Battery Tenders - anyone use 'em?
#1
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Posts: 480
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Battery Tenders - anyone use 'em?
Went running out to the garage yesterday to go out on the bike after having been away on vacation for 4 weeks. Opened the door to the garage and there she was all shiny and bright, just like I left her 4 weeks earlier. Slap on my lid, my gloves and throw my leg over. Its feeling real good and I'm thinking, should I go down by the water or just hit the highway. I turn the ignition, wait and hit the start - click, click, click; DEAD BATTERY . %@#!& - had to pull out the booster cables...
Anyone use battery tenders when leaving the bike for weeks at a time? Any particular models or makes...?
Anyone use battery tenders when leaving the bike for weeks at a time? Any particular models or makes...?
#3
I have the HD supersmart battery tender. While out of the country for four months this year I left it hooked up to the fatboy. When I returned, the bike started right up. My only issue was with the tender itself. There are three screws which hold it together and due to the heat I believe the plastic had become weak and two of the posts inside the tender which the screws go into were broken off. I took it apart and superglued them back on and reasssembled. No further issues yet. It is model 021-0123. Part number 94654-98A
#4
Went running out to the garage yesterday to go out on the bike after having been away on vacation for 4 weeks. Opened the door to the garage and there she was all shiny and bright, just like I left her 4 weeks earlier. Slap on my lid, my gloves and throw my leg over. Its feeling real good and I'm thinking, should I go down by the water or just hit the highway. I turn the ignition, wait and hit the start - click, click, click; DEAD BATTERY . %@#!& - had to pull out the booster cables...
Anyone use battery tenders when leaving the bike for weeks at a time? Any particular models or makes...?
Anyone use battery tenders when leaving the bike for weeks at a time? Any particular models or makes...?
#6
No. Nobody uses them. Ever. Well, you asked.
They're not a complicated piece of equipment, just shop around and get the best price. The one I use came from a sale in the lawn & garden dept at Sears and was marketed for use on riding lawnmowers. Just make sure that whatever you choose is a "maintainer", not a "trickle charger". You want a unit that works like a thermostat--it only operates when the battery voltage falls below a certain point and it shuts off once the battery level comes back up. A trickle charger maintains a steady charge 24/7, even when the battery is fully charged.
Having said that, if you rode your bike 4 weeks ago, it should have fired right up. An 08 shouldn't need a new battery yet (I still have the OEM in my 06) but who knows.
Last edited by Sharknose; 08-29-2010 at 09:18 AM.
#7