An option if you lack electric for battery charging

[MisterP]

My condo has outside parking with no electric for battery charging or a battery tender. Due to an injury I’m not able to ride as much and was concerned about the battery.

I own a Schumacher Electric 1,200-Amp Car Battery Jump Starter I used to keep with my RV. It has several handy features including an AC inverter. My Spyder has a full cover, so I put the charger on the front seat and connected a 800 mA Deltran Battery Tender between it and a 12v outlet I have on the dash. The Schumacher has a digital meter that showed 22 watts when I plugged it in.

I have it charging now and will leave it for the afternoon. Decided to post this as an option for those folks without access to electric. I hope to be riding soon so I didn’t want to go through pulling the battery.

 

[UtahPete]

My condo has outside parking with no electric for battery charging or a battery tender. I own a Schumacher Electric 1,200-Amp Car Battery Jump Starter ... It has several handy features including an AC inverter. My Spyder has a full cover, so I put the charger on the front seat and connected a 800 mA Deltran Battery Tender between it and a 12v outlet I have on the dash.

So, you're using the battery in the Schumacher to maintain the battery in the Spyder. Will be interesting to see how long the Shumaker can maintain enough charge. Let us know how it works out after a couple weeks (and hope somebody doesn't swipe your Schumacher in the meantime!)

 

[UtahPete]

So, you're using the battery in the Schumacher to maintain the battery in the Spyder. Will be interesting to see how long the Shumaker can maintain enough charge. Let us know how it works out after a couple weeks (and hope somebody doesn't swipe your Schumacher in the meantime!)

It occurs to me, you could just run battery tender leads from your car over to the Spyder periodically to accomplish the same thing?

 

[MisterP]

So, you're using the battery in the Schumacher to maintain the battery in the Spyder. Will be interesting to see how long the Shumaker can maintain enough charge. Let us know how it works out after a couple weeks (and hope somebody doesn't swipe your Schumacher in the meantime!)

To clarify, I will be using the jumper intermittently. I have no intention of leaving it on the bike, covered or not. I am hoping a few hours now and then will keep the Spyder battery topped off. I’m just trying to overcome the parasitic battery drain over time.

 

[Easy Rider]

I’m just trying to overcome the parasitic battery drain over time.

Assuming that the resting voltage of the charged up jump pack is slightly higher than the voltage of the Spyder battery, you should be able to accomplish about the same thing by connecting the "jump" leads directly to the Spyder battery.......for 30 minutes to an hour occasionally.

But then.......IF the voltage of the Spyder battery measures 12.7 or higher, you don't need to do ANYTHING.

 

[Sarge707]

To clarify, I will be using the jumper intermittently. I have no intention of leaving it on the bike, covered or not. I am hoping a few hours now and then will keep the Spyder battery topped off. I’m just trying to overcome the parasitic battery drain over time.

In Venice FL I don't think a week or 2 without a charge is going to hurt?

 

[cptjam]

Simple solution

Bikers have had this problem for decades. Easy fix.
remove battery, bring indoors, put on tender. When it is no longer cold, re install. Worked for me for decades that I had no power by my bike.

 

[UtahPete]

Bikers have had this problem for decades. Easy fix...remove battery, bring indoors, put on tender. When it is no longer cold, re install. Worked for me for decades that I had no power by my bike.

RV'ers too.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Bikers have had this problem for decades. Easy fix.
remove battery, bring indoors, put on tender. When it is no longer cold, re install. Worked for me for decades that I had no power by my bike.

It doesn't get cold in Florida, remember? :clapid you by chance miss what the OP's is really saying?

Due to an injury I’m not able to ride as much and was concerned about the battery. .... I hope to be riding soon so I didn’t want to go through pulling the battery.

Pulling the battery isn't a big deal if you pull it out in the fall and put it back in in the spring. But if you're going to be riding only about once a month then that's when it can be a real nuisance. The battery will run down in a month, but pulling it out and putting it back every month is a pain in the rear.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

My condo has outside parking with no electric for battery charging or a battery tender. Due to an injury I’m not able to ride as much and was concerned about the battery.

I own a Schumacher Electric 1,200-Amp Car Battery Jump Starter I used to keep with my RV. It has several handy features including an AC inverter. My Spyder has a full cover, so I put the charger on the front seat and connected a 800 mA Deltran Battery Tender between it and a 12v outlet I have on the dash. The Schumacher has a digital meter that showed 22 watts when I plugged it in.

I have it charging now and will leave it for the afternoon. Decided to post this as an option for those folks without access to electric. I hope to be riding soon so I didn’t want to go through pulling the battery.

I see that as a workable solution with one caveat. I have a Battery Bug on my Spyder and it starts beeping when the battery voltage drops to 12.0. I then connect up my 1.5 amp NAPA battery charger/maintainer. But it takes more than just a few hours to bring the battery back up to full voltage. I can't say for certain but I think it's more on the order of 2 or 3 days. If I were you I would get a heavy full cover for your Spyder like a Guardian, put the jump starter on the seat, cover the bike, and leave it for 2 or 3 days. Unless you have a lot of really rotten people in your area you should be safe. If you snug the cover down good nobody will even notice there's something on the seat and thus not walk off with it. At least that's the way I think.

 

[Highwayman2013]

Deltran makes solar battery tenders.https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-1163-Solar-Maintainer/dp/B004Q83TGO

 

[cptjam]

Go solar!

Wire up solar. It will solve the problem. Cheap panels are available. One and done!

 

[MisterP]

It doesn't get cold in Florida, remember? :clapid you by chance miss what the OP's is really saying?


Pulling the battery isn't a big deal if you pull it out in the fall and put it back in in the spring. But if you're going to be riding only about once a month then that's when it can be a real nuisance. The battery will run down in a month, but pulling it out and putting it back every month is a pain in the rear.

Thank you for being the person who understood my message. The other advice can be useful in different situations, but not mine. Solar might be an option eventually but I’m hoping the riding will resume soon.

 

[Easy Rider]

In Venice FL I don't think a week or 2 without a charge is going to hurt?

If your battery is healthy and fully charged starting out, it should be fine for more than a couple of weeks regardless of where you live.

BUT.....moderate cold is better on a battery than HEAT is. They often last longer in the north than in the south.