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let it set

smithr

smithr

Member
Member
How long can you let yours sit without charging? I have a smaller battery and want to judge how much difference it is. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
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I've had to leave mine setting for up to 6 weeks while I was out on travel with no battery issues.
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Mike Bryant North Bend, WA
 
I guess I need to know what battery you use also. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
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I remove mine for winter storage. I put it on the charger about once a month, month and a half. It wasn't realy dischaged. I think that if you leave it in the bike, the clock would slowly discharge it. Battery is AGM type Yuasa. Patrick Ride safe. 1998 Kawasaki Concours Windsor Green COG# 7292 CDA# 0135
 
Strictly stock battery that came with my '06. I suppose I should add that YMMV :)
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Mike Bryant North Bend, WA
 
Just buy a Battery Tender Jr. and put the pigtail on the bike and plug it in if it sets for more than a couple of days. Your battery will last a long time!
 
During the non riding season (aka late fall to early spring) I leave a trickle charger on both our bikes. I'm running an Odessy on the Concours and a stock sealed battery on the Ninja. Uses very little electricity and should make the battery last longer. Careful to keep an eye on the water level if you are using a non sealed battery. Greg COG # 7010/7010a (Tracey) CDA 0120 Connie Droppers Anonymous Awards Dude (CDAAD) 99 Connie "Herrin Christabelle". 05 Ninja 250
 
Being located in Seattle, where the weather is never really that great but then again, it never is that bad, having a motorcycle "sit" has never been a problem with me, so I really couldn't say from experience. However, during my tenure as Tech Weenie for the club, and in talking to many many members via e-mail, telephone and at rallies, I can offer the following: I never was able to put together any hard data that told me how long it took for the battery to discharge to the point of not being able to kick the engine over. Anecdotely, two months seems to be the Conventional Wisdom, with ambient temperature and age of the battery being the differences. I can, however, relate there is a marked correlation between long periods of battery inactivity and outright battery failure, as in "parked at 4 Corners to go stand on The Spot and get picture taken, when I got back the futzer wouldn't start and the lights were dead." Again, battery age, maintenance and storage temp had a lot to do with it. Yeah, I know, this don't really help. Anyone want to collect some hard data? The Original Rich Reed COG #7 1986 Kawasaki Ninja 1000R 1977 Yamaha XS650 Standard 2004 Little Blue Chevy "Over the hill it's five bucks. Here in Idaho it's a hundred and eighty."
 
I let mine set over the winter,no charging just top off the battery in the fall. In the spring I pull it out,top off if needed and charge it for about a day. I still have the OE battery and it tests fine but I will replace it this fall. 5 years is old enough ;) CT AAD COG #7011-A 2003 Concours-Mary Ann
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Stock batteries in all vehicles - I have, in the past, let cars and m/c's sit for a couple months OR MORE, between taking 'em out for a drive/ride. And I would be replacing batteries every 2 to 3 years. (I've also learned that it's not good for ANY of the rest of the vehicle to be just sitting, either.) Now I make sure that I get (whatever isn't my daily ride) out for a 40 - 45 minute ride/drive, every week or two... almost NEVER, more than two weeks. I've been following this plan for a number of years now, and I can't remember the last time I bought a battery. So... either my new plan is way better, or Alzheimer's is setting in :) Yeah, yeah, I know what you're all gonna say :) But I still say, my new plan is better :)
 
I got a used but near new Odessy from a guy in cog. It is the smaller one that fits easy and not the bigger one that you have to mod the tool box cover to use. It only lasts about 2-3 weeks before it needs charging to be sure it starts the bike. I was just trying to see how that compares to stock.(not good) I try to ride every week. That is enough to keep it happy in my eyes. Only rarely does it sit two weeks. I think knowing how fast it drops over a time span is one indication of the batteries health. I would rather track health like that because there is not much of an easier or better way. If you put it on a battery charger every time then you have no clue the actual health of the battery. It will most times start your bike when you take it off the charger but will it next time? How long will it last if you need some extra cranking for some reason? I agree that putting one on a tender if you have to leave it all winter parked is good but for me. I would rather know how fast it is dropping voltage between rides. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
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SmithR, That process of the voltage dropping occurs when sulphur comes out of the acid and attaches to the lead plates in the battery, and when the battery fails it's called sulphation. The battery tender keeps this from happening so the battery lasts longer.
 
