Battery tender - green light
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 2,855
From: Oklahoma
The OP kept lots of information "secret". Perhaps the description of the lights indicated the brand and type of maintainer, but not to me. Second, does he park the bike with a full tank (fills with gas just before he parks it with almost no distance to recharge the battery after the gas stop) or park it without stopping for gas first? Riding 50 miles and parking will leave a battery closer to full charge than riding a mile and parking after a gas stop.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10,216
Likes: 224
From: Glendale AZ
On my previous bike, I was going thru a battery once a year...then I would put it on the Tender when I wasn't riding it, and the last one lasted six years when I got rid of the bike...is still working on the same bike, new owner does the same drill. Yes, I know, riding it every week SHOULD not require use of the tender, but just like with many other electrical things, linear logic doesn't work too well...
I couldn't agree more
Club Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,192
Likes: 168
From: Knoxville, Tn
Battery Tenders
I used to subscribe to the theory that you had to ride it at least for 20 in order to replace the juice it took to start the bike. I now think there are more variables to it than that.
First, how big an alternator does the bike have ? My 2011 RGU has a 50 amp rotor/stator so every time I pull it in the garage, and plug in my battery tender, it almost immediately goes to full charge.
Second, I think it depends on your battery tender. I used to use a Deltran Tender Junior and have switched to a CTEK US3300 that can charge at 3.3 amps as opposed to the.75 amps of the junior.
My first dyna battery was 6 years old when I replaced it because I was going on a long trip. The one that is in the bike now is either 3 or 4 years old.
I am convinced that keeping your battery on a tender will make it last longer than without any help from a tender.
Both of the bikes go solid green within 1 minute after being placed on the maintainers.
First, how big an alternator does the bike have ? My 2011 RGU has a 50 amp rotor/stator so every time I pull it in the garage, and plug in my battery tender, it almost immediately goes to full charge.
Second, I think it depends on your battery tender. I used to use a Deltran Tender Junior and have switched to a CTEK US3300 that can charge at 3.3 amps as opposed to the.75 amps of the junior.
My first dyna battery was 6 years old when I replaced it because I was going on a long trip. The one that is in the bike now is either 3 or 4 years old.
I am convinced that keeping your battery on a tender will make it last longer than without any help from a tender.
Both of the bikes go solid green within 1 minute after being placed on the maintainers.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,177
Likes: 683
From: Forest Hill, Md
Had the same issue with my daughters 12 Switchback...on the tender all winter, solid green light...go to start it, nothin! New battery and all is good again
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: Centerville, TX
Absolutely. The Tender is NOT a "battery condition" indicator.
It only acts on voltage alone.
However, as you found out, you CAN use the Tender as a general indicator of battery condition by noting when the battery comes up to an indicated full charge (13.8v) "faster than it used to".
When it's seen that the battery appears to come to full charge with the Tender faster than you were used to it doing, and it does so time after time, it might be time to load test the battery to judge it's true condition.
What's great about the Tender (or any good brand that does the same thing) is that it DOES extend the life of a battery to where it will maintain it's capacity much longer than without using the Tender.
However, battery chemistry isn't permanent, so I typically replace a battery after it's been in service for 5 years no matter how good it still works.
5 years on a battery is great economy of use no matter how you look at it.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,520
Likes: 270
From: Wellsboro, PA
I'm one of those guys that puts the tender on after every ride. How long should it take to get a solid green light after a ride?
Mine goes to blinking green within a couple a minutes but takes significantly longer to turn solid green.
I'd think after a ride it would be pretty close to fully charged and turn solid green right away?
Mine goes to blinking green within a couple a minutes but takes significantly longer to turn solid green.
I'd think after a ride it would be pretty close to fully charged and turn solid green right away?
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