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Need a battery tender, can you help me out ?

Redfox

Redfox

Time is of the Essence
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Location
Monterey & San Jose
Moto(s)
06' 600 RR
Name
Logan
Got a 06' 600rr that has a brand new battery but after sitting in the garage for a few months and not riding it, it has gone dead :(

Wanted to pick up a battery tender and wanted to see if there were any recommendations? Got a few questions since I've never used one before.


1) Is it ok to plug the tender to the battery while the battery is still connected the bike?

2) Am I able to begin immediately using the battery tender on the dead battery or does the battery need to be slightly charged?

3) Could you recommend a specific brand !


Thanks all. Oh and its been a few years since I've posted so hello again :thumbup
 
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Yes you can plug it into a battery that's still connected to the bike. I don't think a tender is going to be able to do anything with a dead battery though.
 
Get a Battery Tender Jr, they are really inexpensive. They will not charge a totally flat battery but you can trick it into working by using a 9V battery to get it to start charging. If your battery is fairly new I would doubt that it's totally discharged, you'll be fine.
 
be prepared to buy a battery tho.
not guaranteed, but probable.
a Tender won't cure a battery that is going dead from sitting,but it can buy you some time.
if your almost new battery is a walmart or CG econo line, it likely won't recover.
Walmart sells a decent mini size maintenance charger for 20.00 or so very simular to a Tender.
 
There's a big difference between a dead battery and a battery too low to start a bike. Get a voltmeter. If it's below 10v it's damaged and the tender won't help. If it's above just use the tender jr. and you'll be ok.
 
Aluisious said:
There's a big difference between a dead battery and a battery too low to start a bike. Get a voltmeter. If it's below 10v it's damaged and the tender won't help. If it's above just use the tender jr. and you'll be ok.
Click to expand...

Haha hey ole friend ! battery seems just too low to start the bike. It's only like 3-4 months old but none the less I'm guessing the dammage can occur from letting it sit without running for a few months yea?

Ok so will check on voltmeter
thanks all :teeth
 
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I have brought more than one "completely dead" battery back to life. There is a technique to it, which can only be done with a multi-volt charger. Some batteries are just zombies and not really dead. The electrons just need to be shocked back to life.

(could not resist pun, nor that one, either)
 
If it's just 3 or 4 months of sitting, it's probably just low. A voltmeter is a great thing to have anyway.
 
Theoretically if I jump started it by popping the clutch how long would I need to let it run to get the battery to a decent level where I could put the tender jr on?

few hours?
 
Redfox said:
Theoretically if I jump started it by popping the clutch how long would I need to let it run to get the battery to a decent level where I could put the tender jr on?

few hours?
Click to expand...

If the battery is too low to charge with the Battery Tender Jr., it's probably too low to bump start the bike too. You need a certain minimum voltage to get enough fuel pressure for the fuel injectors and to get a spark.
 
Deltran Battery Tender Jr. or Deltran Battery Tender Plus - difference being one charges a bit faster than the other, but both will "Tend"(keeping it fully charged w/o damaging the battery) to the bike if left plugged in 24/7.

Both of these you can pick up at cycle gear and they should come with some SAE Pigtails that u can attach to the battery and leave on the bike:

http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/...rand/DELTRAN/Battery-Tender-Jr-/p/36547_46370

the pigtails look like this:
11552148.jpg


Leaving that on means u just have to pop the seat and plug the tender in and you're set. In addition, leaving it on means u now have a connector to plug in an array of accessories, from heated gear to an air compressor.

U can also pick one of these up, its a digital voltmeter with a SAE connection:
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/battery-tender-digital-voltage-meter

battery_tender_digital_voltage_meter_detail.jpg


I picked up one of these voltmeters over at RoadRiders. Pretty nice & easy way to check voltage.

your battery's probably not fully dead... u can plug the tender onto it and charge it up. may take a while. If you have a car battery charger, then u can also use that, just make sure the charge setting is low, like 2amps or below.

I Luv my tender. i use it for both my bikes and never had a battery issue or worry again. If i'm not riding for several days, i plug it in - in the least it'll top it off. i've on occasion run into folks with their motorcycles stranded at the gas station cuz they dont ride their bike too often, just now and then to try to charge the battery or fill up on gas - but those trips arent long enough to charge the battery from months of inactivity. those months of inactivity could of benefitted from just a cheap 40 dollar tender.
 
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If the battery is only a few months old, you should be able to get it replaced at no charge (yukyuk). At least, Cycle Gear came through and replaced a battery for me under similar circumstances.

They also have a battery charger/maintainer that is on decent sale, I think I got mine for like $30 on sale. It will both charge the battery and do the trickle maintenance on it, came with the pigtails and alligator clamps, does 6 or 12 volt and 2 or 4 amps I think. Pretty cool.

That little plug in volt meter is pretty sweet. I will definitely be on the look out for one.
 
Pop the seat to hook up the Tender?
I think just worming the connector off to the side of the bike and using a wire tie to secure the connector to a convenient spot is the reason the wire is so long isn't it?
That way you just reach over, pull the cap off and plug in.
Also, not to steal anything away from Battery Tender brand, I have two that have served me for years and I've have sold probably 2 hundred of them when at the dealership, the 20.00 Walmart charger can help a guy out if money is tight and is 1.5a, uses the SAE connector as well.
 

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Tri750 said:
Pop the seat to hook up the Tender?
I think just worming the connector off to the side of the bike and using a wire tie to secure the connector to a convenient spot is the reason the wire is so long isn't it?
Click to expand...

yup!

you can do that too. either way, better than the clamps.
 
A regular voltmeter will be just as easy and useful for other things. Just probe the battery terminals directly, or probe the charging pigtail if you install that. It's how I measure my battery.
 
Aluisious said:
A regular voltmeter will be just as easy and useful for other things. Just probe the battery terminals directly, or probe the charging pigtail if you install that. It's how I measure my battery.
Click to expand...

I have a voltmeter, but I want to test my Ducati's charging system on the run. With a SAE extension, I can temporarily mount this little meter where I can see it while riding, and see what my charging voltage is at various RPMs.
 
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