Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
Banned
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,301
Likes: 4
From:
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
unless you have a electrical problem with the bike or a weak / old battery there is no reason to leave it on a tender for any reason.
Fuel injected do have a parasitc draw along with the radio, but it is so minute as to be almost non existent.
It it was to be setting for several months without ever being riddent for a long enough period to charge it, then yes.
Otherwise there is no need to do so.
If you start it and ride it for longer than an hour a week the tender is not needed.
But they like fram oil filters got a good marketing team out there convincing you just got to have one.
Fuel injected do have a parasitc draw along with the radio, but it is so minute as to be almost non existent.
It it was to be setting for several months without ever being riddent for a long enough period to charge it, then yes.
Otherwise there is no need to do so.
If you start it and ride it for longer than an hour a week the tender is not needed.
But they like fram oil filters got a good marketing team out there convincing you just got to have one.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 469
Likes: 0
From: Motown
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
I'm in the 'why bother?' crowd. Your battery will be fine without the tender, it's only one week.
I never charge may bike battery during the riding season, and I think the longest it has sat this season was two weeks. I put the battery tender on over the winter and leave it 'till spring,
I never charge may bike battery during the riding season, and I think the longest it has sat this season was two weeks. I put the battery tender on over the winter and leave it 'till spring,
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,893
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From: USA
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
Before having mine on tender, not to long after gettting my bike (NEW).I had let it sit in the garage with the alarm on for almost 2 weeks.
I took the bikeout of the garage and started it right up and rode for almost 12 miles in urban traffic, then the check engine light started coming on.
I realized that the battery had gone down quite a bit and the charge of my 12 mile ride was sucked up with all the lights on, fan cutting on from being hot out, and running the radio all the time.
I'm sure that the light would not have come on if it was Hi-way miles, but I don't live by an over pass eiher and was just out joy riding running errands that day.
Went out bought the tender from Sears and put it on. Mine sits for up to 3 weeks at a time on the tender, never had a lick of problems since.
Say what you will about those running a tender. I know in my case its working and Idont' want to roast my battery from failing to keep it charged and not letting it charge back up again to a normal state.
I took the bikeout of the garage and started it right up and rode for almost 12 miles in urban traffic, then the check engine light started coming on.
I realized that the battery had gone down quite a bit and the charge of my 12 mile ride was sucked up with all the lights on, fan cutting on from being hot out, and running the radio all the time.
I'm sure that the light would not have come on if it was Hi-way miles, but I don't live by an over pass eiher and was just out joy riding running errands that day.
Went out bought the tender from Sears and put it on. Mine sits for up to 3 weeks at a time on the tender, never had a lick of problems since.
Say what you will about those running a tender. I know in my case its working and Idont' want to roast my battery from failing to keep it charged and not letting it charge back up again to a normal state.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 444
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From:
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
It's not about right now, it's about how long you will get service out the battery down the road. I hook my 04 ultra and my 03 wide glide every time I get through riding. If nothing else, it gives me piece of mind knowing that the battery is not the cause of missing a ride. btw. that's what the battery tender was intended for anyway, leave it hooked up.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,144
Likes: 10
From: Mass
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
Give me a break Ram...I just came back from Italy..Aug 3-14...with the alarm on, no tender...bike fired up in less than 2 seconds when I took it out...if you have "check engine" lights comming on AFTER you are already started(so the battery must have been strong enough to start in the beginning), then you have other problems, (as in stator,regulator,etc)...for cripes sake..my Super Duty can sit for a month and you can't even tell any difference in the battery strength...a new Harley battery can sit for a month and the bike should fire no problem....gheesh..[8D]
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,539
Likes: 7
From:
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
Assuming you have a healthy electrical system, there should be no need to hook up for only a week.
Once a bettery get three (3) - four (4) years old, ther may be some merit to a BT for extended down time.
If it provides piece of mind, hook it up
Ride Em Carry Em
Once a bettery get three (3) - four (4) years old, ther may be some merit to a BT for extended down time.
If it provides piece of mind, hook it up
Ride Em Carry Em
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
are u kidding.. 4 get the battery tender.. thats for the winter time when the bike sits for months atta time.. Ride the bike when u get back.... Im Riding for 35 years .. I never used the tender except in winter in NY ..
PS HD batteries will not lastlomg tender or no tender!. Die hard is a better battery
PS HD batteries will not lastlomg tender or no tender!. Die hard is a better battery
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,201
Likes: 3,089
From: NW AR
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
My bike is a battery killin' machine. I've tried about every battery out there. I've tried tenders, leaving it alone, you name it. It still eats batteries like 93 octane regardless. I got the best life from a genuine H.D. sealed battery last time, at about 2.5 years. Cheap batteries last me a year.
A week? No tender needed. Three months? Yeah, might put a tender on that.
Joe Mac asks: Do we do that with our cars?
Answer: Yeah, depending on the car. My Esprit Turbo is a super battery killin' machine. It will drain a battery in a week to a point that it won't start. They just about all do that. There is about a 50-75 milliamp drain on all the time. I have some ideas, but haven't spent the day's work to track it down. While Lucas was mostly purged by 1989, it is still English, after all. So, after a drive, after the car cools off, I have a trailer light connector stuck up near the muffler and the HF battery tender gets plugged in. Since I started doing that, no more dead batteries.
I have a solar trickle charger on my Toyota Truck. It sits on the dash and I think it has extended the life of the battery.
A week? No tender needed. Three months? Yeah, might put a tender on that.
Joe Mac asks: Do we do that with our cars?
Answer: Yeah, depending on the car. My Esprit Turbo is a super battery killin' machine. It will drain a battery in a week to a point that it won't start. They just about all do that. There is about a 50-75 milliamp drain on all the time. I have some ideas, but haven't spent the day's work to track it down. While Lucas was mostly purged by 1989, it is still English, after all. So, after a drive, after the car cools off, I have a trailer light connector stuck up near the muffler and the HF battery tender gets plugged in. Since I started doing that, no more dead batteries.
I have a solar trickle charger on my Toyota Truck. It sits on the dash and I think it has extended the life of the battery.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,360
Likes: 3
From: Naalehu, Hawaii
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
I wouldn't plug it in for a week. The thing to remember is there are still battery tenders out there that do not turn themselves off when they achieve a full charge like Rustyrun mentioned.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 390
Likes: 0
From: Grand Rapids MI
RE: Leaving Battery Hooked-Up to Tender
I've had mine hooked up since i bought the bike new in 98. It has been stored mostly for the last 5 years due to working out of state and it starts and runs everytime I get home in the summer. Still on the factory battery. My other bikes without the tender have all gone dead and have been replaced at least 3 times already. I love those tenders and plan on getting the big boy that will keep multiple batterys charged at the same time.