Save that battery by...

[5bikes]

High heat, extreme cold and lack of use are the hardest on batteries. I can't help you with the first 2 but for the third simply do this.

 

Install a $7-9 70amp switch between the battery negative and ground. I get mine at Pepboys but any good auto supply should have them.

 

This will reduce the discharge rate because rectifier diodes, clocks and some TCI's (computers, ignitions) still pull power even with the ignition switch off.

Putting the switch on the negative side relieves the switch of the high amperage loads at start ups but still breaks the circuit.

You should still recharge the battery before starting, if it has not been run is several weeks.

Buy the way, my "cheapest" I can find batteries usually last 5 years (in this desert heat).

[Guest JGorom]

I just hook my bikes up to a battery tender to maintain its charge. I am still using the original batteries in my 2002 Goldwing and 2004 Venture. Everytime I come back from a ride I park my bikes in the garage and hook them up...even if I am riding the next day.

 

This works for me and helps the batteries last much longer.

[MiCarl]

I just hook my bikes up to a battery tender to maintain its charge. I am still using the original batteries in my 2002 Goldwing and 2004 Venture. Everytime I come back from a ride I park my bikes in the garage and hook them up...even if I am riding the next day.

 

This works for me and helps the batteries last much longer.

 

Sitting around with any discharge is the worst thing you can do to a lead acid battery.

 

I don't charge nightly, but everything being stored for an extended period gets the cells topped off with distilled water and a battery tender hooked up. The first battery on my lawn tractor lasted 8 years. The 2nd is only four years old.

[Guest padre]

10-4 on the bat tender. on my 2000 rstd some years ago i installed john deere access plug(same appl as bmw access plug; however, less money at the time i purchased) into which i plug the tender following each ride. the plug serves as a cel ph charger, etc, as well.

 

 

ride joyously and safely,

kirk

Edited November 29, 2008 by padre

[ahoutzer]

I just ride every day.

[a1bummer]

I bring all my batteries in and put them in the basement for the winter. Doesn't matter what they're in, if it's not getting used, it's coming in. I alternate with the battery tender on them all.

[Terry Richardson]

Here in Florida we keep our batteries charge year round by riding our bikes daily. We only refrain from riding when it snows...which was.... Christmas 1997 I believe.

[KiteSquid]

I bring all my batteries in and put them in the basement for the winter. Doesn't matter what they're in, if it's not getting used, it's coming in. I alternate with the battery tender on them all.

 

 

Don't put them on bare concrete as the induced internal temperature difference will discharge it over time... Just put them on a scrap of wood at least 1/2" thick for thermal insulation.

 

This was learned in WWII Diesel Electric submarines.

[SilvrT]

Only problem with disconnecting the battery that I can see is you'd have to reset the clock and saved radio stations. I like the battery tender idea...gonna have to get me one for next winter I recon...eh!

[flb_78]

Putting the switch on the negative side relieves the switch of the high amperage loads at start ups but still breaks the circuit.

 

A break in the circuit is a break in the circuit on either side. The only advantage of putting it on the negative side is that IF a wire were to come off and lay against the frame, it would not be a "hot" wire and short out the battery.

 

That's also why one should always disconnect the battery on the ground side first. If the wrench contacts the negative terminal and the frame and the same time, there's no amperage dump across the wrench. It's just a secondary ground.

[MidlifeVenture]

Here in Florida we keep our batteries charge year round by riding our bikes daily. We only refrain from riding when it snows...which was.... Christmas 1997 I believe.

 

RUB IT IN WHY DON'T YOU!!

[OB-1]

Don't put them on bare concrete as the induced internal temperature difference will discharge it over time... Just put them on a scrap of wood at least 1/2" thick for thermal insulation.

 

This was learned in WWII Diesel Electric submarines.

 

Placing batteries on concrete will not cause them to discharge.

[KiteSquid]

Don't put them on bare concrete as the induced internal temperature difference will discharge it over time... Just put them on a scrap of wood at least 1/2" thick for thermal insulation.

 

This was learned in WWII Diesel Electric submarines.

Placing batteries on concrete will not cause them to discharge.

 

OB-1,

 

Thank you for pointing out my error. I stand corrected. After reading your post I did a little research to back up my claim I found that while my claim was true in it's time, it no longer is true. This is from the Trojan Battery Company website in the FAQ section:

 

 

 

 

Storing a battery on concrete will discharge it quicker- Long ago, when battery cases were made out of natural rubber, this was true. Now, however, battery cases are made of polypropylene or other modern materials that allow a battery to be stored anywhere. A battery's rate of discharge is affected by its construction, its age, and the ambient temperature. The main issue with storing on concrete is that if the battery leaks, the concrete will be damaged.

[a1bummer]

Don't put them on bare concrete as the induced internal temperature difference will discharge it over time... Just put them on a scrap of wood at least 1/2" thick for thermal insulation.

 

This was learned in WWII Diesel Electric submarines.

 

Don't worry, I won't hold it against ya! I still hear that from time to time. I've been putting my batteries on bare concrete ever since I first heard of it just to prove to others that it's not really gonna drain it. First time I heard of the submarine thing... I'm gonna have to read up on it just to satisfy my curiosity.

 

Thanx, Bill

[GeorgeS]

Don't put them on bare concrete as the induced internal temperature difference will discharge it over time... Just put them on a scrap of wood at least 1/2" thick for thermal insulation.

 

This was learned in WWII Diesel Electric submarines.

 

Submarines, Do Not Have Concrete Floors !!! I know that cause I was in the Navy ---

[KiteSquid]

Submarines, Do Not Have Concrete Floors !!! I know that cause I was in the Navy ---

 

Me to!!!!

 

The Diesel Electric submarines had LOTS of lead acid batteries to run the boat when submerged. these banks of batteries would discharge on their own. this was because the batteries were colder at the bottom than the top, or so I was told, so the navy had to go back and insulate the batteries to try to keep them at a constant temperature top to bottom.