I'm really hoping that the 1.5amp 'float charger' that I had on the bike all winter is bad....Went to get the bike outta storage today, and....Nothing. Charger had the green 'Charged' light on, but nada......New battery last June....I'm not liking how the riding season is starting.....

 

I hope so too...good luck.

 

What kind of battery do you have? Did you disconnect it? What kind of temps did you experience? A new battery last June should have sat all winter (assuming it was charged when you laid it up) and still have enough juice to fire up.

 

It's a brand new Harley sealed battery....Bought 'on the road', when the last one bit the dust after two years....Normal for my bike.

No, I didn't disconnect it. I've got a pigtail for the float charger attached to the battery.

Temps really weren't that awful until February, the bike sits on a stand, tires off the concrete, covered, and inside a rented Extra Space Storage unit (along with my wife's 'Vette, and my misc Jeep parts).

Yeah, I've stored the bike in my garage for 5-6 months over the Michigan winter...Without a charger and the next spring it would start. That's why I'm thinking that the float charger is more of a drain than an asset.The same thing happened to the 'Vette last year on another float charger, but the Corvette's electronics will drain a battery in a month (or less) unless it's driven or charged in that time period. I don't thing there is anything that is getting/using battery power while my 93 HD is in a coma.

Both 1.5 amp units are these:


This Fall I'm just going to'pull' the batteries outta both the HD and the 'Vette, put them in my basement on a shelf, and charge them once a month. I used to do this in the past with the HD and with my boat battery and never had a problem.

Edit: I managed to get the 'Vette battery charged in about 4 hours using a15 amp automatic charger. The Harley battery took about 6 hours of charging. In both cases the batteries would not take the full 15 amps (according to the meter on the charger) until the battery had been on the charger for a couple hours....Must be an internal voltage or chemistryissue. I'm also wondering if a 1.5 amp'float charger' is large enough for either the HD or 'Vette battery? Perhaps a 3 amp? Wish I was 'battery smart'.

 

I just use a battery tender on my bike, it still has the original battery in it. I have used it for the past four Ohio winters, no problems. I alternate it on the battery for the GTO (10 years old) and it keeps it charged as well. I paid $40 for the battery tender (the small one that looks like a transformer).

 

Yeah, I can't really 'figure it out'. ButI'm wondering if the storage facility doesn't turn the power off. I'm going to check with them to see if they have the units on a timer or something. I don't seem to have any problem in my garage when I use the small 'float chargers' on either the HD or the Vette.

Too Weird.

Edit: And Bro, if you've got a 9 year old battery in your bike...I'm impressed (and in awe). I got 4 years out of the original....Then every two years I had to replace (twice 'on the road').

 

Time to go buy a gel battery. I let mine sit for the 5 months of winter, it had 12.7 volts when I parked it and when the time came to get it running I had 12.5 volts. I parked the bike and forgot about the battery completely (no charging and I did not pull or disconnect anything). The battery (Odyssey) comes with a 7 year warranty. This is my third gel battery in my riding years and I had one last for 11 years.

 

Yeah, I'll probably try a gel batterywhen the current 1 year old HD sealed battery succumbs to DC sudden death.

I was reading the instructions on my present battery charger and it says that it is not recommended for charging gel batteries....What's up with that? Any electro-chemists out there?

 

Yeah, I don't know why, but I have always had good luck with batteries lasting a long time. A couple years ago I forgot to plug in the voltage reg. after an oil change and ran the battery dead and jump started it with a car, and it's still kicking. Too bad the only good luck I have in life is with batteries, everything else turns to sh** on me.

 

something that happened to me in the past:
outlet that the tender was plugged into in the garage had a GFCI..one of those special outlets with the TEST / RESET buttons which are found in wet areas..bathrooms garages etc.. when these trip they cut the power...lady that cleans the house must of hit the tender or refrigerator on the same line with the hose...garage floor all wet....triggered the GFCI and cut the power to both.. no big deal, noticed when the drinks were warm when i got home and reset the GFCI..