battery tender question/problem?
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 676
Likes: 0
battery tender question/problem?
my original battery in my 07 was turning the bike over slow so I bought a deltran tender jr. I hooked it up to the old battery a few times using the alligator clips, in a few minutes the light would flash green, few minutes later it would be solid green. but it still turned over slow. so I bought a new h-d battery and it turns the bike over hard-just like new, so I figure alls good. when I changed the battery I went ahead and installed the pig tail for the tender. I plugged it up about 3:30 and its 6:20 now and the tender light is still red. does it take longer with the pig tail? I have already confirmed that all connections are tight.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 312
Likes: 11
From: Winston Salem, NC
There is a really good article on battery charging on battery tenders site. It may answer some questions.
http://batterytender.com/resources/battery-basics.htm
http://batterytender.com/resources/battery-basics.htm
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 5,257
Likes: 6
From: Leander Texas
mine lasted 3 years and the first year it was sitting and not tendered. the new battery had me charge it 1 to 1,5 amp for 15 hours. i never use a tender as i drive no less that 3 days apart except this week because it is in the shop for 7 days
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 116
Likes: 1
From: Bowling Green, Kentucky
The 'pigtails' won't cause it to take longer to charge; it seems that the charge time you got seems reasonable. This was the first charge of the new battery, right?
Basically the charger can only really detect voltage. But as the article posted above describes, it's a very good indicator of charge status - of a healthy battery.
Your old battery was giving a voltage which did not coincide with the actual charge state of the battery. The charger deemed the battery charged and so stopped charging (overcharging a lead/acid battery is a bad thing).
Even though the old battery voltage appeared correct, it did not have a healthy charge.
Think of it this way: take a large flat-bottomed bowl and fill it with 2 inches of water. Now take a drinking glass and fill it with 2 inches of water. Which has the most water in it? They both have 2 inches, but measuring the height (voltage) doesn't tell us anything about the volume (charge).
A motorcycle charge/delivery circuit is a rather rudimentary (albeit effective) system, and is very hard on batteries.
Basically the charger can only really detect voltage. But as the article posted above describes, it's a very good indicator of charge status - of a healthy battery.
Your old battery was giving a voltage which did not coincide with the actual charge state of the battery. The charger deemed the battery charged and so stopped charging (overcharging a lead/acid battery is a bad thing).
Even though the old battery voltage appeared correct, it did not have a healthy charge.
Think of it this way: take a large flat-bottomed bowl and fill it with 2 inches of water. Now take a drinking glass and fill it with 2 inches of water. Which has the most water in it? They both have 2 inches, but measuring the height (voltage) doesn't tell us anything about the volume (charge).
A motorcycle charge/delivery circuit is a rather rudimentary (albeit effective) system, and is very hard on batteries.
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
From: South Alabama
I keep both my bikes on a Battery Tender. One thing I have noticed and I have wondered if this is normal. When I get back from a ride, I hook my bike back up to the Battery Tender before I even leave the garage. I expected the Tender to indicate that I have a full charge, or at least above 80%. But, the Tenders show only a red charge light indicating that my battery is below the 80% charge. About an hour later, the Tender indicates an 80% charge and after a while, it indicates a full charge. My Deluxe battery is less than 3 months old and the V-Rods is about 9 months old. Is it nomal for a new battery to be less than 80% charged after a ride? It doesn't seem to matter if the ride is 300 miles long or 60 miles.
TIA
TIA