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Charger Question - Battery Type - Which Charger

groundeffect

groundeffect

Registered User
Hi there everyone.


Does anyone have any details on the following - thank you in advance for advise on this topic!
1) How do you recommend checking the current state and remaining power/voltage of my Spyder RS battery?



2) Which type of charger to you recommend using to charge the battery on my RS?
My concern:
A friend of mine loaned me a Motormaster Trickle Battery Charger, as seen here: (I have NOT used it - wondering if I should)

25606907.jpg


Is this charger suitable for charging and topping up the RS Spyder battery? My Concern: Side of the charger boxe says 1 AMP Trickle Charger chargers small lead-acid batteries.

AND

The Spyder Manual says:
The vehicle is equipped with a maintenance-free type battery and is completely sealed; there is no need to add water to adjust the electrolyte level. The battery may need to be charged if the vehicle has not been ridden for at least one month.


So, is this Motormaster Trickle Battery Charger, suitable to charge my RS Battery? Lead-Acid Charger VS. the Spyder Maintenance-free type battery

Thank you in advance for your time.
Cheers.
 
Trickle chargers ar OK as long as you time it and dont over charge. (put it on for several hours and them take it off.
The best bet is some kind of automatic charger/maintainer.
There are lots of them on the market. YUSA meakes a nice one as well as Battery tender but I feel you are paying for a name.
Wally world has automatic chargers that will do a perfectly good job for less money.
As far as testing goes, all you can really do at home is use a volt meter.
You can check the battery manufature's web site for exact numbers but 13.1volts is a full charge and 11.9 is dead as a general number.
Battery should be checked after it has "rested" for a while. It will be higher right after you pull off the charger and that will not be a good reading.

There are several tests you can do with a volt meter (google it!)

A volt meter will not tell the whole story but it is ablut all you can do without expencive equipment.
 
Thanks for the reply.


So, just to be clear, the Spyder batteries are Lead-Acid Wet Cell Maintenance free, batteries, correct?


From what I can gather, the Spyder batteries are Lead-Acid, of the type Maintenance Free, as per:
"Wet Cell (flooded), Gel Cell, and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) are various versions of the lead acid battery. The Wet cell comes in two styles; Serviceable and Maintenance free. "

Thank you.
 
Last edited:
I've got a BatteryTender jr., for the Spyder, a float type charger for a motorcycle battery is what you want, if you're not real careful, anything else can damage your battery.
There are several good chargers available, Optimate is one.

john
 
Without an installed, accessory voltmeter, the only way to check the battery is with a multimeter or equivalent. I never do this unless I am having problems. Same meter can be used to check charging voltage, but not while under way. A good battery will remain above 12.6 volts at all times. If it is consistently dipping below this, it is probably sulphated, and will get progressively weaker. I doubt a battery below 12.2-12.3 volts will start a Spyder without electronics problems.

I highly recommend a charger, especially in your climate. While you could use the 1 amp trickle charger, I would recommend a dedicated motorcycle-type charger. There are several variations of these, each with slightly different features. The best known is probably the Battery Tender or Battery Tender Jr. I have a couple of Juniors, but I don't use them on the Spyders. I like the Accumate and Optimate chargers. I have a couple of Accumate 612s, and an Accumate V. I also have an Optimate, which will pulse charge a battery to desulfate it. The Xtreme charger sold by ESI is a good one, too. I don't recommend using any charger with an output of more than about 2 amps on a large motorcycle battery, preferably less. Be sure the charger specifically states that it is acceptable for sealed lead-acid and gel cell batteries. These can explode with the wrong type charger or too much amperage.

Another advantage of the dedicated motorcycle charger is that they generally come with a fused charging harness to attach to the battery. You can then plug in the charger whenever you please. Safer for long-term charging than battery clips. Attache the harness directly to the Spyder battery terminals, not the charging terminals under the seat. You need to remove the body panels to do this. Another option is to wire an unswitched power outlet, like one of my Powerlet outlets. The Powerlets take a special adapter to the battery charger, however.
 
Battery Tender Junior +++ - I use them on my bikes, quads and motorhome (both for engine and coach batteries). You can leave it on forever, and not worry about boiling the battery out.

