So, is the one Harley sells a trickle charger, or is it a battery tender? I leave it plugged it in when I'm not riding.

 

battery tender in the winter. got nervous this year and had mine tested at the harley shop. battery still good and I'm in the 6th year. maybe I'll get a new one this winter just for *****.

 

The one HD sells is a tender, not a trickle charger.

 

Mine is on a tender when I'm not riding her...

 

Anytime I'm not riding its on an optimizer, I don't go on many long rides, lots of stop/starting, and that's a big ask with an engine of that size.

 

If you use a Battery Tender (Smart Charger) there really isn't any such thing as too much. This is because the Charger will maintain the battery in a Float Charge once the battery reaches 98% - 100% State of Charge (SOC). On the other hand, if the bike will not be used significantly for 30 days or more, the self discharge rate of the battery, coupled with the subsequent recharging that eventually will be required will definitely subtract from the life of the battery. How much is subtracted is dependent on how discharged the battery becomes before it is recharged, how fast it is recharged (slow is better but the charging system on your bike is a fast charger), and how many times this scenario is repeated. Take the battery below 50% SOC (what is generally considered a discharged battery) more than 5 times and that will pretty much do it in fairly quickly. Less than that . . .

 

I have been using Battery Tenders since 2000 on all my bikes. I plug them in whenever I finish riding. They usually dont go to many days without being plugged in. In 2009, i sold my Yamaha Roadstar with the original battery still in it. I purchased the Roadstar in 1999, the battery still worked perfectly fine. I swear by Tenders

 

Anytime scooter is parked in the garage especially in the warmer weather as heat kills batteries.

 

Mine is plugged into a Battery Tender Jr. whenever the bike is parked in the garage. I bought the bike in Oct 05 (it's an o6 model) and the battery has a date of 05 on it. I'll probably replace it next spring just as preventative measure.

I'm also a believer in keeping them on a Battery Tender.

 

On the Tender anytime I won't be riding for 2 weeks or more. never a problem with batteries.