Battery Tenders

[modarin9]

I have my 1200GS on a battery tender. My question is "Is it safe to put the cover back on the bike with the tender in place?" I'm just curious if any gases are given off or if there is potential for a fire. Thanks!

 

[mikegalbicka]

I keep my 07RT covered and on a battery tender all the time with no problems.

 

[t6pilot]

Wouldn't hesitate if quality tender. Our bikes are plugged into optimate 4's whenever they are in parked in garage, never had a issue

 

[lee]

Shouldn't be a problem if it's a sealed battery.

 

[modarin9]

Battery Tender

Thanks for all of the replies!

 

[globalrider]

Shouldn't be a problem if it's a sealed battery.

Sealed batteries will gas if they are overcharged. Any battery will gas when they are being overcharged.

Edited to add: even batteries that are not being overcharged in other words the voltage is not above the battery's max voltage, can gas if a cell or cells are defective. Seen it happen in the lab many times. You can always mix up a soapy solution and run a coating over and around a battery cap to check for bubbling. That on a so-called "sealed" VRLA type battery which of course is not really "sealed" as so many think it is.

 

[snookers]

If your battery tender is working properly it will not allow your battery to be overcharged

 

[globalrider]

If your battery tender is working properly it will not allow your battery to be overcharged

Provided you have the correct charger for the battery being charged.

 

[snookers]

Provided you have the correct charger for the battery being charged.

Can't argue about that.
I use two Bmw battery chargers for my marine batteries . When the boating season is over the batteries are removed from the boat and connected to the tenders for the winter months.Doing this has kept them alive and well for five years now.
I use a Ctek tender for my Odyssey battery on the bike,and this has kept it performing for the last four years with no issues. A Walmart type battery charger would most probably cook the batteries if I left them connected to these batteries for the same length of time I leave them on the tenders

 

[globalrider]

I use a Ctek tender for my Odyssey battery on the bike,and this has kept it performing for the last four years with no issues. A Walmart type battery charger would most probably cook the batteries if I left them connected to these batteries for the same length of time I leave them on the tenders

There is only one way to know for sure and that is to determine what the charge algorithm actually is and if it suits the battery type being charged. And by that, I don't mean reading the fancy smancy promises marked on the charger packaging. We tested enough high end (some well over $1000) battery chargers in the government lab I worked at to know most chargers are nothing special and promise you the world (aka BS the consumer).

What gets me are people on this or any forum praising the charger they have telling us all how fantastic, great (or whatever colorful word you can thing of) their new charger is. And this based on what exactly? "My battery lasted 3 years". Wow, well poor them if they only got 30% of a normal life out of a battery.

I have both CTEK ad Optimate chargers-maintainers. These as you know are well under $100.

Here are their not very special charge algorithms.

In fact, where is that "maintenance mode" CTEK tells me it has. The thing just switches on and off repeatedly. Maintenance mode to anyone means a "float mode", at least in my books it does.

This is CTEK's claimed charge algorithm. How convenient for them to leave out voltages.

And this is what was measured. It simply switches on and off between 12.87v and 14.34V. Where is that pulse mode?

This is Optimate's charge algorithm. Its more of a traditional charge algorithm where the voltage goes to 14.3V (although it should stay in a constant voltage mode longer to top off and fully charge the battery) before going into a float mode.

In any case, using any charger is better than not using a charger at all, but for anyone to claim (using fancy buzz words like microprocessor controlled) these are anything special, well I hate to break it to them.

The only charger we came across that was really good was the Xantrex Truecharge 2 used in the marine and RV world.

 

[globalrider]

This is what a battery charger panel should look like...

Of course we didn't believe all the hype and actually measured all aspects. It took some time to do, but this charger "passed".