When To Use Battery Tender?

[JTJersey]

So I got the '21 Freewheeler in mid July and here it is November in NJ and it's been 40 degrees for the last 3 days. Went out once regardless for a quick ride, but that's it. Supposed to go into the mid 60's soon, but being as this is the beginning of the crappy season when's a good time to resign myself to putting the battery tender on and should I even bother?

 

[ol' school]

I use mine anytime the trike is sitting in the garage... year round.

 

[Sully]

Yes, My Tender is on when ever the Trike is parked over night.........

 

[rhino 2]

So I got the '21 Freewheeler in mid July and here it is November in NJ and it's been 40 degrees for the last 3 days. Went out once regardless for a quick ride, but that's it. Supposed to go into the mid 60's soon, but being as this is the beginning of the crappy season when's a good time to resign myself to putting the battery tender on and should I even bother?

If you are not going to ride the trike for weeks ....Just get a tender...[I use the eXtender maintainer]...And leave it on 24/7....I keep my trolling motor battery plugged on one all winter...And one i keep at camp for my Atv/Side-by...

 

[JTJersey]

Interesting. I never owned a battery tender until a few year ago and only ever used it when my Triumph was in the garage for weeks on end in cold weather. My Pan and my Lowrider would go 5 years on a battery and never saw a tender.

 

[rhino 2]

Interesting. I never owned a battery tender until a few year ago and only ever used it when my Triumph was in the garage for weeks on end in cold weather. My Pan and my Lowrider would go 5 years on a battery and never saw a tender.

Like all newer vechiles there is a drain on the batteries just sitting there without anything turnt on....Security systems...Clocks ETC....[Parasitic drain]...

 

[ol' school]

Like all newer vechiles there is a drain on the batteries just sitting there without anything turnt on....Security systems...Clocks ETC....[Parasitic drain]...

Exactly why a tender is necessary with vehicles today.

 

[JTJersey]

Like all newer vechiles there is a drain on the batteries just sitting there without anything turnt on....Security systems...Clocks ETC....[Parasitic drain]...

Yeah, didn't have this stuff on my Pan or Shovel. So is there an official recommended down time before a tender should be plugged in?

 

[ultrafxr]

Yeah, didn't have this stuff on my Pan or Shovel. So is there an official recommended down time before a tender should be plugged in?

Not 'official' but after a ride I plug in as soon as the bike has cooled down a bit. Sure can't hurt with a proper tender as it monitors and adjusts to prevent overcharging. Got one a few years back for my riding mower. Previously I had to get a new battery for it every spring after it sat over the winter but with the tender I get several years (and a lot less frustration) from the battery. I'm a 'true believer' in using a batter tender.

 

[rhino 2]

Yeah, didn't have this stuff on my Pan or Shovel. So is there an official recommended down time before a tender should be plugged in?

No....It can't hurt anything no matter when you plug it in...Also..Don't get one of those trickle chargers....If left on indefinitely they will rune the battery..

Just to add....The eXtenders model's i have are called Smart eXtender maintainers and Analyzer....ThumbUp...

 

[JTJersey]

While on the subject of storage how about fuel stabilizer? Should it go in when I'm sure the bike isn't going anywhere for several weeks in maybe January? What happens if there's an unexpected warm spell, will the stabilizer bother anything if I go riding?

 

[rhino 2]

While on the subject of storage how about fuel stabilizer? Should it go in when I'm sure the bike isn't going anywhere for several weeks in maybe January? What happens if there's an unexpected warm spell, will the stabilizer bother anything if I go riding?

The stabilizer wound't harm a thing...

I use stabilizer in my snow blower and generator and all stored gasoline ...With my tri-glide i every now and then will add a few oz's of sea foam....

 

[ol' school]

With today's gasoline a fuel stabilizer is good anytime the trike is going to sit the a while.

 

[Jake70]

Yeah, didn't have this stuff on my Pan or Shovel. So is there an official recommended down time before a tender should be plugged in?

Just make sure the /tender/maintainer/charger is an automatic one so as to not overcharge the battery but most are now days but it doesn't hurt to verify. The biggest reason a battery on the computer powered and operated systems on bikes these days tend to decline over a fairly long period (ie winter storage) is that the computer's have a need to keep the circuits energized due to keep-alive functions within the computer system and the good time radios and assorted other electrical devices we use these days is to keep the channel's or functions in the memory chips/circuits.

These days there's all kind of things using its own version of a keep-alive memory system and they require voltage although the need is minimal though do all add up and while the pull may be small it takes a toll over a period of time. Hopes this help to explain things a bit better. In winter the bike is usually not ridden much so little or no charging is done by the bikes charging system.

 

[paws]

No....It can't hurt anything no matter when you plug it in...Also..Don't get one of those trickle chargers....If left on indefinitely they will rune the battery..

Just to add....The eXtenders model's i have are called

Smart eXtender maintainers and Analyzer....ThumbUp...

I googled these exact words and didn’t know come up with anything resembling a charger/maintainer…. Can you be more specific? Thanks.

