Battery Tender Cold Storage
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 101
Likes: 9
From: Truckee
While my garage is insulated, outside temps occasionally get below zero. All three of my bikes have battery tenders installed throughout the winter and have no problems starting up in the Spring. My last battery lasted 5 years (HD brand)
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,872
Likes: 83
From: Canton, Michigan
As far as winter maintenance, I always pull the battery from the bike, put it on the bench and hook the Tender up to it. I do have a heated garage, but I only keep it at 55 degrees in there during the winters. Last winter the HD spent in an unheated storage unit (with my Saturn Sky). I pulled the battery and took it home. The Sky had a Battery Tender attached for five months in the unheated unit. No problems in the spring.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 379
Likes: 0
From: Tampa Bay
As I read this thread, it dawns on me that I wasn't always a southern boy, I used to live up north, about 20 years ago. Not as far north as you, I lived in Ohio, but I stored my bikes in a screen room over winter with a cover on them. Back then, I had never heard of a battery tender, S.O.P was to charge the battery towards the end of fall and disconnect the terminal when I put them up for the dark cold winter. Come early spring I would top off the charge and off I'd ride. I never had a battery die over winter or a bike fail to start in the spring. All my batteries always died in the middle of summer and they would always last several years. No special batteries either, just a regular old Interstate L/A.
Moral of the story? Sometimes I think the motorcycle marketing gods have convinced us we need a whole lotta stuff that we don't really need. Don't sweat the small stuff, ride and have fun, your bike and battery will be fine.
Moral of the story? Sometimes I think the motorcycle marketing gods have convinced us we need a whole lotta stuff that we don't really need. Don't sweat the small stuff, ride and have fun, your bike and battery will be fine.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 957
Likes: 2
From: Carlsbad Springs Ontario
Simply put ... a batt. tender is marketed as a savior of all batteries that are seasonaly stored whether inside and warm or outside and cold. The tenders primary fuction is to ensure that the battery does not discharge with time to the point were freezing ( cold environment ) or sulphation etc. ( warm environment ) occurs.
Most of us have many batteries for many types of equipment and a bike battery is only one of these. Your high quality AGM bike battery is almost bullet proof and will survive an entire winter in a warm environment with no tender etc. but an occastional slow 2 amp. recharge is advised and usually takes about 20 mins. only.
For the rest of the standard lead/acid batteries we all have for everything else , bring them all in and keep them warm and watered and fully charged .
Most of us have many batteries for many types of equipment and a bike battery is only one of these. Your high quality AGM bike battery is almost bullet proof and will survive an entire winter in a warm environment with no tender etc. but an occastional slow 2 amp. recharge is advised and usually takes about 20 mins. only.
For the rest of the standard lead/acid batteries we all have for everything else , bring them all in and keep them warm and watered and fully charged .
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 379
Likes: 0
From: Tampa Bay
There may be some truth in that, however the plain fact is that a modern battery is giving far more CCA today than a battery 20 years ago of the same dimensions could ever dream of. Everything around us is higher performance than our aging memories, and that is being achieved in ways that require a bit of technological tlc!
In the case of an AGM as the OP is using;
The plates are packed in with the glass mat, because the glass mats are not totally saturated and the liquid does not expand to cause plate and case damage, AGM batteries can withstand freezing - you will get little or no output from a frozen battery, but at least it will not ruin the battery or break the case. Furthermore, a fully charged AGM will resist freezing just like a fully charged L/A.
I had to kind of think the problem through, but I believe it's accurate. Of course the best way is to just pick up the phone and call Schumaker and the battery mfg. I have found that most manufacturers are very eager to answer your questions. Then you have no worries
I had to kind of think the problem through, but I believe it's accurate. Of course the best way is to just pick up the phone and call Schumaker and the battery mfg. I have found that most manufacturers are very eager to answer your questions. Then you have no worries
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,920
Likes: 264
From: Deep in the heart of New Jersey
I never used to use a tender, but when I bought a new battery from the dealer it was kept in the bike all year round. I used to get 2 years from a battery. Then a few years ago I bought a tender and have never had to replace a battery. I know battery technology has gotten better, but I believe if you don't ride you bike much, the battery starts to breakdown and not hold it's charge. A tender doesn't let that happen. It won't last forever, but it sure beats changing a battery every 2 years. At -20f what do the snowmobile guys do? I bet pull starting one of those at -20, is like kick starting a Panhead at -20.,,
Thread Starter
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Advanced
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 93
Likes: 2
From: Up North, WI
I lost my post, but I'll once again thank all for the input. Due to laziness, I was thinking about leaving the battery in when in the past I didn't even think twice about removing it because it had no maintiner on it then. I'll remove it in October as always, and a couple times in winter I'll throw the charger on it, install after the snow melts in spring, and keep the maintainer on it during the riding season next year!