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TECHNICAL MOTOBRICK WRENCHING In Remembrance of Inge K. => The Motobrick Workshop => Topic started by: F14CRAZY on March 14, 2015, 11:20:42 AM
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I got my K75 out of storage yesterday. My AGM battery was at the end of its life before putting it in storage so I didn't do anything to charge it or maintain it otherwise since November.
I borrowed my little brother's Jet Ski battery. He removes his battery and stores it in his apartment. He said he hadn't charged it but I checked it with a multimeter and it still read 12.6V, so I figure he didn't do much harm to it. He said he bought a trickle charger (the kind you hook up, plug in, and forget about till spring). I said that when I've stored batteries (for my boat, classic car, etc) I would just put a 2 amp charge on them for a few hours every month or two.
He claims that using a trickle charger is better. Is that true? Why? Is it truly better to keep a battery out of the cold during the off season?
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I work in a boatyard where boats are stored for a 5 month winter. We have customers who leave batteries on the boat(that's what I do with mine), take them home, and have us store them.
The batteries we store are charged at 2-4 amps once a month for 6 hours. I have no idea what people do at home or when they leave batteries on the boat. I will plug in my shore power and charge with the boat's charger once a month for a day.
Bottom line, The most important factor in keeping a battery over the winter is to put it into storage with a full charge and the electrolyte levels topped up. From there you can throw a charge at it whenever it is convenient. Indoor, outdoor, doesn't really matter. As long as it has a full charge it won't freeze.
The biggest killer is storing a battery with less than a full charge. That means 12.8volts after a 1 amp load has been connected for 10 seconds. Checking a freshly "charged" battery tells nothing until the "surface" charge is knocked off.
Trickle chargers are ok because they don't heat the battery enough to boil off the electrolyte. Big chargers are ok, but you can't leave them on for more than an hour or so. If the battery is stored with a full charge and has nothing connected to it, maintenance charging shouldn't require more than 2-3 amp hours to be restored. Since most trickle chargers put out about 1/2amp or less, it will take about 6-8 hours to restore a full charge with one.
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yawl...
28 dollar deltran battery tender jr... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CITK8S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000CITK8S&linkCode=as2&tag=mc083b-20&linkId=5LND43TH6TGZWWJS)
23 dollar garage tender duty powerlet plug... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0020676A4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0020676A4&linkCode=as2&tag=mc083b-20&linkId=4NUE5EVDJYWBXFQL)
so for 51 dollars you are done... plug it in and forget abouts it... then when its go time... one push... thats all...
j o
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Or forego the $23 12v power outlet cable and screw the BatterTender-provided cable to your battery. Either way you can't go wrong. I have the Junior model. The peace of mind it provides as I look at its glowing green (all systems GO!) LED each time I pass trough my garage is priceless.
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Or get just the powerlet plug for under $10 and modify one of the extra connectors you get with the BT to use the powerlet.
http://www.motobrick.com/index.php?topic=5630.0
Skidmore -- all that screwing with the battery is really unnecessary work. The trickle charge is a plug and play operation. Extra work = time not motobrickng.
My $0.02...
Btw I left my battery connected and untended for about a month in the Unheated garage during a period of 5 - 15 degree F and when I started it up the ABS fault light was flashing. Had to reset ... ABS didn't like whatever the cold did to my battery.
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I peeked at the link, MoHo. What's that connector, is that a male connector that plugs into the BMW style 12v power sockets?
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Yes, it's the same plug that Johnny recommended except his link pointed to a pre-made powerlet accessory for a Battery Tender. If you want to save a few bucks or use a different charger than the BT you can just get a powerlet plug and make your own power feed from your trickle charger.
The Powerlet plug plugs into he accessory jack on the left side of the bike or the instrument cluster and Feds the battery.
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Such a connection for a tender wouldn't work out for me since the bike is stored at a location that normally doesn't have A/C power. I can take the battery and bring it home with me though.
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I also went the power-let plug route as I have 2 bikes and I can then charge either one with the a single charger.
I store both bikes in my unheated garage. I plugged each one in for about a day or 2 per month the the Batt Tend Jr.
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I also went the power-let plug route as I have 2 bikes and I can then charge either one with the a single charger.
I store both bikes in my unheated garage. I plugged each one in for about a day or 2 per month the the Batt Tend Jr.
+1 I just use a different trickle charger. Super easy. Plug and go.