Another point worth mentioning is that the battery is new, just a few months old. My battery is the gel type that you fill with acid and then push in the plugs to seal forever and the battery is never opened again.

The question I am getting around to asking is in people's experience what sort of things do I need to look out for when purchasing a battery tender for my 550; charging rate, amps, any other things to take into account when looking for the correct one for my bike so I can leave it charging the battery all the time between rides.

BTW I got to the start point at Richmond at 9.30am and guess what there was no-one there except me. Ah well, I put 100 miles on the bike and that was still enjoyable even though I was riding as a loner.

[80-81, GS 1100]

I would just get a Battery Tender brand charger for small batteries
at your favorite motorcycle shop. Its set up to not overcharge and
it goes through different stages so that your battery will last longer.
I have used mine for years and am happy with it. You may save
a few bucks by getting it on Amazon

Complete 3-step charging program (initialization, bulk charge, and float mode) for maintaining optimal performance levels without over charging
Automatically switches to float/maintenance voltage after fully charging the battery

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-800-Waterproof-Charger/dp/B000CITKCE/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1301269801&sr=8-8

[Suzuki_Don]

One small item I neglected to mention is the fact that in OZ we use 240v mains power.

[Guest]

I bought this one from MCA. Works well.

http://www.mcas.com.au/_product.php?section=1&prodid=4832

I've seen them at Repco in the past too, but depends on the store.

[waterman]

Do you have battery charger? If it is a larger capacity for an automobile, it will work for a bike but you will need to monitor it so that it doesn't overcharge battery. I will put my car charger on the bike battery for about 40 minutes to top off a charge.

More importantly, why is your battery discharged after a month of sitting? I left my battery in bike over winter (4 cold, snowy months) and it fired up bike this spring without much trouble and it was a wet cell.

Is your bike charging properly? I like to see a minimum of 12.5 volts from battery otherwise, it is on way out.

[Suzuki_Don]

Do you have battery charger? If it is a larger capacity for an automobile, it will work for a bike but you will need to monitor it so that it doesn't overcharge battery. I will put my car charger on the bike battery for about 40 minutes to top off a charge.

More importantly, why is your battery discharged after a month of sitting? I left my battery in bike over winter (4 cold, snowy months) and it fired up bike this spring without much trouble and it was a wet cell.

Is your bike charging properly? I like to see a minimum of 12.5 volts from battery otherwise, it is on way out.

Hi Ed, I'm not sure why it is discharging. It is possibly draining through the R/R over time. And I didn't particularly want to fit a relay, extra wiring, fuse, etc. and all that. The bike is charging fine when running, usually between 14.4 to 14.7v. I have an onboard volt meter.

So for now will probably just buy a tender and leave it at that.

[Guest]

Don I've always gone by the 10% theory for normal charging rates over the years, so if it's a 10 amp/hour battery, 1 amp charging rate is usually good. That's just something I picked up many years ago and have continued to use since, can't even remember who taught me that now.

So if I was looking, I'd look at one that charges to that rating max but will drop back to a trickle charge when the battery's fully charged.

Quick edit: Neglected to say that the thing to watch is not to put too much current through it and overheat it. I haven't got gel battery experience, but I know with water/acid batteries if you put too big a charger on it will overheat and boil off the water.

[BassCliff]

Hi Don,

For what it's worth...

http://batterytender.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=240+VOLT+AC+INPUT

Maybe there's a retailer local to you.

You can go through the fusebox, disconnect one fuse at a time, and find out which circuit is causing your drain. Then troubleshoot from there. But I'll bet you already knew that.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Suzuki_Don]

Hi Don,

For what it's worth...

http://batterytender.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=240+VOLT+AC+INPUT

Maybe there's a retailer local to you.

You can go through the fusebox, disconnect one fuse at a time, and find out which circuit is causing your drain. Then troubleshoot from there. But I'll bet you already knew that.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Thanks Cliff for the website, the 800 automatic looks good for my use. Yes I will pull the fuse that enables the R/R to charge the battery and see if the voltage drop over a period of time still occurs.

[duaneage]

Don,

I have a solar panel on my shed roof that provides 1.2 ma of current during the day to my GS. After 5 months in the shed I wheel it out, prime for 60 seconds and crank away. Never failed yet. I also keep a spare battery on it in the shed as a backup, it also tops off car batteries.

I saw one like mine for 30 dollars. Not as cheap as some little chargers but I don't have to run a cord out to the shed and there is nothing to break. Even on cloudy days I get enough to charge the battery.

[Suzuki_Don]

Thanks Duane, I saw one like that on Ebay and wondered about it and then disregarded it because I didn't know how it would hold up in rain and lightning. I have ordered a tender and it should arrive today. i will put a picture up when I get it and some data as well.

[duaneage]

For what it's worth to others mine has been on the shed roof for about 4 or 5 years. Still works depite feet of snow, dozens of rainstorms and 50 mph winds. I sealed the edges with a little RTV silicone when I installed it. Probably the most reliable thing I own.