Battery Tender Jr. observations and suprise

[Magdave]

I used my new Battery Tender Jr. last night for the first time and was a little surprised . First the back story. The way the light works goes like this
1. When you plug it in the wall it will flash red( no load or connection).
2. When you connect it properly if below 80% charge it will go solid red.
3. When it reaches 80% it will flash green until fully charged( low amperage charge).
4. When fully charged it will go solid green (full charge/ float mode).

So here is the surprise. I went for a 1/2 hr ride yesterday after it sat for a week. Enough to charge the battery? Nope.
After plugging it in it went solid red for 4 hours until the next stage ( flash green 80% charge level) kicked in. It was solid green this morning. So apparently my battery was below 80 % ( how much ) and this was after a ride that I thought should be charging it back up. I am guessing sitting a week can take the battery down over 20% although there was no starting issue. I guess this makes the case for using a device like this and to realize it takes much more than a 1/2 hr ride to charge the battery up after sitting. It is good to know that it works as advertised and that not using one may lead to a no start sooner than later. Also low batteries can pop codes. For $23 on Amazon it something worth having and using. I have read posts of people who never use a float charger all winter and still start in the spring. I am wondering how they can do that and I do not like buying new batteries every 1-2 yrs ( like my mower guess I gotta get one for it too). I am impressed with the quality and function of the unit I have a Harbor Freight float charger but it does not give any feed back on battery condition. IMHO money well spent.

The next step is to see what happens after my next ride and see if and how long it takes to get to full charge or if the bike cannot keep it at full charge.

[Yeochief]

I too use this device. whenever my isn't being ridden, it is on the tender. Regardless of the length of the ride the tender always starts out flashing red and eventually turns solid green. I never bothered to observe how long each sequence lasted. I just know that the next day it is solid green. I did read somewhere in this forum that the magneto on the Spyder doesn't charge the battery below a certain rpm. Since the machine idles at 1400-1450 rpm and no trip is at 5000 rpm from start to finish, it is possible that the ride doesn't include enough high rpm time to completely charge the battery.

[Bob Denman]

Good observation! It DOES take a bit of a ride to stuff the battery back full of juice...
It'll be interesting to see if the new alternator does a better job.

[Magdave]

Good observation! It DOES take a bit of a ride to stuff the battery back full of juice...
It'll be interesting to see if the new alternator does a better job.

I am sure it will. It is about 30% more powerful and will work better at idle. My concern was really with the state of discharge. I am guessing it was at 70-75% prior to charging and the ride I took was over 1/2 hr and 5k rpm and higher all the way. I have gone to riding in trailer mode and really like it especially the early down shifts coming to a stop, definite brake saver, but I cannot figure out why my charge was so low. I am guessing the TB whine after shut down is part of it. Time will tell after my next ride I do not expect much if any discharge and I will keep Jr. working until then

[3 Wheel Addict]

Battery charging volts are a really close nit thing. The voltages are so close together that it does take a really well built "float charger" to get the job done right and not kill the battery.
12.7V - 100% full
12.6V - 90%
12.5V - 80%
12.3V - 70%
12.2V - 60%
12.1V - 50%
12.0V - 40%
11.8V - 30%
11.7V - 20%
11.6V - 10% <11.6V - 0% and probably damaged from discharging this far down.

Some of our better marine quality chargers actually discharge before they start charging to get a good reference voltage.

[rick_w]

I too use this device. whenever my isn't being ridden, it is on the tender. Regardless of the length of the ride the tender always starts out flashing red and eventually turns solid green. I never bothered to observe how long each sequence lasted. I just know that the next day it is solid green. I did read somewhere in this forum that the magneto on the Spyder doesn't charge the battery below a certain rpm. Since the machine idles at 1400-1450 rpm and no trip is at 5000 rpm from start to finish, it is possible that the ride doesn't include enough high rpm time to completely charge the battery.