Several years ago, I was using a trickle charger, such as you show in your picture, on my MH's engine battery. I inadvertently left it on for several months. Went to start the engine one day and BOOM, the battery literally blew up - plastic and lead pieces and acid everywhere... the little charger had boiled all the water out and the cells were filled with hydrogen. Needless to say, I cleaned up the mess and bought a new battery AND another Battery Tender Junior. No problems since.

It's worth the bit of extra money, believe me.
 
Last edited:
retread said:
I've got a BatteryTender jr., for the Spyder, a float type charger for a motorcycle battery is what you want, if you're not real careful, anything else can damage your battery.
There are several good chargers available, Optimate is one.

john
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply, John. So you think the MotoMaster Trickle Battery Charger in my first post is not a good choice for charging the Spyder battery?

thanks
 
I have the Shumacher SC-600A Speed Charger. Less than $30 and can't overcharge. Works great. There is no reason to pay megabucks for bells and whistles.
 
Thank you for your replies, everyone.


Be sure the charger specifically states that it is acceptable for sealed lead-acid and gel cell batteries. These can explode with the wrong type charger or too much amperage.
Click to expand...

Scotty, thanks for the note here. The manual and the box does not specifically state it works with sealed lead-acid and gel cell batteries.


Based on your input guys, and not wanting to cook my Spyder's battery, I've called my dealer and asked their thoughts, as I suggested the Battery Tender Jr. They said it will work specifically for the Spyder and they have them in stock.

I'll drop in to see them over the next day or so, and pick up a Battery Tender Jr.!

Thank you again for your support, time and comments, everyone.
You guys Rock!
:2thumbs:
 
QuadManiac said:
Battery Tender Junior +++ - I use them on my bikes, quads and motorhome (both for engine and coach batteries). You can leave it on forever, and not worry about boiling the battery out.

Several years ago, I was using a trickle charger, such as you show in your picture, on my MH's engine battery. I inadvertently left it on for several months. Went to start the engine one day and BOOM, the battery literally blew up - plastic and lead pieces and acid everywhere... the little charger had boiled all the water out and the cells were filled with hydrogen. Needless to say, I cleaned up the mess and bought a new battery AND another Battery Tender Junior. No problems since.

It's worth the bit of extra money, believe me.
Click to expand...


:agree:

Been using Battery Tender Jr. since I got the Spyder--- leave it plugged in all the time--- no problems at all. I think they are like $35 ---- so a cheap investment!
 
i've got a 1.5 amp 6-12 volt motorcyle battery charger from Canadian tire. float mode monitoring. I havn't had to use it yet. under 20 bucks when it was on sale.

groundEffect i suggest when you need to, you use the one you got, charge it for half a day and than take it off.
 
ferno said:
groundEffect i suggest when you need to, you use the one you got, charge it for half a day and than take it off.
Click to expand...
That will work...if you remember to take it off in a day or so, depending on how far down the battery was in the first place. Charging a sealed battery continuously with a charger that does not cut back on the voltage and amperage will not boil the battery dry like a standard lead-acid battery, but it can still cause the battery to swell and crack, and then go dry...even exploding in rare situations. BMWs are reknowned for this, and Battery Tender has a special charger just for them. The biggest trouble with over-charging is that it sulfates the battery at a higher rate, and reduces its life.
 
That will work...if you remember to take it off in a day or so, depending on how far down the battery was in the first place.
Click to expand...

Looks like it may be a few days before I get to the Dealer, so I may use the Trickle in the mean time, but as you've suggested only for a few hours, until I have the Battery Tender Jr.

Thanks, everyone.
 
Battery tender,used on everything,replaced mower battery last year and they said they never seen one last that long.........
 
Several years ago Motorcycle Consumer News did a comparison of several chargers. They concluded that a 5-stage (I believe it is 5-stage) Yuasa charger was the best for motorcycles. It is a "set-n-forget" type charger that will cycle through a 20-something day cycle to maximize your battery's charge. You don't have to unplug it until you're ready to ride.

They also warned that the first charge of the battery will determine the effectiveness of the battery for the rest of it's life. A new battery should be given a 24-hour charge before use, with a multi-stage trickle charger to give that battery the very best charge possible. If not done right, the battery capacity may never get above 80%.

Good luck.
 
HD has a battery tender And a plug you can put on your bike it makes it vary handy. I had one from my 09 harley I totaled sep 29, 2009 now I cant shift a bike so I got a RT-S SE5 it already has the plug on it for a tender under the seat. I have put a plug on the wifes RS SE5.
 
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