gksodah Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 My bike is my first brand new bike, my prior was an '02. I know I needed to keep it on the tender for the colder months 45 and below, but with a new bike and a brand new battery I'm wondering if I need to tender it at all over the winter? I live in Indiana and we are suppose to have another horrible winter >_> Bike will be in the garage, so not as cold as outside but not much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ralph Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Get a cheap time switch plug the tender into that set to come on a hour or so a day, job done enough to keep the battery up but wont dry it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member GAZ Posted October 14, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted October 14, 2014 I would. They're not expensive either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gksodah Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Get a cheap time switch plug the tender into that set to come on a hour or so a day, job done enough to keep the battery up but wont dry it out. Hadn't even thought of that....Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefano225 Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 I have been using Battery Tender Junior for the past 7 years on all my bikes,my 2009 V strom for 5 years always on the battery tender never a problem this was during winter and sometimes on summer when bike wasn't used for long periods of time.It doesn't hurt the battery battery tender keeps the battery at peak level not letting discharge or overcharge ,good peace of mind when bike is stored for winter.As I am writing this my 07 and my majesty are on battery tender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member GAZ Posted October 14, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted October 14, 2014 Here's another reason to justify spending ~20 for the tender. http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-081-0158-Disconnect-Charger/dp/B00DJ5KEF4/ref=pd_sim_auto_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0HP033YF68VZRH70YKSG This will keep your phone fully charged while running GPS. If you use the correct charge cable and not sync cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member rmdet Posted October 14, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted October 14, 2014 I'm using the Jr. this year. Previous battery life in my old bike was just over 2 winters and didn't use a tender. I hear people saying 5-6 yrs possible if always on tenders during periods of long storage. Set it & forget it! Added bonus with the USB converter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wabill Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Since she was new, my 2008 S3 has been on a tender when ever not being ridden. She's still cranking like a champ with the original battery and 20K+ miles. FJR1300A,Triumph S3,Ducati S2R1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassecou Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Since she was new, my 2008 S3 has been on a tender when ever not being ridden. She's still cranking like a champ with the original battery and 20K+ miles.Battery tenders are about $50. A new battery for a motorcycle is about $50 and easily up. Not using a tender, your battery will last 1year to 2 years. With the tender, it should add 2 to 3 years to that. It is very easy for a motorcycle battery to die when seating through the winter month. Once its dead, you can recharge it, but the battery wont last long after that. A motorcycle battery can be removed from the bike during long idle times and be safely connected to the tender inside the house. If this is done during the very cold winter month, the battery will last a very very long time. By the way, other than cold temperatures, another way to kill a motorcycle battery is to draw more amps than the bike is making. So turn of everything when not riding (except the alarm), don't attach too many gadgets to it and be careful with start/kill the bike too often. If you really don't want to invest in a battery tender. During the winter idle time, go for a long ride to fully charge the battery, then remove the battery from the bike and bring it inside your home. As northerners will tell you, the cold temperatures will quickly kill a battery. Great battery tender for $24 Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassecou Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Maybe someone should start a thread for OEM and alternate batteries for the FZ. I am sure the batteries questions will come up when riding season will start again in 6 month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trebec Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 That sucks for all of you that have to put the bikes up for the winter. I feel bad when I don't ride mine for 4 days, let alone months. I guess being in SoCal does have at least one advantage, I don't have to put the bike away for more than 1 week a year. On the other note I would probably get studded tires and ride it in the snow like I saw on an R1. I also know of a guy in Alaska that has 2 Harley's, 1 for summer and 1 for winter and does not own a car, refuses to not ride his motorcycle year round. I am really surprised more don't ride long into the winter. Follow me on Instagram. http://instagram.com/trebec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planetwister Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 That sucks for all of you that have to put the bikes up for the winter. I feel bad when I don't ride mine for 4 days, let alone months. I guess being in SoCal does have at least one advantage, I don't have to put the bike away for more than 1 week a year. On the other note I would probably get studded tires and ride it in the snow like I saw on an R1. I also know of a guy in Alaska that has 2 Harley's, 1 for summer and 1 for winter and does not own a car, refuses to not ride his motorcycle year round. I am really surprised more don't ride long into the winter. same here.. I ride both bikes often enough where I don't need a tender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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