I own a 93 Corvette that gets driven 6-8 times a year and otherwise is parked in my unheated garage beside my Ultra. I keep a battery tender on both vehicles it at all times, as well as my quad and lawn tractor. This past weekend I put a 100 amp load test on the battery in the vette while monitoring the voltage with a digital voltmeter. The battery voltage dropped to 10.5 under load but recovered immediately to 12.5 after the load tester was turned off. Still I will feel more confident if I install a new battery. The location of the battery in this car makes it very difficult to hook up jumper cables should I need them, and you have to remove a piece of the fender to install a new battery. I checked my maintenance records last night and the battery in the car is 14 years old! That is why I put the battery tender on my bike any time I am not riding it for more than 1-2 days unless I am on a road trip. I will not push the battery in the bike that many years but I still expect to get 6-8 years out of it.

 

I would have got a tender long ago if I knew I was gonna get a 93 vette out of it lol.. I don't use one yet but my bike never goes a week without going somewhere

 

I alternate one battery tender between several batteries. It may stay on one for a few days or a week, then on to the next, and so on. Ones driven frequently at that time don't get the charger.
OP, you could install a remote jump point on your vette to make it easier to jump start. My Cadillac has the battery in the trunk, my jump point is under the hood. I have installed battery tender pigtails to make it easier to connect the battery tender to my vehicles, too - even my riding mower.
Definitely extends battery life.

 

motorcycle battery is subjected to heat and vibrations...2 things that kill batteries.

I don't get 6 to 8 years...not even close.

in my cars either.

the desert has alot to do with that

mike

 

My '06 RK has the original battery.1st.owner kept it on BT.I'm 2nd.owner and keep it on in winter/whenever I don't anticipate running it for a few days or more.I'm actually getting ready to go out shortly and do a voltage drop test.I'm checking because I'm heavily leaning towards replaceing it anyways.I think 9 years is "enough blood out of this turnip".

 

Hmm, are you bragging or complaining???

 

A friend had the same battery in his '03 Road King for 11yrs before it failed. Bike is always plunged in when parked.


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Cool:


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I have found battery life is a crap shoot..I just changed out the original battery in my sportster, it was 14 years old (2000).. and the battery on my 11 RKC just went bad after 4 years.. I had a 00 softail that the battery died after 11 months, and the new one lasted 3 years... and it really doesn't seem to matter if they are on a charger/maintainer..except that if you keep them on the charger/maintainer they make it though the long winter months better..

 

My FIL has a '93 black convertible with red interior that has just over 15K miles on it that he bought new and is on the original battery because it's always on a tender. Hell, he never drives it except for parades it seems like but gets the oil changed every year. My wife and I took it to Nashville then to the Corvette museum a few years ago and he did as well the year the museum opened (1994) and has his signature on the opening weekend banner. He's telling my wife and I that it's going to my 17 year old son for a high school graduation present but we'll see.

 

I have a 15 year old battery in a pickup that gets used only for pulling firewood from the woods. Never been on a tender. Battery is fine. My buddies got a 2002 Fat Boy and just recently took the original battery out. The tender may make some batteries last longer. Or maybe the battery would have lasted just as long. Never can tell.