I recently moved to FL and heard that batteries only last about 3yrs in FL due to the heat. When I had my bike in for service, I asked about the average life of a battery in FL. He started right off by telling me that I should get a battery tender and that it would help the battery last much longer.

Is there any truth to this or was he just trying to sell me something that I don't need. My bike is always kept in the garage when I am not out riding and often sit for a week without being used since I travel for work a lot, so it would be easy to plug in while I am away.

I saw this one was only $40 - http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...battery-tender and has an auto shutoff so it wouldn't overcharge the battery and I could just leave the charging harness connected.

 

battery charger is useful. hooking it up all the time im not so sure about.

 

Battery will discharge faster in the heat than in the cold. Yes, get a tender.

 

your battery shouldnt discharge in a week.

 

Who said it will discharge in a week?

 

IMO, a battery tender is an important gadget to have regardless of where you live. It seems to have prolonged my stock battery even after being completely drained once or twice. I am still running the same battery that came with the bike when I bought it in September of 2007.

 

hooking a battery tender up all the time isn't going to hurt anything, after fully charging the battery they automatically switch back to a float mode. If your riding your bike once a week its probably not necessary. When my bike sits for a week and I plug it in it only stays on for about 2 minutes and my charger (Yuasa) only puts out 900 mA.

HD's 39.99 charger is a rip off. You can buy the Deltran Battery Tender Jr. for less than 25.00 on eBay with free expedited shipping. They are a worthwhile investment

 

They didn't say it would discharge in a week, but they said that to be able to regain the power used during a start you have to run the bike for an hour at 3000+ rpms. I found that one hard to believe.

 

Who told you that?!?! I'm near you, been living here for ages and used bikes as primary transportation several times. Meaning quick trips to the store, work, etc. I don't think I've ever rode for over an hour at over 3K rpm either. If that was true, you're battery would die after a series of quick trips.

The battery on my '06 RK lasted 5 years down here, and rarely hooked to a tender. Even discharged it once in the middle of that lifespan. The battery on my Dyna not so much, but only because I took some time off and it discharged to the point of no return.

Now, as mentioned, it never hurts to put that battery on a tender, as once charged it will shut off. If you travel a bit for hurt and have a hectic schedule, then it is a good idea as you may think you're going to ride next week and then 3 months goes by. This happens with me and my boat and I finally got in the habit of pulling the battery and putting on tender in between use.

Either order the tender online, or go to Batteries Plus if you don't want to wait for shipping. They are a very convenient tool to have

 

OK, this is exactly what I was wondering. If it extends the life of the battery and wasn't just something that ya needed if you live in a cold state, than it would be worth getting.

Thanks for the info on the Deltran, I found this one on Amazon 1600+ ppl reviewed it and still has a 4.5 rating is good to see and I like that it comes with the fused ring connectors, so I don't have to pull off the battery cover every time I want to plug it in.