Pan Am Battery Tender Requirement
#1
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When I got my Pan Am last year and I plugged it into my Battery Tender brand tender, I got puzzling results. It would blink green that it was charging, go solid green at times, and then occasionally I'd walk out and see it red, even though it'd been sitting for days. I had battery issues even after replacing the battery (my PAS had sat for a year in a dealer's warehouse un-tendered and unstarted) and so on a call with the tech we dug into it. Now, I could get the battery to charge if I applied a clamp directly to the positive terminal and a ground (I used a crash guard bolt) but through the pigtail was a no go and nothing but issues.
So, the tech and I went over everything on the phone, looking for loose wires, blown fuses, etc. I found nothing. Then, the tech is reading through something and says "Hey, how many amps is your tender?". I reply 1 amp, and it's certainly not the problem as it charged my Road King's battery (with 2x the cranking amps mind you) just fine. He then reads me a bulletin where H-D states that a 4 amp tender is required for the Pan Am. We're both puzzled, but OK. He then recommended a tender he uses from Harbor Freight of all places. I tried it for $40, and I haven't had an issue since. I hope this helps everyone like it helped me.
So, the tech and I went over everything on the phone, looking for loose wires, blown fuses, etc. I found nothing. Then, the tech is reading through something and says "Hey, how many amps is your tender?". I reply 1 amp, and it's certainly not the problem as it charged my Road King's battery (with 2x the cranking amps mind you) just fine. He then reads me a bulletin where H-D states that a 4 amp tender is required for the Pan Am. We're both puzzled, but OK. He then recommended a tender he uses from Harbor Freight of all places. I tried it for $40, and I haven't had an issue since. I hope this helps everyone like it helped me.
#2
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silverbulletking (04-30-2024)
#3
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That being said, the electrical systems on the Pan Am seem to be, well, let's just call them temperamental. Especially if the battery is somewhat discharged due to sitting for an extended period of time. Anyway, I got to ride more than usual but plenty of folks further North don't have it as nice as you (KS) or I do (Southeastern OH). Or maybe those folks just don't get a chance to ride as much due to other reasons like work, family, etc. The tender requirement info will hopefully help them out.
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wmprof (05-01-2024)
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silverbulletking (04-30-2024)
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silverbulletking (05-01-2024)
#7
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H-D does have something to say that I've found in the 2021 online manual- "Because of the sealed, nonspillable battery design, an automatic, constant monitoring battery charger/tender with a charging rate of 5 amps or less at less than 14.6 volts is recommended"
So, nothing over 5amps and no constant current trickle chargers, but it doesn't have a minimum.
I just went with what the tech told me, bought a 4amp tender, and I haven't had a single problem since.
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tri cycle (05-04-2024)
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illraptorskiUSMC
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