Battery Tender Tips for Winter Harley Storage

By Brett Foote - October 23, 2017

**Battery Tender claims you can set it and forget it. But is that really true?**

Unless you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where temperatures remain above freezing all year, you’re likely getting ready to store your Harley for its winter nap. It’s a sad time of year, really, but it’s a necessary one.

We’ve already shared a host of member tips on winter Harley storage, but one of the more frequently asked questions revolves around the use of a Battery Tender.

The humble yet useful Battery Tender has been used for years to keep the batteries of seasonal vehicles topped off through periods of non-use. Simply plug the tender into a regular wall outlet, hook it up to your battery, and forget about it. Battery Tenders claim to maintain proper storage voltage without the potentially damaging effects caused by trickle chargers. But is it really that simple?

Opinions, as they often do, vary, which is why H-D Forums member JohhnieRock sought out advice from our many experts in this thread.

“How many of you Leave your Battery Tender hooked up all winter? Do any of you see a problem with this? Some say put it on once a month, others say put it on and leave it on.”

As you might imagine, plenty of folks were ready to chime in with their thoughts. And it appears that there are some misconceptions surrounding use of a tender.

“I leave the Battery Tender on my bike all year long,” says BrewMany. “Even during the riding season I plug it in when I park the bike for the night. In the winter, I bring the battery inside and hook it up to the tender all winter, usually November through March or April. The Tender is designed to be constantly connected. It tapers the charge on and off as the battery discharges and recharges.”

“Harley suggests leaving the Battery Tender connected if the battery is left in the bike during storage,” adds Shanneba. “If the battery is out of the bike, they suggest charging the battery every month. Even during the riding season, I charge my battery overnight every two weeks with my Tender.”

Quite a few people actually use their tender on a daily basis, not just during long periods of storage.

“Mine is on any time it’s in the garage,” says Upflying.

“Mine is plugged in whenever it’s parked in the garage, which is every night,” adds Hardheaded. “All year long. been doing it for years with my cars and trucks too.”

“Battery tenders are always plugged in, unless I know I will be riding a particular bike the next day,” says Warprints.

As useful and safe as tenders seem to be, that doesn’t stop some folks from keeping an eye on their battery, however.

“Been hooking up any time the bikes are parked,” says RHPAW. “I get between 7-8 years out of a battery, and that’s one AGM and one old-fashioned lead-acid. Battery Tenders have brains. No overcharging, although I do check the lead-acid one periodically to make sure it doesn’t dry out.”

And according to Glasspilot, you don’t even have to buy the name brand product to get results.

“The “Battery Tender” is the best known maintainer, but they’re awful proud of them($). There’s a lot of other charger makers that sell automatic maintainers. I have a bunch of different brands that do the same thing. Just make sure it clearly says it will not over charge the battery.

Lets see, I have a Schumacher, a Die-Hard, and other brands. Usually 1 to 2 amps. They all do the same thing. I use them not only on my two bikes. But also on my boat to keep the expensive start and deep cycle house battery on full charge.”

So for once, it appears that pretty much everyone agrees on something! Shocking, we know. So long as you have a tender designed to purposely shut off and not overcharge the battery. If so, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Now if it would only shovel the snow out of your driveway for you, too!