specialk
Junior Member
can this be done with a battery tender? my night ride was spoiled when the bike wouldn't turn over...
charging battery
- Thread starter specialk
- Start date
buccs40oz
Junior Member
i bought a $20 charger, maintainer from walmart and have never had an issue with a dead battery since. it's been on all winter always cranks over. it's the same details as the battery tender, only cheaper. i think battery tenders are 2.0 amp, this one is 1.5 amp
doc_simple
Meat Popsickle
1 "Deltran Battery Tender Junior 12-Volt 750 mA Battery Charger"
Misc.; $24.04
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
Shop smart, shop s-mart
Misc.; $24.04
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
Shop smart, shop s-mart
SovietRobot
Scourge Of Humanity
Yes, it can be done with a battery tender. And if you're having issues like this a lot, you might want to keep it connected every night.
the battery tender is essentially just a trickle charger, so it will charge a battery safely and completely, but it will take a good chunk of time.
steveindenmark
Older Member
can this be done with a battery tender? my night ride was spoiled when the bike wouldn't turn over...
This is the easiest bike I have ever had to bump off when the battery is flat.
I can even do this by myself if I am not pushing uphill.
Did you try and bump it off. Because once you had ridden for about an hour you would have been able to start it on the starter.
Steve
Steve
CanadianFZ6
Member
Shouldn't have to do this... If he does, he needs a new battery. I leave mine in my bikes all winter long in a cold garage. They all started on the first push after 3 months without even having be charged....
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The problem with leaving the bike for prolonged periods without a tender, is that your battery will start to form crystals in its fluids while its discharging. This will reduce the life span of your battery.
So even though a new battery will survive without a tender, its total life span will be shortened.
The tender will "simulate" normal output from the stator, - allowing the battery to discharge slightly before recharging it again. This "exercise" of the battery keeps it crystal free.
Last edited:
CanadianFZ6
Member
I don't know enough about battery chemistry to argue with you... however, it is a simple matter of googling it. My '05 FZ6 I sold to my ex is still on the original battery... stored in same conditions without charging. Each spring, fired up no problem. I will say however, using a tender can cause the battery to boil off it's fluids if left connected too long. So here is the question... do we all really need "battery tenders" or is it what marketing departments are telling us we need. Second question... maybe it might more prudent just to peak charge the battery every so often than to leave it permanently connected to a trickle charger?
W
wrightme43
Trickle chargers are float chargers. When the batt reaches 12.7 vdc they float off and stop charging, as the battery discharges, they drop and the charger goes back on. Really a good thing.
Battery sulfation starts when the battery reaches a specific gravity of 1.225 or below (voltage below 12.4 volts for a 12 volt battery). Sulfation (sulfur from the acid) forms on the plates slowing down the chemical reaction causing the battery to slowly fail. Modern float and smart chargers keep the battery at an optimal voltage during storage (preventing/reversing sulfation), and only add when the battery voltage falls below a set point, this also compensates for any current draw from alarms and vehicle electronics. An old fashioned automotice taper charger can over charge the battery, and cause the electrolyte level to drop. A good smart charger can greatly extend the service life of seasonal use batteries, of course heat, vibration can still cause an early death. However, if the battery is stored in cold conditions and the specific gravity falls below 1.190 (12.1 volts) the battery can actually freeze. This can put extreme pressure on the lead plates inside each cell, eventually causing internal damage and/or a short. My humble opinion is that smart charges are worth the money, just for the fact that you never have to worry about your bike starting.
Mattberkshire
Super Member
No matter what the arguments about battery chargers/tenders my bike has left me in the lurch twice with a flat battery (my fault, heated grips left on) and it is so easy to bump start. For the uninitiated put it in 2nd with the clutch in, run about 10 yards and let out the clutch. Should fire up no problem.
W
wrightme43
Yep and its a good idea to practe bump starts BEFORE you need to learn how. LOL
Provided your battery has enough juice to run the fuel pump and the injectors.
If the battery is really dead, you can try and push start, but it is usually fruitless. Leaving the key on for six hours pretty much killed my battery (shut bike off with kill switch), I tried to push start, no luck. I had to jump it to get home. Which in it self was no simple task! With the gas tank verticle, there was not enough fuel to reach the sending unit, so the bike cranked, started, then died. I had to hold the tank just above the jumper cable clamps to keep it running, while trying not to have the tank touch the clamps. Once I got back home, I put the bike on the charger, and installed my pigtails so I do not have to raise the tank to charge the battery. The simple tasks seem to turn into the biggest adventures, or PITA's, depending on your viewpoint.
