Winter battery maintenance

[Barlock]

What do people do with their Spyder batteries during winter months? My Spyder will be stored in a non-heated garage. On my previous bike I used to just remove my battery and bring it home, but then it was very easy to do on that bike. With my new Spyder it sounds like quite a hassle. Maybe I should just connect a trickle charger to it and leave it in the bike? Any suggestions?

[rc51ny]

Mine is stored in an unheated garage as well. I just hook up a Battery Tender through the 12V outlet in the trunk. Works great and the battery is ready to go as soon as the spring riding season starts.

[Barlock]

Mine is stored in an unheated garage as well. I just hook up a Battery Tender through the 12V outlet in the trunk. Works great and the battery is ready to go as soon as the spring riding season starts.

Thank you, Hottrodd7, I'll do the same.

[OldCowboy]

Thank you, Hottrodd7, I'll do the same.

Make sure you move the #6 fuse in the right hand fuse box to the #7 position. See page 60 of your owners manual.

And, BTW, and on your new .

[billybovine]

Make sure you move the #6 fuse in the right hand fuse box to the #7 position. See page 60 of your owners manual.

And, BTW, and on your new .

That's only if he has a 2013. He did not share that info with us.

[ARtraveler]

The trickle charger suggestion is the way to go.

[Barlock]

Thank you, gentlemen. I really appreciate your help and a kind welcome to the community. BTW my Spyder is 2012 RT-S SE5. Are you saying I do not have to move that fuse then?

[NancysToy]

Thank you, gentlemen. I really appreciate your help and a kind welcome to the community. BTW my Spyder is 2012 RT-S SE5. Are you saying I do not have to move that fuse then?

You can charge the 2010-2012 Spyder RT directly through the 12V outlet without changing a thing. There is no alternate slot on that model anyway. You can also charge through the jump start terminals under the seat, or via a fused pigtail (included with most chargers) connected directly to the battery. Do not use a large automotive charger or a standard "trickle charger". It is best to use a battery maintainer meant for motorcycle (small battery) use, like a Battery Tender, Accumate, Optimate, or Xtreme. Any motorcycle shop should have an appropriate charger/maintainer.

[Raknid]

We ran a pigtail under the seat and keep the BatteryTender hooked up if sitting more than a couple weeks.

[Chupaca]

both methods work. But if you don't want to remove the battery the battery tender is the way to go. To pig tail you would have to get to the battery to hook it up. So going through the power outlet (cigarette lighter) or alligator clips to the posts under the seat will save the work of going to the battery.....

[Spyder4Tess]

As far as I know,the Deltran Battery Tenders do not come with a charging plug for the 12 V outlet.

Can you buy the adaptor that has the same pigtails for the Tender?

[Bob Denman]

Question: How cold, does "cold" have to get before it becomes a problem?
At what point does freezing become a possibility?

[Barlock]

Question: How cold, does "cold" have to get before it becomes a problem?
At what point does freezing become a possibility?

-40 is not an unusual thing here in Alberta

[OldCowboy]

As far as I know,the Deltran Battery Tenders do not come with a charging plug for the 12 V outlet.

Can you buy the adaptor that has the same pigtails for the Tender?

While the Deltran Battery Tenders do not come with a cigarette lighter plug, they do sell one as a separate accessory.

[OldCowboy]

-40 is not an unusual thing here in Alberta

If that temp doesn't freeze car batteries, it shouldn't freeze a fully charged motorcycle battery. As near as I have been able to determine, a fully charged battery will not freeze unless the temp gets down to -77F or -67C (http://www.batteryfaq.org/)

[Bob Denman]

Thanks for that info. I knew that a battery is good for well below-zero; I just wasn't sure HOW well...

[rcturner]

If you use the pig tails, review many older posts to find out how to hook up the negative lead. Do not remove the connection you can see under the seat.

[NancysToy]

As far as I know,the Deltran Battery Tenders do not come with a charging plug for the 12 V outlet.

Can you buy the adaptor that has the same pigtails for the Tender?

Adapters available from Deltran, Powerlet, and many other places. Specifically you are looking for an SAE-to-cigarette adapter.

[Spyder4Tess]

Thanks for the info.