14 & 15 RT's and the battery tender (battery maintainer)

[Cruzr Joe]

There have been a lot of questions on battery maintenance lately so i thought i would throw my two cents in.

1 - Because the 14s and 15s have an alternator, a battery tender is not necessary for normal year round riding.

2 - If you just have to have a battery tender, here is a simple solution for you (see photo below)

battery.jpg

in the front trunk (aka the frunk), directly below and centered between the right and left fuse boxes you will find two

T30 screws, if you remove them, the cover will come off to expose your battery.

you can add a battery tender plug to the battery and let the small connector come out of the rubber plug (boot) just below the left fuse box.

Now you just need to open your frunk (unzip the liner if you have one) and plug in your battery tender.

Hope this helps.

Cruzr Joe

[Dragonrider]

That's how mine is set up.

[ARtraveler]

Thank you for posting Joe. I am getting ready to plug mine in--but have not been there yet.

[DrewNJ]

Nice post Joe! I agree, not needed for normal riding season to plug in, but still a good idea for those of us that see winter storage.

Really surprised BRP didn't increase the size of the battery like they did when going 4 stroke in the skis....unless that battery is bigger than it looks??

[FullCircle]

I ran the battery tender plug out behind the battery and out to the right side of the Rt. I zip tied it just above the a arm behind the tire. It is out of the way, out of sight, and easy to plug in when I need to charge the battery. I didn't want the hassle of having to open the truck and unzip the liner to gain access to the plug. I guess I'm lazy.

[DaveL]

Initially I wired mine to the battery and then I stumbled across this adapter:

• BATTERY TENDER ADAPTER - BATTERY TENDERS - 081-0069-5

This is very easy to use I Just plug this adapter in the power outlet in the back trunk. This is available on Amazon prime .99

[Bob Denman]

Joe,
on the ban concerning electrical discussions being lifted!!
And thanks!!

[Cruzr Joe]

Joe,
on the ban concerning electrical discussions being lifted!!
And thanks!!

Bob (I knew you would comment on that )

, I thought about that before posting and decided that this was an install post as opposed to a electrical post.

besides, i always get a charge out of an electrical post , did i say that??

Cruzr Joe

[Purple Guy]

There have been a lot of questions on battery maintenance lately so i thought i would throw my two cents in.

1 - Because the 14s and 15s have an alternator, a battery tender is not necessary for normal year round riding.

2 - If you just have to have a battery tender, here is a simple solution for you (see photo below)

battery.jpg

in the front trunk (aka the frunk), directly below and centered between the right and left fuse boxes you will find two

T30 screws, if you remove them, the cover will come off to expose your battery.

you can add a battery tender plug to the battery and let the small connector come out of the rubber plug (boot) just below the left fuse box.

Now you just need to open your frunk (unzip the liner if you have one) and plug in your battery tender.

Hope this helps.

Cruzr Joe

That's exactly what I did...

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

[QUOTE=DrewNJ;888686]Nice post Joe! I agree, not needed for normal riding season to plug in, but still a good idea for those of us that see winter storage.

Really surprised BRP didn't increase the size of the battery like they did when going 4 stroke in the skis....unless that battery is bigger than it looks??[/QUOTE.........................If you are referring to Sno-mobiles ....They only operate in very ,very, cold temps all the time so starting them can be a B*tch......most don't even have a pull start back-up anymore either .........just sayin......Mike

[AlEverett]

Do we still have reposition the fuse from slot 6 to slot 7 to have the 12 volt outlet in the trunk hot all the time on the 2014. I know I had to do this on my 2013 RT-s.

[PW2013STL]

Do we still have reposition the fuse from slot 6 to slot 7 to have the 12 volt outlet in the trunk hot all the time on the 2014. I know I had to do this on my 2013 RT-s.

Yes.

[DrewNJ]

[QUOTE=BLUEKNIGHT911;888835]

Nice post Joe! I agree, not needed for normal riding season to plug in, but still a good idea for those of us that see winter storage.

Really surprised BRP didn't increase the size of the battery like they did when going 4 stroke in the skis....unless that battery is bigger than it looks??[/QUOTE.........................If you are referring to Sno-mobiles ....They only operate in very ,very, cold temps all the time so starting them can be a B*tch......most don't even have a pull start back-up anymore either .........just sayin......Mike [emoji106]

No, the jetskis. When BRP went 4 stroke in 03' they ditched the common battery size everyone was using and went with a battery about twice the size. Just surprised they hadn't made the same move with the spyder too.
Maybe it's not needed. Don't know.

I will say that in the jetski world they are the only ones using the larger battery....for whatever reason.