We have been testing if a battery tender reclaims or maintains batteries here at work any better then any other method. We have about 20 batteries in boats that get used to little but need to work when its time. I am not saying the BT does not work it does. We just have found no proof that it helps make them last any longer. Using a battery daily in a good environment is the best way to make it last longer. BT will not fix a bad battery and just because a battery shows a good voltage after sitting on a charger does not mean you have a good battery. PS: The voltage drops because of what you say but also the bike draws power all the time. Not much but some. Sealed ones like Oddesy loose very little when fully charged and no load. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
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if your "new-used" Odyssey is going flat in 3 weeks...it ain't new...it's definatly not a good battery either. I have let my old bike sit for 6 months, on a 1-1/2 year old one, and it cranked like it was new. I have yet to use my tender onany of my bikes because they never sit to a point where they don't crank. Those Ody batts have like a 5 year shelf life....IIRC an 8 year usage life also... Rich Riczinger COG 5977 Tech Editor,The Concourier
 
SmithR and you other experts, I am no mechanic, and understand elec. systems even less. I only know that the cooler the temperature is, the WAY harder it is for your battery to work. And, that a new battery will hold it's charge a long time, but a worn out one, although it might come off a charger looking good, will not hold that charge very long. Anyway... teach me something here. You're wondering about voltage drop, right? And maybe the difference between just letting it sit - and hooking it up to a trickle charger, or a B/T type. What are the cheap testers I could buy at an auto parts store? I'm looking at a newspaper ad - a digital multimeter, or a circuit tester? How do I use it to check a battery? A new, fully charged, stock, battery should show what? If I didn't put it on a b/t charger... or ride the bike... could I check the battery every day, or once a week? And what would I see. What numbers would tell me the condition of the battery? Thanks -
 
First to MOB... I have been running this battery for two years now so I do not think anything is wrong with it. It is not going flat in three weeks but is getting maginal to start the bike in cold weather. Note again that it is the smaller one but I forget the AH. I am also wondering if I have higher drain on this bike then it should be. I can't see any battery lasting 6 months connected in the bike. What should the current be when off? I can measure it. Greg your not asking for much... Let me try to splan what I do... A good digital voltmeter will tell you a lot about the battery but not everything. If you have just charged a battery it has been charged with higher then the normal voltage and that shows if you put a voltmeter on it. You have to bleed off this surface charge if you want to know what the battery state is using just a voltmeter. You can do this a few ways. One is to let it sit overnight. Another way is to turn the key on and bump the starter so the headlight comes on. Let it sit with the headlight on for 15 seconds and then turn key off. Let it sit 15 minutes with no load. After you charge a standard stock battery and bleed off the surface charge you can them measure it with a voltmeter. The voltage should be 12.6 or higher. If it is 12.4-12.6 the battery is starting to have problems and may be 50-80% of full power. If it is 12.2-12.4 then it is below 50% and should be replaced. Note these noumbers are about right. I would have to go look up a document I can't find to check them for sure. Now if you let the bike sit for a while the voltage is going to drop slowly. How low can it go and still start the bike is different depending on a lot of things. In a stock system with a healthy stock battery it may be about 12.2 but I am not sure. The key is how low does it voltage drop when you hit the starter button and the starter is engaged and working. My guess from what I have seen is if it drops below about 10 volts it will not start the bike even if the starter turns it over. Just not enough for the electronics to fire. I have wanted to mount a voltmeter to my bike for some time that shows me what the voltage is every time I walk by the bike and to have it read when I am hitting the starter. I could learn a lot more about the exact numbers from that. As it is all my numbers are a bit of a guess till I can do that with several bikes in different weather and batteries installed. The only real way to check a battery for ability is a load tester like they use at the parts store. It must be adjusted for your size battery. Cheap load testers are mostly for car batteries and not right for a bike. Hope this helps. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
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Hey Bob S. "smithr" (and others)... I was just emailed this Harbor Freight ad, and thought about your post here. Anyway, here's good deal on a battery load tester... You'd mentioned at the end of your last post, that was the best way to check a battery. Although, in reading your post again, I realize this might be only set-up for car batteries, and not work right for m/c batteries. And of course, it's H.F. so it's quality is probably not the best. But if you have a H.F. near you... you could check it out. Or their website would have good info on it. Or, there's one 30 minutes from me... what would I look for, to know if it would be any good for m/c batteries... as opposed to car only? http://www.harborfreightusa.com/html/emails/25/RetailB/Images/9a.jpg http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/itemdisplay/displayItem.do?itemid=93784 When you look at this 2nd link... there is a green link button 1/2 way down the ad, that takes you to a copy of the product instruction manual, and it gives even more info which may be helpful. Let me know what you think (or anybody else, feel free to teach me a bit about this) - Thanks!!
 
When you hook that puppy up its going to draw 50 amps from your battery. How much does our starter draw? It talks about 300-500 cold cranking amp batteries. How much is ours? The display is calibrated for no less then 200 cca it looks like. If our batteries are less then that it will draw to much to fast and could hurt the battery. All the other functions should work but so would any voltmeter for those tests. I will go try to find the cca and starter current draw if I have the time. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
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Atlanta let's bikes use the HOV lane Not sure about Miami, and we don't have HOV lanes here yet in Jacksonville.
 
Someone else on web forum said it was 270 CCA which is a bit below the spec they give for the load tester. I think it would be best to not draw more then the starter draws in current and still have not found that. I have seen it so someone here has done the test. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
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Great, helpful info "smithr"... thanks for the tips! And yeah I can see that finding out how much the starter draws... would be important in using a load tester on a m/c battery.
 
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