We can drive our C6 Vette 100 miles and when we park it and plug the tender into it you will have flashing red. Never paid much attention to how long it takes for it to come off flashing. Always have to plug that thing in if it is going to be more then a week.

I only plug the Bikes and Spyder in if it's going to be several weeks or more, which means Winter. They always start off flashing also.

[edmarino]

I have several Battery Tender's and they always show red when first plugged in, even if green and then unplugged and plugged right back in. the time it takes to turn to solid green is different every time so I don't really pay attention only that it turns green.

[OnVentures]

I just read the first post so I went out and plugged in my bike (1st time). Started off solid red. I guess this is normal. The guy I bought the bike off of said he put a new battery in at the beginning of the season
OnVentures

[NancysToy]

I have several Battery Tender's and they always show red when first plugged in, even if green and then unplugged and plugged right back in. the time it takes to turn to solid green is different every time so I don't really pay attention only that it turns green.

They seem to start the cycle over again if disconnected, like any smart charger. They will revert to green a lot faster though, if the battery is well charged already.

The RT has a substantial amount of parasitic loss, and some have excessive parasitic loss that may have to be diagnosed and addressed following procedures outlined in a service bulletin from a couple of years back. In warm weather the loss should not deplete a battery too far in 2-4 weeks. If it does, consider testing the amp draw when resting and keeping the Spyder on a tender in the meantime.

[Magdave]

I just read the first post so I went out and plugged in my bike (1st time). Started off solid red. I guess this is normal. The guy I bought the bike off of said he put a new battery in at the beginning of the season
OnVentures

When it reaches 80% it should start flashing green until full charge and then solid green in float mode after that point. So yours was below 80% too. That did not bother me it was how long it took to get to 80% indicates to me it was somewhat lower than 80% even after my last 2 rides one was 1 1/2 hrs at highway speeds and the last a little over 1/2 hr and it was plugged in 6hrs later. Seems like a lot of parasitic drain from closing the TB for 30min after shut down IMHO if that is what causes it to drop.

[Magdave]

They seem to start the cycle over again if disconnected, like any smart charger. They will revert to green a lot faster though, if the battery is well charged already.

The RT has a substantial amount of parasitic loss, and some have excessive parasitic loss that may have to be diagnosed and addressed following procedures outlined in a service bulletin from a couple of years back. In warm weather the loss should not deplete a battery too far in 2-4 weeks. If it does, consider testing the amp draw when resting and keeping the Spyder on a tender in the meantime.

We were posting at the same time about the parasitic drain.

[NancysToy]

When it reaches 80% it should start flashing green until full charge and then solid green in float mode after that point. So yours was below 80% too. That did not bother me it was how long it took to get to 80% indicates to me it was somewhat lower than 80% even after my last 2 rides one was 1 1/2 hrs at highway speeds and the last a little over 1/2 hr and it was plugged in 6hrs later. Seems like a lot of parasitic drain from closing the TB for 30min after shut down IMHO if that is what causes it to drop.

As the voltage rises, the charging rate slows. In order not to cause sulfation or other damage these smart chargers will charge very slowly when connected to a well-charged battery. How they charge also depends on battery temperature and resistance. I think you are reading too much into the "idiot" lights. Check your battery with a good multimeter if you are worried. The solid green light after a long charge is the only thing that really counts on these chargers.

[happyspyder2039]

I used my new Battery Tender Jr. last night for the first time and was a little surprised . First the back story. The way the light works goes like this
1. When you plug it in the wall it will flash red( no load or connection).
2. When you connect it properly if below 80% charge it will go solid red.
3. When it reaches 80% it will flash green until fully charged( low amperage charge).
4. When fully charged it will go solid green (full charge/ float mode).

