Spyder Charging System

[Buelldog]

From day one I always plugged my Spyder in to a Battery Tender after each ride......I noticed it always took about 10minutes to roll from the charge mode to the maintain mode.....this past week I rode every day but did not plug up to the Tender.....today after a one hour ride I pluged in to the Tender and after 3 hours it is still in a charge mode......my other bikes roll right to maintain whether on or off their tenders for any length of time.....Anyone else notice the charging system on the Spyder does not seem to maintain the battery at full charge?? The Spyder cranks good and strong....battery seems up.....maybe this is the nature of the unit:dontknow:

[Lamonster]

I have a volt meter on mine through my GPS and it charges at around 14 volts most of the time.

[IdleUp]

Not positive but it might be due to the fact the Spyder is a Magneto charging system instead of an alternator system like some other bikes. I'm sure the Alternator puts a good head on the battery and stays way ahead of the load.

Don't really think you'll have to put the charger on the bike unless it's going to st 2-3 weeks at a time, but of course it's up to you.

[jimjel]

I read an article that says the Spyder "Alternator" has a 550w output. Thats about 46 Amps if I am not mistaken.

JJ

[Magic Man]

Electric Equipment /

Magneto.......................................500 Watt
Starter........................................... Electric
Battery..........................................D ry Cell, 12V, 21 Amp


It indeed appears to be a "Magneto" type system as listed in the specs.

I found this info in the spec pages you can link to on the home page of this site.


http://spyder.brp.com/NR/rdonlyres/6CFA7C41-7608-4F7D-84B7-610A30FDE807/0/SpyderSpecSheet.pdf (http://spyder.brp.com/NR/rdonlyres/6CFA7C41-7608-4F7D-84B7-610A30FDE807/0/SpyderSpecSheet.pdf)

One of the main drawbacks about a "magneto" type charging system is that they need higher RPMs to make peak output. If a person is running around town at lower RPMs all the time, the charging system is not at peak output, or any where near it at all.

That is one of the main advantages of an "alternator" type system. By increasing the current to the field coils you can make an alternator put out near peak output at lower RPMs in most cases therefore not requiring the constant high RPM operation to make current.

MM

[Lamonster]

One of the main drawbacks about a "magneto" type charging system is that they need higher RPMs to make peak output. If a person is running around town at lower RPMs all the time, the charging system is not at peak output, or any where near it at all.

That is one of the main advantages of an "alternator" type system. By increasing the current to the field coils you can make an alternator put out near peak output at lower RPMs in most cases therefore not requiring the constant high RPM operation to make current.

MM


I knew there was a good reason to ride faster. :2thumbs::doorag::spyder:

[tnspydergal]

Ok the more I read on here the more I feel like I'm missing something. I have had my bike since June. I assumed you just put gas in it, changed the oil and did other general maintenance stuff like a car. This is also my first bike, so if I'm missing something please fill me in.

[Buelldog]

Ok the more I read on here the more I feel like I'm missing something. I have had my bike since June. I assumed you just put gas in it, changed the oil and did other general maintenance stuff like a car. This is also my first bike, so if I'm missing something please fill me in.

A battery tender is a real good investment for about $45.... I have them on all my bikes and mowers.....they will help to extend the life of your battery and keep your Spyder ready to go in the off season when you get a nice riding day....the hook-up wiring harness exits under the seat takes about 60 seconds to hook up after you get in from a ride.....ask your dealer to show you the unit and install the harness for you....it's a few dollars well spent:thumbup:

[zzneonzz]

A battery tender is a real good investment for about $45.... I have them on all my bikes and mowers.....they will help to extend the life of your battery and keep your Spyder ready to go in the off season when you get a nice riding day....the hook-up wiring harness exits under the seat takes about 60 seconds to hook up after you get in from a ride.....ask your dealer to show you the unit and install the harness for you....it's a few dollars well spent:thumbup:

This is also going to be my first bike and was unaware that this was a good thing to use. Do those of you that have them and use them hook them up every night or just when the bike is going to be sitting for an extended period of time? My problem with using this is that there is no power in the shed were the spyder will be living. Is there an alternative or should i rethink the parking location of my spyder?

I'm going to be using the spyder as my main transportation most of the time since the weather isn't usually to cold around here i'm thinking i should be able to ride it almost every day. Only downfall as ive been reading it seems like the charging on the spyder is best at high speeds and since my daily driving is all stop and go city driving getting above 45-50 on most days is about the fastest i'll be going. Will this give me more of a need for an alternative charging system?

[NancysToy]

This is also going to be my first bike and was unaware that this was a good thing to use. Do those of you that have them and use them hook them up every night or just when the bike is going to be sitting for an extended period of time? My problem with using this is that there is no power in the shed were the spyder will be living. Is there an alternative or should i rethink the parking location of my spyder?

I'm going to be using the spyder as my main transportation most of the time since the weather isn't usually to cold around here i'm thinking i should be able to ride it almost every day. Only downfall as ive been reading it seems like the charging on the spyder is best at high speeds and since my daily driving is all stop and go city driving getting above 45-50 on most days is about the fastest i'll be going. Will this give me more of a need for an alternative charging system?
We have been using the Spyder off and on since purchase in late March. Sometimes it sat a week or two in cold or wet weather, and sometimes it is ridden daily. So far no battery problems, although we have no extra battery powered accessories as yet (maybe later today). I do put a battery charger on all the bikes that I leave batteries in for the winter. I like the Accumate, Optimate, Battery Tender, and Battery Tender Jr. Probably will wire the Spyder for a charger before winter comes, to make it handy.

