Battery Storage Question

[LERecords]

sooo..

I have had my bike a long time and know my way around its parts... but this will be the first year that the bike sits in a storage unit for the winter.. only difference from the past winters is that there is no power outlet and thus meaning I can not plug the bike in on the tender for the winter... not really wanting to pull the battery (laziness) and it is a new battery from this past season.. If i have to, ill pull it.. but what are people thoughts for letting it go for this winter and just starting it every other week (or once a month)... oh and winters where i am are usually range from 10 f to 35 f with lower temps mostly next two months.. :thumbup:

 

[iSteve]

It only takes 10 minutes to remove the battery might as well just take it out.

It's not a good idea to just start a engine every once in a while. Condensation will build in the exhaust and inside engine that can cause rust and contaminate oil. Also the short time running the bike at idle will not fully charge your battery. Probably would be better to not start it at all.

 

[lazamus69]

Just buy a new one next season....after all it does take 10 mins to pull it out

 

[LERecords]

i swear it took alot long than that to put it in this past season... i guess im just being lazy...

 

[Evitzee]

Laziness is not something to be proud of.....:Sport: Letting it sit for months on end will do it no favors. Say it takes 30 minutes to pull it out and 30 minutes to reinstall it. A new battery costs what, $60-$75, so is your time worth this kind of money per hour? Advice, pull it out and store it properly on a BT.

 

[Downs]

Or just get a Battery Tender harness hook it to the battery and leave it on the bike. Should be less time than installing or removing the battery and it'll be there next winter.

I have a 12v power outlet on my bikes and they also sell a cigarette lighter plug adapter so you can use that to feed battery tender power into the bike :thumbup:

 

[Motogiro]

Pull it. the cold will kill it. When the charge weakens is when the battery can freeze and wreak havoc. How long are you going to run the bike once a month to charge it. You'll need the engine warmed and have to run it above 2000 rpm to make decent charge for how long? Pull the battery and throw a tender on it!

 

[LERecords]

yea i know.. i am going to pull it next weekend... this week at work it will just not happen, and with no power or light in the storage unit, im not going to be able to do it during the week..

I already have the tender clips on it.. do you think i can just leave the battery on a board in the basement and then plug it in on a tender?? or would there be something less flammable to put it on.. thought i heard somewhere to never leave a battery on concrete...

 

[lazamus69]

thought i heard somewhere to never leave a battery on concrete...

That was for batteries made many, many years ago....no such restirctions now


http://www.thebatteryterminal.com/TechTalk_Batteries_on_Concrete.htm

 

[FinalImpact]

Mines in the house on a shelf. It showed 12.99Vdc using a Fluke 87IV DMM when I pulled it in late Nov. Its been 40+ days and it measures 12.93Vdc 2012-01-09.

I vote do nothing as a cheap trickle is more detrimental than doing nothing at as long as its fully charged. If its fully charged and in good shape, plates not all sulfated, let it be. It will be fine.

Room temp at 2.12Vdc per cell X 6cells = 12.72Vdc. So I'd say its doing well. :thumbup:

 

[Full Throttle]

I personally left my battery in the bike. I go back at least every two weeks and let it run for 20-30 min (at least that was the plan). The weather hasn't been that bad so I go to my storage unit and ride around for 15-20 min or take it out on the road for 10 or 15 miles at least then bring it back. I do have to say that the battery died last week and I had to push start it but I don't have a place to plug it in unless I pull the battery but my uncle said he has had issues in the past with not running engines when not winterized and suggested I just run it every week or so for 30 min to keep everything moving.
Plus it has only been in storage for a month and a half since Jersey hasn't had any snow.

 

[Downs]

Mines in the house on a shelf. It showed 12.99Vdc using a Fluke 87IV DMM when I pulled it in late Nov. Its been 40+ days and it measures 12.93Vdc 2012-01-09.

I vote do nothing as a cheap trickle is more detrimental than doing nothing at as long as its fully charged. If its fully charged and in good shape, plates not all sulfated, let it be. It will be fine.

Room temp at 2.12Vdc per cell X 6cells = 12.72Vdc. So I'd say its doing well. :thumbup:

Cheap trickle chargers can be counter productive but the Battery Tender series of chargers are not like normal trickle chargers. They're a bit smarter and are a tried and true method of keeping stored batteries on their feet.

Honestly I don't see a point to pulling the battery, unless you don't have nearby electrical access where you park your bike, as you can have a battery tender SAE harness on the bike hidden and only plug it in if you need to. I have one on my car also as there are times where my car won't move for a month or so.

Also a good idea to have a bottle of Stabil laying around for those times when you might need to store something for a while especially with this crappy ethanol fuel that most of us have to use.

I go on month long detachments about twice a year and before I leave I run some stabil in the tank for a little bit fill the tank back full and then place the bike on the center stand and hook up the battery tender. When I get back I check my tire pressure unhook the battery tender and ride out of the garage.


If I was going to be storing a bike for something like YEARS, I'd take a few more precautions lol

 

[2006_FZ6]

I put a battery tender on mine and leave the FZ parked in the garage over the winter. It's started every spring with no problems, knock on wood!