[JimW337]

Wondering what everybody else does during the winter months to keep the battery charged. Should you leave the battery tender hooked up and in maintenance mode? I like to put the charger on the battery about once a week, bring it up to fully charged then disconnect the charger.

What are best practices for a long battery life?

Thanks,
JimW

 

[TrueFaith]

I store my 2011 CBR in an unheated shed from November to March with the battery tender hooked up to it the entire time. I'm still using the original battery and it's never failed to start on the first try every spring.

 

[TrueFaith]

I store my 2011 CBR in an unheated shed from November to March with the battery tender hooked up to it the entire time. I'm still using the original battery and it's never failed to start on the first try every spring.

 

[onebohemian]

With three bikes in the unheated garage over winters where we usually get a few weeks below
zero fahrenheit, I always yank the batteries, fully charge them, and put them aside in my basement for the season. Trying to run trickle charges to all of them is too much hassle, and I don’t want to tie up the outlets.

 

[jkv357]

I store my cycle in a partially heated garage that stays above freezing.

I charge my battery at 1Amp about once a month for 3 hours or so. I've done this for years, and got about 8 years from my OEM battery.

Some people do not like the idea of keeping a battery fully charged and on a Tender constantly. I don't have one, so just use a standard dumb charger occasionally when stored. Works for me.

 

[jsonder]

When I lived in Butte, Montana (quite cold in winter) I brought batteries into the house and topped them off a couple of times during the winter. When I retired to southern Arizona, I left the bikes in the garage, and topped my wife's bike off every month or two. I generally rode my bikes enough to keep the batteries ok during the winter.

 

[onebohemian]

. . . .I've done this for years, and got about 8 years from my OEM battery. . . .

Gambling with fate by riding a bike with an 8 yr. old battery. Four years is all I would push one as it isn’t worth getting stuck miles from home out on the road when a cell goes bad or the battery finally fails in some other way.

Take care,
Mark

 

[jkv357]

Gambling with fate by riding a bike with an 8 yr. old battery. Four years is all I would push one as it isn’t worth getting stuck miles from home out on the road when a cell goes bad or the battery finally fails in some other way.

Take care,
Mark

Maybe, but I've had batteries die unexpectedly at all ages, some less than 4 years. As far as gambles go, not one of the bigger ones.

Cycle is well maintained, tires are fresh...

 

[TrueFaith]

Gambling with fate by riding a bike with an 8 yr. old battery. Four years is all I would push one as it isn’t worth getting stuck miles from home out on the road when a cell goes bad or the battery finally fails in some other way.

Take care,
Mark

Well there's "gambling" and there's "overcompensating".
My original battery will be 10 years old this year and it's never failed to start my CBR on the first try.
I'll probably replace it this season just because of it's age, but replacing it every 4 years?
By that logic I would be halfway through the 4-year "life" of my THIRD battery by now.
I believe in preventative maintenance, but that's just wasteful, both monetarily and environmentally.
As it is I dispose of relatively "fresh" oil every fall when I change the oil before months of storage and I'm not particularly proud of doing that to the environment. I don't need to be adding good batteries capable of years more service to the problem. Plus with today's options of roadside assistance from AMA and even AAA now, "getting stuck miles from home" can be much less of a calamity than it used to be.

 

[artstenn]

So far I have not used a battery tender. I have a trickle charger that I use sparingly. The first Yuasa AGM battery lasted 7 years and I replaced it just because of its age. In the winter the CBR250 is in an unheated garage and I simply crank it up once or twice a month and let it run until it comes up to temp. So far so good.

 

[jkv357]

So far I have not used a battery tender. I have a trickle charger that I use sparingly. The first Yuasa AGM battery lasted 7 years and I replaced it just because of its age. In the winter the CBR250 is in an unheated garage and I simply crank it up once or twice a month and let it run until it comes up to temp. So far so good.

I wouldn't recommend that.

When you start a cold engine you are dumping extra fuel, condensation, and acids into the oil. In normal riding you will get up to operating temp fairly quickly, and after a while most contaminants will burn-off. Idling won't do it. Engines that don't get up to operating temp and stay there often have milky-looking deposits inside the engine.

Best to just charge the battery and not run the engine.

When storing an engine, it's always best to change the oil, run it for a minute to circulate the clean oil, and not start it again until you are ready for a full ride.