You may have to play this one by ear. Speed is really RPM, so if you ride in slower traffic, gear down. If you have no problems, don't bother with the charger if you are comfortable with that decision. Meanwhile, you may want to consider Plan B, either an alternate parking location, or an electric circuit to the shed. Always better to have an alternative planned out. Just in case...
-Scotty

[zzneonzz]

Thanks for the info i'll just have to see how it goes and take it from there. Worse case i'll just park it under the carport and run an extension cord to it if it comes to me needing one.

Any recomendations on one that will work well for the spyder?

[Way2Fast]

The ECU used in the Spyder is constantly drawing a slight amount of current even with the ignition off. If you are going to let the vehicle sit idle for over 10 days I would definitely hook up a Battery Tender to it. You can leave it hooked up constantly as it will go into "float" mode when the battery is fully charged and not overcharge like a common trickle charger might. Or you can hook up the tender until the charge light turns green, then remove it. Battery Tenders are very safe to use as they will not "spark" when attaching to the battery terminals. A plug in connector comes with the unit that makes hookup even easier...especially on vehicles where the battery terminals might be hard to get to.

Richard

[NancysToy]

The ECU used in the Spyder is constantly drawing a slight amount of current even with the ignition off. If you are going to let the vehicle sit idle for over 10 days I would definitely hook up a Battery Tender to it. You can leave it hooked up constantly as it will go into "float" mode when the battery is fully charged and not overcharge like a common trickle charger might. Or you can hook up the tender until the charge light turns green, then remove it. Battery Tenders are very safe to use as they will not "spark" when attaching to the battery terminals. A plug in connector comes with the unit that makes hookup even easier...especially on vehicles where the battery terminals might be hard to get to.

Richard
I recommend the Battery Tender or Accumate, due to the quick connector and the float feature.
-Scotty

[zzneonzz]

The ECU used in the Spyder is constantly drawing a slight amount of current even with the ignition off. If you are going to let the vehicle sit idle for over 10 days I would definitely hook up a Battery Tender to it. You can leave it hooked up constantly as it will go into "float" mode when the battery is fully charged and not overcharge like a common trickle charger might. Or you can hook up the tender until the charge light turns green, then remove it. Battery Tenders are very safe to use as they will not "spark" when attaching to the battery terminals. A plug in connector comes with the unit that makes hookup even easier...especially on vehicles where the battery terminals might be hard to get to.

Richard

About how long do you think it would take to charge from lets say an almost dead state? Reason i'm asking is I might just run an extnsion cord to the shed were it will be stored if the battery is dead or possibly move it to the carport for charging then move it back to the shed.

Thanks for all the info regarding this!!!

[IdleUp]

I'm not sure what the amperage is on a Spyder battery but if it's 10 amp rating and your charger is 1 amp, it will take 10 hours providing the battery is totally dead. i.e if you have a 5 amp charger then it will only take 2 hours.

[LittleJohn]

I'm not sure what the amperage is on a Spyder battery but if it's 10 amp rating and your charger is 1 amp, it will take 10 hours providing the battery is totally dead. i.e if you have a 5 amp charger then it will only take 2 hours.

Just a thought for clarification. As I understand MC batteries, a low slow charge (1 amp or less) is MUCH preferred. Higher amperages may cause the plates to warp or cause premature failure of the battery :yikes:, as they are not as "robust" inside as a car battery.

Not flamin anyone, just didnt want anyone to think fast and furious was good when it came to battery charging on MCs.

[Trypod]

Just a thought for clarification. As I understand MC batteries, a low slow charge (1 amp or less) is MUCH preferred. Higher amperages may cause the plates to warp or cause premature failure of the battery :yikes:, as they are not as "robust" inside as a car battery.

Not flamin anyone, just didnt want anyone to think fast and furious was good when it came to battery charging on MCs.

You have a valid point LJ, with no flamin to anyone. With any battery a slow, low amp charge (if possible) particularly with lighter batteries such as mc, lawn equip, marine, etc is always preferable to high amp quick charges. Heat does as much (and IMO as well people i've worked with) more damage long term than cold to a battery.

[NancysToy]

Many of the chargers that cut back to float, also reduce the charge amperage as the voltage increases. That means a one amp charger may only average half an amp during the entire charging period. On the other hand, batteries that are charged, especially on motorcycles that are ridden fairly regularly, are seldom completely discharged, so the charging period would be less than calculated. Aside from transformer losses, the input to the charger is the same as the output, so a 1 amp charger only pulls about 1.2 amps. This should certainly not tax an extension cord. It is only about the same amount of juice as a 100-150 watt light bulb.
-Scotty

[Way2Fast]

Just a thought for clarification. As I understand MC batteries, a low slow charge (1 amp or less) is MUCH preferred. Higher amperages may cause the plates to warp or cause premature failure of the battery :yikes:, as they are not as "robust" inside as a car battery.

Not flamin anyone, just didnt want anyone to think fast and furious was good when it came to battery charging on MCs.


100% correct !

The Spyder battery is not a "deep cycle" battery that can be totally discharged and then brought back from the dead many times without harm. It is a "starting battery" that will be harmed if totally discharged then recharged.

Richard