[Bob Denman]

besides, i always get a charge out of an electrical post , did i say that??

Cruzr Joe

Shocking!!

[stormtrooper]

Nice job.I drilled a hole above the battery cover and fed the tender wire out of the hole and it goes about 4 inches above the zip liner.So I just have to open the frunk and my tender wire is right there.No need to un-zip liner

[Vossr]

I'm in south central Texas and during the winters here, we might have 30 consecutive days where I might not get on the Spyder. At what point (down time) would I need to consider putting on a tender to maintain the battery?

Thanks

[DrewNJ]

I'm in south central Texas and during the winters here, we might have 30 consecutive days where I might not get on the Spyder. At what point (down time) would I need to consider putting on a tender to maintain the battery?

Thanks

IMHO- 30 days is on the edge. For the $20 for a tender it would be good piece of mind to be able to plug in when not in use.

[Gray Ghost]

It all depends on what the parasitic draw is on your battery. Personally I would be wanting to have it on a tender if I thought it would be over two weeks without a start.

[Bob Denman]

IMHO- 30 days is on the edge. For the $20 for a tender it would be good piece of mind to be able to plug in when not in use.

He's got a 2014, with the 1200 watt alternator. This system should be able to hold him for quite a bit longer than that...
I used to figure two weeks for my 998...


Vossr,
I'd try to give it a couple of weeks, and THEN plug it in... Note how long it takes for the tender to bring the battery back up to full power. If it seems to take more than an hour; that's the limit that I'd use.

[DrewNJ]

He's got a 2014, with the 1200 watt alternator. This system should be able to hold him for quite a bit longer than that... [emoji106]
I used to figure two weeks for my 998...


Vossr,
I'd try to give it a couple of weeks, and THEN plug it in... Note how long it takes for the tender to bring the battery back up to full power. If it seems to take more than an hour; that's the limit that I'd use. [emoji106]

Bob, how large of an alternator or how big of a charging system has nothing to do with battery discharge while sitting over an extended period of time.

Parasitic draw plays the biggest part. Much of the reason it seems like the RT machines have more of a concern vs an older RS/GS due to the amount of electronics.
That is why I questioned the size of the battery, as larger capacity batteries tend to be able to handle this better...much like a car battery.

[JayBros]

My dealer, Honda of Winston-Salem, threw in a battery tender as part of the excellent yellow tag package deal and it's wired just like Joe described. Jan-Feb weather and my volunteer commitments make winter riding iffy so I'd rather be better safe than sorry. JMHO.

[Vossr]

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely pick up a tender and get it set up.

Best to test and prove, than to find a nice cool sunny day (Let's RIDE!!!) & a dead battery (oh dern!).

[Bob Denman]

Bob, how large of an alternator or how big of a charging system has nothing to do with battery discharge while sitting over an extended period of time.

Parasitic draw plays the biggest part. Much of the reason it seems like the RT machines have more of a concern vs an older RS/GS due to the amount of electronics.
That is why I questioned the size of the battery, as larger capacity batteries tend to be able to handle this better...much like a car battery.

But when the bike IS shut down; the battery stands a much better chance, of having a full boatload of juice in it...
Roger said it about the best...
The 998's charging system is adequate...
The 1330's charging system is superior!

[Gray Ghost]

But when the bike IS shut down; the battery stands a much better chance, of having a full boatload of juice in it...
Roger said it about the best...
The 998's charging system is adequate...
The 1330's charging system is superior!

OK, the 1330 charging system puts out more power. Whether it is an alternator or stator is not important, just that it puts out more power. All the Spyders have parasitic draw on the battery, the amount of the draw and the condition of the battery is what is important. If the battery was not properly prepped by the dealer before delivering to the customer it is not going to be as healthy as other batteries and thus will not last as long without a tender. If there is something about the particular bike that causes more parasitic draw than other bikes, it will not last as long.

Granted, I have a 998, but even if I had the 1330 I would have it on a tender if I might not be able to ride regularly.

[DrewNJ]

But when the bike IS shut down; the battery stands a much better chance, of having a full boatload of juice in it... [emoji106]
Roger said it about the best...
The 998's charging system is adequate...
The 1330's charging system is superior!

Ummm...no. But at least you are getting the opportunity to increase your post count...[emoji57]

And when did the topic change to discussing the machines charging system and ability to charge a battery?

The OP asked about a battery sitting for a period of time.

Again, for the $20 to purchase a tender and the short amount of time to install it, its still a good idea to use a tender on ANY machine that will see periods of downtime REGARDLESS of the type of charging system. Doesn't matter if its a car, motorcycle, spyder or even a lawn mower.