Battery draining question
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 118
Likes: 5
From: South Florida
Battery draining question
Hello, as I am still getting to know my first Harley, I noticed when connecting the battery tender after every ride it takes between one to two hours for the LED to go green. I have a 2011 Kawasaki VN1700 Nomad and a 2009 Yamaha VMAX that can go weeks without a tender and as soon as I connect the tender it will only take a couple of minutes for the LED to go green. All three bikes have Yuasa batteries (the HD is brand new one). Is this behavior normal in the HD or maybe I could have stator/regulator issues? I checked the battery with a tester after fully charged @ 2000 RPM is reading 13.76v @ via the tender pigtail connections.
Merry Xmas!
Merry Xmas!
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,514
Likes: 1,992
From: Vancouver BC
Harley's circuitry pulls current all the time, even when the bike is off. The alarm system is constantly pinging in attempts to see if your fob is within range, this is how it knows whether to set off the lights/siren or not. This extra current draw from the battery is what's causing the tender to 'top up' the battery longer than your other bikes. Perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 118
Likes: 5
From: South Florida
Harley's circuitry pulls current all the time, even when the bike is off. The alarm system is constantly pinging in attempts to see if your fob is within range, this is how it knows whether to set off the lights/siren or not. This extra current draw from the battery is what's causing the tender to 'top up' the battery longer than your other bikes. Perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,557
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From: Texas
you live in South Florida so why are you using a tender? Do you not ride at least twice a month? It makes sense to regularly use a tender if you cannot ride for months at a time, but South Florida???
The absolute and very best way to maintain your battery is to crank the bike and get on and ride...and a couple of hour rides every couple of weeks will do nicely...
The absolute and very best way to maintain your battery is to crank the bike and get on and ride...and a couple of hour rides every couple of weeks will do nicely...
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 118
Likes: 5
From: South Florida
I ride every day specially this time of the year. I always use a tender on my other bikes about every two months to keep the batteries healthy. Since I am new to HD and I am having some electrical issues (need a new starter) I was wondering if keeping the tender would help till I get it replaced.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,557
Likes: 235
From: Texas
There are those who swear by tenders and religiously use them and those who have them and use them occasionally, and others who have never used one. If you live in the warm climes and ride pretty regularly, you should not need a tender to keep your battery healthy and ready to ride.
I live in the greater Houston area and I also ride at once a week all year long. I have had my SG for just over 4 years and 30K miles now and the only time I used a tender was for a couple of months this time last year when the 3 year-old HD battery was on it's last few cranks and struggled on cold mornings.
When I started using the tender regularly on the new HD battery I replaced it with, the new battery started having intermittent problems within 4 months and failed completely after 6 months, stranding me in a parking lot. That was in July. I got a warranty replacement and do not use the tender...
Maybe it was using a tender every day, or maybe not...but I have not had any problems since I replaced the battery and stopped using the tender.
I live in the greater Houston area and I also ride at once a week all year long. I have had my SG for just over 4 years and 30K miles now and the only time I used a tender was for a couple of months this time last year when the 3 year-old HD battery was on it's last few cranks and struggled on cold mornings.
When I started using the tender regularly on the new HD battery I replaced it with, the new battery started having intermittent problems within 4 months and failed completely after 6 months, stranding me in a parking lot. That was in July. I got a warranty replacement and do not use the tender...
Maybe it was using a tender every day, or maybe not...but I have not had any problems since I replaced the battery and stopped using the tender.
Novice
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 16
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From: St. Louis, Missouri
A real easy check on drain would be to disconnect the positive lead from the battery and switch your multi-meter to Amp mode, you will probably have to switch the leads to the "A" socket, and put the red probe on positive battery terminal, and the black probe on the connector that goes to the battery. You should get a reading of next to nothing. Post a picture of the reading on the meter screen if you aren't sure. Do not crank it or turn the key "on" while you have this hooked up, you'll pop the fuse in your meter. The key should be off while you're doing this. If you do get a reading of more than say .5 A (not mA) you'll need to do some digging.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:32 PM
