Battery Tender Usage

[TNT1962]

I purchased a 2006 GS a few months ago. I travel a lot with my job and am away from home for extended periods of time. I have already come home once, ready to ride, only to find the battery dead. I have a Battery Tender Plus that I use for my bicycle batteries. It came with a cable that can be connected directly to a motorcycle battery; it has a quick disconnect so it can be left connected to the battery (tucked under the seat). Can the Battery Tender be used that way on the GS or does the battery need to be disconnected? I don't want to fry anything!! Is anyone using this configuration?

[marc]

Yes, your battery tender can be used that way. I've an SAE pigtail connected to the battery that I use for my charger, headed gear, air pump, etc. When not in use it is tucked under the small black access panel on the left side of the bike.

FYI: it varies from bike to bike, but the idle current draw is enough to drain the battery so it won't start the bike in 3-6 weeks of non-operation. Either use a tender or disconnect the ground lead from the battery.

// marc

[TNT1962]

Thanks Marc!! I will get it hooked up and keep the battery topped off.

[dan-c]

Originally Posted by marc

FYI: it varies from bike to bike, but the idle current draw is enough to drain the battery so it won't start the bike in 3-6 weeks of non-operation. Either use a tender or disconnect the ground lead from the battery.

// marc

Howdy. What do you mean by idle current draw? Meaning there is always a draw on the system?
I ask because when I reinstalled the negative battery cable (after installing a Stebel horn, and I also unhooked the horn and still saw the spark) I saw a spark that I was not expecting to see.

[marc]

Originally Posted by dan-c

Howdy. What do you mean by idle current draw? Meaning there is always a draw on the system?
I ask because when I reinstalled the negative battery cable (after installing a Stebel horn, and I also unhooked the horn and still saw the spark) I saw a spark that I was not expecting to see.

Yes, there is always a draw on the system. The question is how much? I think the "normal" amount is around 7 ma (but I don't remember where that number came from and could be full of crap ). That is the power necessary to keep the various controllers happy. Without it you loose your clock, trip odometers, and certain operating parameters used by the engine management system.

7 ma is enough to drain about 1/2 of your battery about 5 weeks. I don't think your bike will start with 1/2 the battery gone.

[dan-c]

Originally Posted by marc

Yes, there is always a draw on the system. The question is how much? I think the "normal" amount is around 7 ma (but I don't remember where that number came from and could be full of crap ). That is the power necessary to keep the various controllers happy. Without it you loose your clock, trip odometers, and certain operating parameters used by the engine management system.

7 ma is enough to drain about 1/2 of your battery about 5 weeks. I don't think your bike will start with 1/2 the battery gone.

So would that (0.007A) be enough to cause a spark or has anyone else experienced this when reinstalling the negative cable

[marc]

Originally Posted by dan-c

So would that (0.007A) be enough to cause a spark or has anyone else experienced this when reinstalling the negative cable

I don't think there is an answer to your question as while a constant draw of .007A (assuming that is the correct number) might exist the instantaneous draw when power is connected could be much more. If every capacitor in every controller was drained, for example, and the atmospheric conditions were correct and you stuttered just right when connecting the negative lead then I suspect there could be a spark.

There could also be a spark because the average draw is a lot more than 0.007A.

Disconnect the cable again and put an ammeter in line and you'll know... no guessing necessary. If the draw, after a possible spark, is less than 0.010 amp (I just made that number up) I'd not worry about things too much. A 0.010 amp draw will drain 1/4 of your battery in about 300 hours. That will give you a rough idea of how long you can let the bike sit without a charger. I'm assuming a 12 AH battery and that a drain of 1/4 will still allow you to start the bike.

If your draw is greater than 0.10 amp I'd look for problems.

// marc

[dan-c]

Originally Posted by marc

I don't think there is an answer to your question as while a constant draw of .007A (assuming that is the correct number) might exist the instantaneous draw when power is connected could be much more. If every capacitor in every controller was drained, for example, and the atmospheric conditions were correct and you stuttered just right when connecting the negative lead then I suspect there could be a spark.

There could also be a spark because the average draw is a lot more than 0.007A.

Disconnect the cable again and put an ammeter in line and you'll know... no guessing necessary. If the draw, after a possible spark, is less than 0.010 amp (I just made that number up) I'd not worry about things too much. A 0.010 amp draw will drain 1/4 of your battery in about 300 hours. That will give you a rough idea of how long you can let the bike sit without a charger. I'm assuming a 12 AH battery and that a drain of 1/4 will still allow you to start the bike.

If your draw is greater than 0.10 amp I'd look for problems.

// marc

Thanks I'll dig out the multimeter
dan

[marc]

Oops. I lost a zero on my last sentence, above. I'd look for problems if the draw was greater than 0.010 amp, not 0.10 as was written.

// marc

[dan-c]

Apparently it isn't an issue. It's been off of the charger for days and cranks right up.