battery tender usage during storage
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 104
Likes: 64
From: Ugly suburbs of Hell, Michigan
battery tender usage during storage
Ok I know it is spring but this question just came up. When storing your Harley long term, we all use battery tenders. Do you hook the battery tender up in the fall and forget about it? Do you hook it up for a short time every week or so? Do you remove the battery from the bike?
Long story:
Buddy picked up his new Harley from the dealer that had it for winter storage. Got home and the bike would not start. Pulled off the seat and the battery cables were not tight and came loose during the ride home and arc'd all the way home such that the battery was unusable. Turns out the dealer removed the battery for long term storage and installed it before buddy picked bike up. Dealer denied responsibility but that is another thread.
Me? I am a lazy SOB and I hook up the tender to the battery still in the bike and leave it there for the winter. Get decent life out of the battery but my buddies experience had me questioning if I should remove the battery from the bike for long term storage. Another buddy says he hooks up the battery tender for a day every week or so. Says it is to preserve the battery.
Hence, I pose the question to the General Harley Davidson Riders.
Regards,
Crankster
Long story:
Buddy picked up his new Harley from the dealer that had it for winter storage. Got home and the bike would not start. Pulled off the seat and the battery cables were not tight and came loose during the ride home and arc'd all the way home such that the battery was unusable. Turns out the dealer removed the battery for long term storage and installed it before buddy picked bike up. Dealer denied responsibility but that is another thread.
Me? I am a lazy SOB and I hook up the tender to the battery still in the bike and leave it there for the winter. Get decent life out of the battery but my buddies experience had me questioning if I should remove the battery from the bike for long term storage. Another buddy says he hooks up the battery tender for a day every week or so. Says it is to preserve the battery.
Hence, I pose the question to the General Harley Davidson Riders.
Regards,
Crankster
Last edited by CrankyThunder; Mar 20, 2026 at 11:33 AM. Reason: misspellings added to verify authorship by engineer
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,544
Likes: 6,419
From: Honah Lee
I always took it out once retirement in 2012 since it never set over a month before.
However after retirement, it set the winter since we gone.
You don't want a battery going bad even on a maintenance charger. Even a maintenance charger can go bad too.
Especially a Softail TC with battery surrounded by the oil tank. If maintenance charger went bad and blew up the battery, it would cover fuse box and ECM.
Now on a 2004 Softail it's a easy pull.
Dealer should have had a mechanic install the battery. He probably used the cleanup who worked at McDonald's the week before.
Interestingly for a few years, I would get a loose battery connection on the negative. Battery was pretty snug but so was cable. It would loosen 10mm bolt.
I finally blocked battery with hard rubber liner. Wonder why bike had no strap.
Finally noticed on old OEM seat, there was a rubber bumper hold down. The expensive Corbin two up real leather seat had no rubber button.
However after retirement, it set the winter since we gone.
You don't want a battery going bad even on a maintenance charger. Even a maintenance charger can go bad too.
Especially a Softail TC with battery surrounded by the oil tank. If maintenance charger went bad and blew up the battery, it would cover fuse box and ECM.
Now on a 2004 Softail it's a easy pull.
Dealer should have had a mechanic install the battery. He probably used the cleanup who worked at McDonald's the week before.
Interestingly for a few years, I would get a loose battery connection on the negative. Battery was pretty snug but so was cable. It would loosen 10mm bolt.
I finally blocked battery with hard rubber liner. Wonder why bike had no strap.
Finally noticed on old OEM seat, there was a rubber bumper hold down. The expensive Corbin two up real leather seat had no rubber button.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Mar 20, 2026 at 03:32 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21,146
Likes: 12,713
From: South Carolina
No reason to remove the battery unless the bike is stored in a place with no electrical outlets.
Don`t let a battery become discharged when stored, especially if it is in a place where temperature drops below freezing.
A discharged battery can freeze (even an agm type), a charged battery will not freeze.
Don`t let a battery become discharged when stored, especially if it is in a place where temperature drops below freezing.
A discharged battery can freeze (even an agm type), a charged battery will not freeze.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 289
Likes: 203
From: California
I have a 4wd ATV that only gets used during hunting season. The battery stays in the ATV and I keep it plugged into a battery tender the rest of the year. I get 5 years out of the battery, then it gets replaced as a precaution. The whole idea of a battery tender / maintainer is that it tops it off as needed. It's not a constant charge.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2020
Posts: 196
Likes: 192
From: Doylestown, Pa. USA
I've had batteries in two bikes die from keeping them on tenders. Now I use agm batteries and agm chargers or chargers with agm functions built in. I thought I was doing the right thing and killed my batteries. Ignorance is expensive.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21,146
Likes: 12,713
From: South Carolina
Of course they do, that is why we have seen so many posts saying that, oh wait, no we haven`t...
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 21,053
Likes: 19,189
From: The Wasteland
I plug the tender into the battery while its on the bike and forget it until spring.
Been doing it this way over 20 years now and never a problem.
I do the same for my mower and Ive had 1 battery last 7 years and another lasted 9 years doing it that way.
But thats on my mower, I dont worry about getting stranded if the battery suddenly takes a **** on it. The bike gets a new battery every 5 years or so out of precaution.
Been doing it this way over 20 years now and never a problem.
I do the same for my mower and Ive had 1 battery last 7 years and another lasted 9 years doing it that way.
But thats on my mower, I dont worry about getting stranded if the battery suddenly takes a **** on it. The bike gets a new battery every 5 years or so out of precaution.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 5,885
Likes: 11,270
From: NE Ohio
I've never used one
I got 6 full years out my battery (OEM Harley)
May have gotten 7, but replaced it last year "just because"
Bike hibernates in an attached garage from Nov to about now
I'll note, it's an '04 and there is no parasitic draw
don't see the need for a tender on my bike
KTF
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,544
Likes: 6,419
From: Honah Lee
I plug the tender into the battery while it’s on the bike and forget it until spring.
Been doing it this way over 20 years now and never a problem.
I do the same for my mower and I’ve had 1 battery last 7 years and another lasted 9 years doing it that way.
But that’s on my mower, I don’t worry about getting stranded if the battery suddenly takes a **** on it. The bike gets a new battery every 5 years or so out of precaution.
Been doing it this way over 20 years now and never a problem.
I do the same for my mower and I’ve had 1 battery last 7 years and another lasted 9 years doing it that way.
But that’s on my mower, I don’t worry about getting stranded if the battery suddenly takes a **** on it. The bike gets a new battery every 5 years or so out of precaution.
It would just quit driving down the road. It always seemed to start back up.
They knew nothing about cars.
I assumed it was a bad connection somewhere.
Was an indeed beautiful new car, inside and out till I opened the hood. Then it looked like a 100 year old Model T in a farmers field.
Everthing metal was rusty. The plastic battery sheld was mostly gone. My guess and only a guess is someone charged it with the charger negative on the battery. A spark probably blew up the battery. But really no telling. Obviously, a battery had exploded.
And yes, AGM can explode too. Google search for those that believe ....those that don't, that's good too. Can AGM batteries explode....'it is rare and usually caused by severe misuse, such as overcharging, faulty chargers...
Wife's sister eventually cut their loses replacing parts and moved on.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Mar 22, 2026 at 11:58 AM.
