There are two uses of the tender. One is to maintain the battery when stored for a time. The other is the highest and best use and that is to extend the life of the battery.

That is done by leaving the bike plugged in all the time and up plug when you go for a ride then plug back in.

This way there is never any drop in voltage. Even over night it will go down some. There is a finite among or recharging a battery will do. By keeping it at the top many have gone 8 to 10 years on a battery.

That is what I do with my bikes. I simply haven't had a battery fail in the 10 years that I started using tenders.

But now it is mandatory as I have 13 bikes in my collection and each gets only 2 to 4 weeks use a year. One did sit three full years. Turned the key on and away it went. That battery is 6.5 years old.

 

2 bikes and 2 cages in my garage... all on an octopus tender- have never bought a battery!
drive/ ride into the garage plug in and done-

 

Lots of good comments on tenders here..want to add; Temperature plays a big roll in lead acid battery longevity as well. For example, it wouldn't be uncommon to see a battery working in a 100 degree garage have a significantly shorter lifespan than the same battery working in a climate controlled 70 degrees.

The older the battery, the more it should be checked up on. Lead acid batteries have a very sharp failure curve. They can go from good to no good in a real hurry and a bad battery can wreak havoc on other components downstream in the system, or leave you stranded.

 

I live in Newcastle and I ride enough that I don`t need a tender. The longest time off the bike was just 6 days.

 

I have the Noco Genius charger, and couldn't be happier, battery holds up very well.

 

When you're purchasing a battery charger or tender, just make sure it's a "smart charger,' ie, it knows when to shut itself off. As an RV guy (in addition to being a rider,) I've learned way more than I ever thought I'd need to about batteries and charging. The batts in the newer Harleys are AGM, and you can damage them easily if they're overcharged. I recently picked up a Battery Tender 1.5 amp maintainer/desulphating unit--the desulphating feature is great for bringing older batts back to life and for keeping newer ones from reaching that point. Good luck!

 

I would never do this, it is almost universally discouraged by knowledgable gear-heads. As for moisture, it's better to just leave it on a smart charger till spring when u can take it on the road for a proper ride and that will take care of any moisture in the motor. For winter, put a plastic bag over the ends of the tail pipes w a rubber band.

BTW, I use a christmas tree timers for my smart chargers and I set them to turn on for about 1 hour per day. I don't think there's any real harm in leaving a smart charger plugged in 24/7 but why do that if it's not necessary? JMHO.

I use the Sears smart chargers. Eleven of 'em.

 

if my vehicle is in the garage, its plugged in... stays plugged in until its outta the garage! just that simple

 

I have a Battery Tender + I,ve had since 2007 when the bike was new. The only thing I do differently than Wana is that I wait untill the next day when the battery is cool. I have no idea whether this is, good, bad, or who cares, it's just something I've always done.

 

I use a battery tender on all my bikes for winter storage.. If it's going to set for less than 2-3 weeks I don't bother. They are all plugged in now 'cause it's 0 deg. F with a wind chill of -15. My snowmobile is not plugged in because it will see enough use to keep the battery up. Oh, starting the bike just to 'charge the battery' is a real bad idea, use a battery-tender instead. YMMV.