So here is the surprise. I went for a 1/2 hr ride yesterday after it sat for a week. Enough to charge the battery? Nope.
After plugging it in it went solid red for 4 hours until the next stage ( flash green 80% charge level) kicked in. It was solid green this morning. So apparently my battery was below 80 % ( how much ) and this was after a ride that I thought should be charging it back up. I am guessing sitting a week can take the battery down over 20% although there was no starting issue. I guess this makes the case for using a device like this and to realize it takes much more than a 1/2 hr ride to charge the battery up after sitting. It is good to know that it works as advertised and that not using one may lead to a no start sooner than later. Also low batteries can pop codes. For $23 on Amazon it something worth having and using. I have read posts of people who never use a float charger all winter and still start in the spring. I am wondering how they can do that and I do not like buying new batteries every 1-2 yrs ( like my mower guess I gotta get one for it too). I am impressed with the quality and function of the unit I have a Harbor Freight float charger but it does not give any feed back on battery condition. IMHO money well spent.

The next step is to see what happens after my next ride and see if and how long it takes to get to full charge or if the bike cannot keep it at full charge.

Sounds normal to me! My extreme charger took 8+ hrs the first time to read 100% when I connected to bike. Now About an hr or so before it says 100% each time. I talked to my tech at dealer about it & he said it was normai

[belowme29]

I too use this device. whenever my isn't being ridden, it is on the tender. Regardless of the length of the ride the tender always starts out flashing red and eventually turns solid green. I never bothered to observe how long each sequence lasted. I just know that the next day it is solid green. I did read somewhere in this forum that the magneto on the Spyder doesn't charge the battery below a certain rpm. Since the machine idles at 1400-1450 rpm and no trip is at 5000 rpm from start to finish, it is possible that the ride doesn't include enough high rpm time to completely charge the battery.

It sounds like you are saying that if you did not use the Battery Tender when you were not riding, at some point you would not be able to start your Spyder because the battery would be dead, because you never regain a proper amount or power in your battery and eventually it would be drained.

I have never used a Battery Tender and I never noticed any issues trying to start my Spyder all summer long. Its a 2008, I purchased it in April with low miles and put on over 6,000 on it and I am not sure if its the original battery - at one point I had it sitting for over 2 weeks in the summer and it started with no problems after sitting that long.

So getting a Battery Tender is good to have to make sure that your battery is 100%, and I am sure that it keeps it conditioned - but if you are using your Spyder continuously, I doubt that a Battery Tender would even be necessary. JMHO.

[NancysToy]

It sounds like you are saying that if you did not use the Battery Tender when you were not riding, at some point you would not be able to start your Spyder because the battery would be dead, because you never regain a proper amount or power in your battery and eventually it would be drained.

I have never used a Battery Tender and I never noticed any issues trying to start my Spyder all summer long. Its a 2008, I purchased it in April with low miles and put on over 6,000 on it and I am not sure if its the original battery - at one point I had it sitting for over 2 weeks in the summer and it started with no problems after sitting that long.

So getting a Battery Tender is good to have to make sure that your battery is 100%, and I am sure that it keeps it conditioned - but if you are using your Spyder continuously, I doubt that a Battery Tender would even be necessary. JMHO.

The 2008-2012 GS/RS has little or no parasitic losses, so it can sit for a long time in temperate storage. Eventually the battery voltage will drop off, however, as all lead-acid batteries do. The RT is another animal (and I expect the ST is the same). The throttle plate procedure, display cluster, and other electronic functions draw some power when the engine is off. That will deplete the batteries over a period of time. If there isn't excessive loss due to a malfunction, the battery should remain functional for at least 2-4 weeks in temperate storage, less if the battery is in less than optimal condition. If the Spyder is used fairly often and the weather isn't too cold, there should be plenty of power for starting, but be aware that the voltage threshhold for the RT seems to be a bit higher than the RS, so the computer will balk sooner.

[Bob Denman]

How about this ...
I seem to recall that a couple of years' ago; somebody found a different magneto with an 800 watt output, that could be swapped in...
Did anybody ever do any testing with it?

[Magdave]

I agree that Dave is reading too much into the idiot light .. er ...LED Indicator.

A good multimeter will only show battery voltage which can be a real fooler.
A really crappy battery hooked to a charger can read in the high 13 volt range and give you the impression that all is well when, in reality, it's only a surface charge.

