Battery tender not recommended?
#22
03-25-2011, 08:53 AM
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I've used a battery tender for many years on all of my bikes. The one thing I always do is change my battery every four years. That is three years of service and replaced the beginning of the fourth year.
#23
03-25-2011, 09:14 AM
I always keep mine plugged in over the winter. This is from the Deltran web site. I take it these guys are a lot smarter than me.
"There has been some confusion in the battery charger world that some of our chargers are simply maintainers ---- NOT TRUE! Each and every Deltran Battery Tender Battery Charger® regardless of its size is programmed with a microprocessor that will correctly charge a battery then automatically switch to a maintenance/float mode".
"There has been some confusion in the battery charger world that some of our chargers are simply maintainers ---- NOT TRUE! Each and every Deltran Battery Tender Battery Charger® regardless of its size is programmed with a microprocessor that will correctly charge a battery then automatically switch to a maintenance/float mode".
#24
03-25-2011, 10:02 AM
I'm not a engineer but.....I took my Battery Tender apart once (it's what I do) and I didn't see anything "smart" in it. A transformer, rectifier, filter and a regulator. So a cheap, low current trickle charger (1.25 amps max). I put mine on my bikes for 24 hours once a month to bring them to full charge in the winter and they do well.
#25
03-25-2011, 11:16 AM
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His is the OEM stock HD battery. Mine was never on a tender either in the ten years it lasted.....My original battery just got replaced last year with another HD battery.
#26
03-25-2011, 11:19 AM
I replaced my OEM battery last month. It lived on a tender it's whole life, when the bike wasn't running, the tender was hooked up. It started to crank a bit slow a while back, and I replaced it before I rode over to Daytona. We hooked it up at the parts store and it failed a load test.
Anyhoo, the little manual that came with my new Exide battery stated that a battery tender is NOT recommended.
So, I won't use one. We'll see how long this one lasts...
Anyhoo, the little manual that came with my new Exide battery stated that a battery tender is NOT recommended.
So, I won't use one. We'll see how long this one lasts...
Hmm, battery company says don't use a tender. Imagine that. Maybe because without a tender they might sell you another battery a little sooner?
#27
03-25-2011, 11:34 AM
Then when you get to the actual directions it says "connect red to +, black to -" and that's it.
This way, if anybody, anywhere does anything wrong with a tender, they can say "we advised against that". It's all about CYA.
Last edited by Sharknose; 03-25-2011 at 11:36 AM.
#28
03-25-2011, 11:45 AM
A Trickle Charger will be the death of a battery in short order. Most consumers don't know and/or can't tell the difference between a Trickle Charger and a Smart Charger. So if you're the battery manufacturer and you know that most batteries will do just fine without any external charger . . . it's a lot easier to say DON'T USE ANY CHARGER than it is to try and educate a consumer, especially after their battery has failed because they put it on a Trickle Charger.
Great point. Especially when they're having to replace batteries under warranty.
#30
03-25-2011, 12:11 PM
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One time and it was gone
I keep my bike on a tender and most of the time it keeps it marginally charged but I also keep a tender on a 4x4 quad that I snow plow with. I just bought a new "pour in the acid and seal" type of battery for it and after one plowing (using the winch), it killled the battery so I have to jump it every time. Then tender doesn't get it up to where it should be. I guess it is time to use the warranty and maybe try to find a bigger battery with the same footprint. Anyone know of any tricks?