In your opinion are battery tenders necessary if you bike does not move in 1 to 2 weeks? We have pretty mild winters here in West Texas and I will be riding pretty much this winter, there might be a week or 2 that the bike may not move, so I just wanted to get some of your opinions!

 

I use one year round. I have read that it will extend the life of your battery. Very easy to use with the quick disconnect, and you can get a JR. for $25 at times.

 

I've always used a tender. I usually don't go more than a week or so without riding. However, with the constant drain on your battery due to the security system I don't think it hurts. Additionally, if your battery is kept in a fully charged state the wear and tear on your charging system is minimal and it lasts for years. For $30 bucks it's worth it to me.

 

As far as the tender, is one better than the other or just any of them?

 

If I know my bike is going to set for more than just a couple days without being ridden its on the tender. It may not be needed, but it sure can't hurt.

 

I think using the battery tender when not riding for a week or two is overkill. I use mine in the winter when I don't ride more than once or twice a month at most, but not during the riding season if I'm away for a week or two.

 

It automatically shuts down when the battery is fully charged so I figure it couldn't hurt.

 

I don't know about the others but I have always used the Deltran Battery Tender Junior.

 

the key to a good tender is to make sure that it is "smart", that it will turn off when battery is fully charged- otherwise they are all pretty much the same

 

I picked up 2 Black&Decker smart charges from Walmart. I think they were $30 each. They are 3 years old and still kicking. I am a little erratic hooking them up but usually stick with plugging them in if the cover goes on. Dec through Feb I usually always have them plugged in but sometimes during the wormer months I just get a little lazy and just park the bike. Original battery on the 04 and 2nd on the 02. Average battery life collectively between me and my friends, and most use tenders is 4-6+ years.