Just went through this with my son's S10 Showed 13v after he left a light on overnight and got a jump after he drove it around all day. It re started several time during the day. Next morning( a couple of them) it was dead again and no light on this time. Repeated the jump start. After a proper battery test it showed a bad battery cell.

[belowme29]

The 2008-2012 GS/RS has little or no parasitic losses, so it can sit for a long time in temperate storage. Eventually the battery voltage will drop off, however, as all lead-acid batteries do. The RT is another animal (and I expect the ST is the same). The throttle plate procedure, display cluster, and other electronic functions draw some power when the engine is off. That will deplete the batteries over a period of time. If there isn't excessive loss due to a malfunction, the battery should remain functional for at least 2-4 weeks in temperate storage, less if the battery is in less than optimal condition. If the Spyder is used fairly often and the weather isn't too cold, there should be plenty of power for starting, but be aware that the voltage threshhold for the RT seems to be a bit higher than the RS, so the computer will balk sooner.

I did not know that the RT is pulling power even when the key is in the "OFF" position. Its seems like this is a bad design - and this is the reason some have battery tenders on their Spyders when they stop riding. Sorry - did not know that just having a bike sit around for 2 weeks could drain the battery because power is still being pulled from the battery.

Do the dealers inform new Spyder RT owners of the battery drainage situation? Or is this something that you have to figure out on your own?

[900Dave]

I did not know that the RT is pulling power even when the key is in the "OFF" position. Its seems like this is a bad design - and this is the reason some have battery tenders on their Spyders when they stop riding. Sorry - did not know that just having a bike sit around for 2 weeks could drain the battery because power is still being pulled from the battery.

Do the dealers inform new Spyder RT owners of the battery drainage situation? Or is this something that you have to figure out on your own?

And my dealer told me to put a battery tender on it if it is going to sit for more than 2 weeks at a time.

[Magdave]

I did not know that the RT is pulling power even when the key is in the "OFF" position. Its seems like this is a bad design - and this is the reason some have battery tenders on their Spyders when they stop riding. ?

I knew there was some drain but still not sure how much. That is why I posted this thread sort of a PSA for RT owners. Get a tender and use it if it is going to sit over the winter

[CurtG]

bbad design? There likely isn't a new electronic equiped vehicle out there that doesn't draw atleast a milliamp or 3 when it's shut down. It's the price we pay for the convience of the electronics. I spent 30 some odd years dealing with alarm panels withvarying degrees of "smart" charging circuits in them. Some good some horrible and even the good ones could have benefitted from better componets. A battery tender's smarts are only as ghood as the componets in the comparator circuit that controls it. I'venever bothered to watch either one of ours.Doesn't matter howw long we're out both the Bug and the Ural will want to start off showing a charge state as long as they're green when I'm ready to go they're doing what I bought 'em for. For the price and ther convience f no cooked batteries they're great, but I'd be surprised if any of the internals are better than 10% tolerance.

Ride and ride safe,

[Dan_Ashley]

Can an old batter tender overcharge the battery causing damage to any of the electronics on a Spyder?

[Magdave]

Can an old batter tender overcharge the battery causing damage to any of the electronics on a Spyder?

Good question I have a HF tender and after looking at the specs it said" not for use on an AGM battery" which is what we have. Why I do not know but BT Jr. states they are compatible.

[NancysToy]

I agree that Dave is reading too much into the idiot light .. er ...LED Indicator.

A good multimeter will only show battery voltage which can be a real fooler.
A really crappy battery hooked to a charger can read in the high 13 volt range and give you the impression that all is well when, in reality, it's only a surface charge.

I should have been more clear. The battery voltage should be read when off the charger. Readings at the end of a ride, the next morning, after charging, etc., will tell a bit more than the idiot lights. Even then, it is probably not worth worrying about.

[ARtraveler]

Good timing. My 's go on the battery tenders today. Will pay some attention to the lights, etc.