 

[cScjhb]

I use a battery tender, not a trickle charger, when the bike will be inactive for more than a couple of weeks. A battery that is in decent condition will have no problem sitting for a week or two. If, after that period of time the battery shows any sign of weakness, then you know it's time to replace. I used to keep my bike's batteries on maintainers all the time when not in riding but that caused me a problem. My battery had unknowingly gone bad. But because it was on a maintainer it had a surface charge that started the bike just fine. After riding a little over 300 miles and parking overnight, I had zero battery. Needed to replace it on the road which was not fun. These little bike batteries can give up life suddenly without warning. Better to have that happen at home than on the road. This is what works for me..... Jim

 

[rhino 2]

I googled these exact words and didn’t know come up with anything resembling a charger/maintainer…. Can you be more specific? Thanks.

Battery eXtender......Schumacher......3a....Sold at Home depot and tractor supply amoung others...

Model # SP 1356.....And or SP 1297....

 

[PosseRider]

I use mine anytime the trike is sitting in the garage... year round.

Same here

 

[Jack Klarich]

Think about your battery as being full

Keeping it plugged in to a tender will keep your battery topped off

The electronics on your bike will thank you and your charging system will not have to work as hard each time you want to go for a ride

Fuel stabilizer will be a plus, and or topping off your tank with Ethanol free gas would also be a plus

 

[BillR]

I have had good luck using these for years. I keep one on the trike and the zero-turn mower. I put one on my motorhome engine battery over the Winter when it's not in use.It looks like they are on sale now, too.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201

 

[Notgrownup]

The floating mode on a tender half keep the sulfur out of the battery

 

[1dn5up]

I do the 7 day cycle …

7 on and 7 off …

 

[priell3]

I have three bikes that get rotated on the tender every few days. It has worked for me.

 

[JTJersey]

When I bought my 2011 Triumph Storm I picked up a battery "maintainer" made by Yuasa. It only charges if the battery drops below a certain point then shuts off when the battery is fully charged. At least that's what it says it does. Always seemed to work during the two cold winters that I used it. Has the same 2 prong hook up that the Freewheeler uses so I'll probably start using it soon, as it's getting a bit dicey weather wise in South Jersey. The fuel stabilizer question is still not sorted out. I hadn't realized there was such a heated debate as to whether or not they were good or outright detrimental to your bike. Never used any in my other bikes, from Trumps to Hawgs in the 54 years I've been riding and never had a problem. Ethanol free gas is unavailable around my parts so guess I'll just have to go for ride every so often this winter to keep the gas from going bad .

 

[rhino 2]

Hi....A battery maintainer is your better decision as it will not kill your battery by cheating it. The vast majority of them accompany a connector on the finish of the string called a SAE connector, and furthermore a piece of wire with a coordinating with connector toward one side and ring drags at the opposite end. Interface the ring hauls straightforwardly to the battery and leave the SAE end some place on the bicycle that is not difficult to get to. Then, at that point, you can without much of a stretch associate and detach the maintainer at whatever point you really want to.

Tally.............Welcome to Trike-Talk.........:wave4:..

 

[trike lady]

May I ask why you'd use a battery maintainer on a bicycle? :xzqxz: Ran a search on this poster and they have spent most of November posting nonsense on other forums.

 

[JTJersey]

May I ask why you'd use a battery maintainer on a bicycle? :xzqxz: Ran a search on this poster and they have spent most of November posting nonsense on other forums.

Well that certainly was a nonsensical post on his part. It's mostly just a random group of English words strung together devoid of meaning. I see the post has been removed. :clapping:

 

[JTJersey]

The fuel stabilizer question is still not sorted out. I hadn't realized there was such a heated debate as to whether or not they were good or outright detrimental to your bike. Never used any in my other bikes, from Trumps to Hawgs in the 54 years I've been riding and never had a problem. Ethanol free gas is unavailable around my parts so guess I'll just have to go for ride every so often this winter to keep the gas from going bad .

You may have seen these two sites about the dangers of some fuel stabilizers and the benefits of Ethanol in gas (the second link has extensive detail) , but I've noticed ALL of them say that Sta-Bil actually does help keep fuel usable in LONG TERM storage and why, but it's otherwise an unnecessary and ineffective expense for regular fill ups. Interesting topic this fuel stabilizer use. The third link is also an interesting read. This is where it too mentions Sta-Bil directly.

https://motorbikewriter.com/video-can-fuel-stabilizer-kill-your-motorcycle/

https://www.theautochannel.com/news/2019/08/16/680489-automotive-aftermarket-saturated-with-snake-oil-engine-additives.html

[url]https://www.theautochannel.com/news/2019/08/10/677743-is-it-is-or-is-it-ain-t-famous-manufacturer.html

[/URL]

 

[rhino 2]

You may have seen these two sites about the dangers of some fuel stabilizers and the benefits of Ethanol in gas (the second link has extensive detail) , but I've noticed ALL of them say that Sta-Bil actually does help keep fuel usable in LONG TERM storage and why, but it's otherwise an unnecessary and ineffective expense for regular fill ups. Interesting topic this fuel stabilizer use.

https://motorbikewriter.com/video-can-fuel-stabilizer-kill-your-motorcycle/

https://www.theautochannel.com/news...aturated-with-snake-oil-engine-additives.html

Heres how i feel about Sta-Bil;....It really doesn't matter if it works or not, I feel good about using it in my gas, And if it makes me feel good about using it in my gas then it makes my engine feel good about using in my gas..So if i feel its a good thing to use in my gas,Then That's good enough for me and my gas to be using it.. What's so wrong about feeling good, Every now and then its a good feeling to feel good...

 

[tourman]

Stabil & Seafoam are good fuel stabilizers. Keeps gas fresh for 2 years