Battery Tender
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 617
Likes: 196
From: Munchkinland
I'm running something like 8 battery tenders. Most are indoors or in protected areas but a couple aren't. Just keep the tender protected from the weather. I have two on boats, one on a jet ski that sits in the weather. I just put the tender under the cowling and it does well.
If your bike is outside, I'd assume you could purchase or have a $30 cover for it? Just put the tender under the cover.
If your bike is outside, I'd assume you could purchase or have a $30 cover for it? Just put the tender under the cover.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 779
Likes: 326
From: Simi Valley, CA
My bike is an outdoor bike. Last winter when I had my Honda, I took the battery out when it got real cold and connected the battery tender. When the weather became more civilized, I put the battery back in even if I only rode a couple times a week.
Now I have a 2019 Low Rider and there's no way I'll be popping the battery in and out. What a pain in the ******* it was taking the battery out. Then...a friend of mine told me there should be a connection for a battery tender already on the bike. Wish I would've realized that before. And after all that, I went away for this week and didn't put it on the tender like I was planning to. Oh well.
So for those who have outdoor bikes, what do you do? I guess I could leave it connected to the battery tender and disconnect if if it's gonna rain or snow. Good idea or bad?
Now I have a 2019 Low Rider and there's no way I'll be popping the battery in and out. What a pain in the ******* it was taking the battery out. Then...a friend of mine told me there should be a connection for a battery tender already on the bike. Wish I would've realized that before. And after all that, I went away for this week and didn't put it on the tender like I was planning to. Oh well.
So for those who have outdoor bikes, what do you do? I guess I could leave it connected to the battery tender and disconnect if if it's gonna rain or snow. Good idea or bad?
Last edited by JakeC7R; Nov 26, 2019 at 10:03 PM.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 230
Likes: 76
From: MD, USA
OK, so for outdoor bikes (which all 4 of ours are), here's what we do:
79 KZ650SR - sits under a cover, battery (silly easy to remove/install) is removed for winter and stored in the house on a tender.
05 Kawi Vulcan 800 - sits in a motorcycle shell (cycleshell.com IIRC), with a tender plugged in, outdoor cord to GFCI outlet.
13 Sporty 1200 (wife's bike) - sits in a motorcycle shell, same tender setup, different cord (it's out front, so the cord runs some distance).
19 FLHXS - in my 7x14 enclosed trailer, now with a Battery Tender solar panel setup. So far, so good (it's only been 4 days now).
Before, my Vulcan 800 and the wife's Sporty were behind the house, in shells, plugged into tenders. I kept the tenders themselves off the floor of the shell to prevent water intrusion from shorting them out - even though that likelihood was very small, and never happened. My KZ was stored under a cover, battery removed - same as it is now. The Vaquero was out front, under a cover, with a tender on it. The tender sat in a tupperware dish resting on the passenger footpeg and saddlebag/frame guard. It got water in the dish once (really heavy rain) but never shorted, luckily. Since I got the trailer, the Vaquero was out front and I plugged a tender into it each Saturday during the winter, but rode it enough to keep it charged during the summer months.
Since I traded the Vaquero for the Street Glide Special, and the SGS's electrics seem to drain the battery faster, I needed SOME power out there, so my wife got me the solar panel charger for my birthday. I have a sneaking suspicion the battery is bad on my bike, but the dealership says it passed all their tests, and to keep it on a tender when not ridden. At 32F temps yesterday and today, the bike started OK (slightly slow, but not much worse than a warmer morning), and the solar panel had a green indicator LED on it, letting me know the battery was fully charged.
Probably a ton more info than you were asking, but I like to think I'm being helpful.
I highly recommend the motorcycle shells, as they are easier than covers, don't scratch the bike, and you can pull a hot bike in and cover it and go about your day without worrying about melting the cover. Good stuff, but not cheap ($450 or so, IIRC).
I winterize my Kawasakis and my wife's Sporty, since none of them will be ridden when <50F outside. The FLHXS has better wind protection, of course, so it gets ridden until they salt the roads. After 2 weeks of not riding, I start climbing the walls and my tolerance for cold gets better LOL. I once took my Vaquero for a 102 mile jaunt on a cold 25F-degree December night. That's the coldest I've ever ridden, and it was totally worth it.
-John
79 KZ650SR - sits under a cover, battery (silly easy to remove/install) is removed for winter and stored in the house on a tender.
05 Kawi Vulcan 800 - sits in a motorcycle shell (cycleshell.com IIRC), with a tender plugged in, outdoor cord to GFCI outlet.
13 Sporty 1200 (wife's bike) - sits in a motorcycle shell, same tender setup, different cord (it's out front, so the cord runs some distance).
19 FLHXS - in my 7x14 enclosed trailer, now with a Battery Tender solar panel setup. So far, so good (it's only been 4 days now).
Before, my Vulcan 800 and the wife's Sporty were behind the house, in shells, plugged into tenders. I kept the tenders themselves off the floor of the shell to prevent water intrusion from shorting them out - even though that likelihood was very small, and never happened. My KZ was stored under a cover, battery removed - same as it is now. The Vaquero was out front, under a cover, with a tender on it. The tender sat in a tupperware dish resting on the passenger footpeg and saddlebag/frame guard. It got water in the dish once (really heavy rain) but never shorted, luckily. Since I got the trailer, the Vaquero was out front and I plugged a tender into it each Saturday during the winter, but rode it enough to keep it charged during the summer months.
Since I traded the Vaquero for the Street Glide Special, and the SGS's electrics seem to drain the battery faster, I needed SOME power out there, so my wife got me the solar panel charger for my birthday. I have a sneaking suspicion the battery is bad on my bike, but the dealership says it passed all their tests, and to keep it on a tender when not ridden. At 32F temps yesterday and today, the bike started OK (slightly slow, but not much worse than a warmer morning), and the solar panel had a green indicator LED on it, letting me know the battery was fully charged.
Probably a ton more info than you were asking, but I like to think I'm being helpful.
I highly recommend the motorcycle shells, as they are easier than covers, don't scratch the bike, and you can pull a hot bike in and cover it and go about your day without worrying about melting the cover. Good stuff, but not cheap ($450 or so, IIRC).
I winterize my Kawasakis and my wife's Sporty, since none of them will be ridden when <50F outside. The FLHXS has better wind protection, of course, so it gets ridden until they salt the roads. After 2 weeks of not riding, I start climbing the walls and my tolerance for cold gets better LOL. I once took my Vaquero for a 102 mile jaunt on a cold 25F-degree December night. That's the coldest I've ever ridden, and it was totally worth it.
-John
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