Battery Tender Question

[Santiago]

I got my hands on a Deltran Battery Tender Jr. from a friend (I'm probably going to pickup the Waterproof 800 sometime this winter).

To everybody with a Battery Tender (in particular, the Deltran Jr.), once it's charged properly, do you unplug it and then plug it in after a certain amount of time or do you leave it plugged into the wall the entire winter?

Unless it's a device I can power off/on (DVD, TV, etc), I usually don't leave something plugged in 24/7.

Thanks in advance!

[tzortn]

I believe that you can leave the charger on all the time and it will shut down when the battery is properly charged.

Personally I only plug mine in for a day or two about once a month just to keep the battery fresh. Maybe if I had a detached garage I would leave it on all the time, but I keep my battery in my house during the winter so I do not leave it constantly hooked up.

[The CyberPoet]

As tzortn noted, it's mostly a matter of where you charge (i.e. - venting vapors from the battery). If you have a 98+, it's sealed and a non-issue. If the bike (or battery) is out in the garage or a shed, it's a non-issue. The only place I'd be concerned is if you have the battery/charger next to something with a flame (gas-powered water heater or oil/gas furnace).

The batterytender itself is designed to stay hooked up whenever the vehicle isn't in use and adjusts it's power levels in response to the battery's charge status (from a tiny trickle to heavier charge).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[KATU]

Charger Question two

As tzortn noted, it's mostly a matter of where you charge (i.e. - venting vapors from the battery). If you have a 98+, it's sealed and a non-issue. If the bike (or battery) is out in the garage or a shed, it's a non-issue. The only place I'd be concerned is if you have the battery/charger next to something with a flame (gas-powered water heater or oil/gas furnace).

The batterytender itself is designed to stay hooked up whenever the vehicle isn't in use and adjusts it's power levels in response to the battery's charge status (from a tiny trickle to heavier charge).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

Can I leave the battery in the bike and hookerd to the charging system on the carger 24/7?

[GytRDunKat]

I leave mine on 24/7. But, I also switch it to the John Deere if a storm is on it's way. Yes, you can charge it with the battery installed in the bike.

[tzortn]

I would leave the seat off.

Is your bike in a heated area? I am not sure if it is a good idea to try to charge a frozen battery.

[Santiago]

Thanks for all the responses.

tzortn - That's what I was hoping I can do, just wanted to make sure it was cool.

The battery is for a 2000 and I'll be charging it in my living room.

Thanks again.

[Santiago]

I have one additional question I haven't been able to track down on the net as easy as I thought.

The battery tender Jr. has two types of connectors (if connectors is the right term - I'll probably be screwing up a lot of terms/names so please forgive me), the regular alligator and the kind that are rings. My friend also gave me these two screw like things that in my estimation would go through the top of the terminal, through the ring on the connector and through the square nut that sits under the terminal?

I'm curious if my concept is correct as well as my placement. Should the ring be on top of the terminal and put the screw through that? Is the square nut even play a role in charging the battery?

I'm sure I can just use the alligators like if it was a car battery, but the rings look like they're perfect for a MC battery.


DISREGARD - Got through to Deltran and they answered my question:

They said it didn't matter if the ring was on top or under the terminal and that the square nut should be there and the bolt going through all three (terminal, ring and nut).

[The CyberPoet]

If this is your permanent bike and your battery tender, unscrew the terminal and put the ring-connector on it, then screw it back on. Note that to be safest, disconnect the negative, then the positive, do the positive terminal, reattach it, then do the negative and last, reattach the negative.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Santiago]

If this is your permanent bike and your battery tender, unscrew the terminal and put the ring-connector on it, then screw it back on. Note that to be safest, disconnect the negative, then the positive, do the positive terminal, reattach it, then do the negative and last, reattach the negative.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

Bike is definitely mine (okay, wifee's), but the battery tender isn't. But thanks for the tip, I'm going to be picking up the waterproof model soon.

That's cool that you through that out there because I just finished emailing Deltran to see if the bolts are included with the purchase of the tender waterproof 800 (I don't see them in the promo pic). If they don't come with it, at least I know I don't have to run out and pick up the bolts.

Thanks, CP. Another thread bookmarked!

[zuma]

My battery tender included a seven inch (or maybe six inch...) cable that connects to the battery, and is run out below the seat. It allowed me to hook up the tender to it (by matching plugs) without having to remove the seat. I used it every night on an '83 GSX750ES until I was able to replace the rectifier. That "cable" saved a lot of time and trouble. I've since owned six other bikes, all but one being brand new, and have used the tender only once. Never had a problem doing it that way.

My battery tender included a seven inch (or maybe six inch...) cable that connects to the battery, and is run out below the seat. It allowed me to hook up the tender to it (by matching plugs) without having to remove the seat. I used it every night on an '83 GSX750ES until I was able to replace the rectifier. That "cable" saved a lot of time and trouble. I've since owned six other bikes, all but one being brand new, and have used the tender only once. Never had a problem doing it that way.

[hardlydangerous]

I have a several small float chargers from harbor freight that i keep on all my bikes and my boat when not in use.
I keep it plugged in all the time all winter.
It won't overcharge the battery.
but they do have a built in transformer so if it is not plugged into the wall outlet disconnect it from the battery or it will drain the battery dead.

best of all they cost less then $5 when on sale.
I think the regular price is only $11

FWIW the battery in my Honda shadow was just replaced last year and was the original from 1995.
12 years, 100,000km later.
Since new any time the bike was not being used for a few days I plugged in the float charger.

[The CyberPoet]

FWIW the battery in my Honda shadow was just replaced last year and was the original from 1995.
12 years, 100,000km later.
Since new any time the bike was not being used for a few days I plugged in the float charger.

That's amazing (at least to me). Most batteries are only "reliably" good for 3 to 4 years because of the vibration from riding and heat of the engine pouring over them, even if kept fully charged, 5 years typically on the outside.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet