Disconnect battery before putting it on tender?

k9bdm

k9bdm

Member
Hey I disconnected my battery and put it on a battery tender yesterday. Just wondering if I would be alright with just leaving everything connected to the battery and simply place the battery tender on it? Or should I disconnect everything every time when I place a tender on it? Also how often do you place the tender on your battery? Been hearing if your not riding for about ten days to connect tender to it. Only reason I ask is I dont want to damage the terminals or electrical system itself along with the wiring connected to the battery or strip something out thats all?
 
Bigdogms

Bigdogms

Member
I always have the tender attached and plugged in, just plug and play like said. With the sensitivity of the electrics on theses bikes, I have always heard to keep the battery fully charged and in the bike otherwise you are asking for issues.
 
chacha

chacha

Chaff Your EHC!!
Calendar Participant
Leave it connected -- I've been doing that for years without any problems.
 
coachk

coachk

Active Member
You don't need to take the battery out or disconnect any of the cables. Just plug and play or if you haven't attached the plug, just attach the alligator clips to the battery.

.
 
mzinna

mzinna

Zman
I have had mine for five years now and have Always left the battery connected and Always have the tender on it if I am not riding it... summer, fall, winter and spring....:cheers:
 
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Pete F

Member
So I have read all your Posts on battery issues. Just need a confirmation as I ama new BDM owner. Own a 2007, K9...carburetor. Is it really safe to use a battery tender? So many mixed reviews. If so what is the most reliable tender you all feel is safe for our bikes? TIA!
 
No H2O

No H2O

Active Member
Pete F said:
So I have read all your Posts on battery issues. Just need a confirmation as I ama new BDM owner. Own a 2007, K9...carburetor. Is it really safe to use a battery tender? So many mixed reviews. If so what is the most reliable tender you all feel is safe for our bikes? TIA!
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Absolutely safe to use a tinder or you could do like me and ride the bike everyday!
 
mleach72

mleach72

Well-Known Member
Pete F said:
So I have read all your Posts on battery issues. Just need a confirmation as I ama new BDM owner. Own a 2007, K9...carburetor. Is it really safe to use a battery tender? So many mixed reviews. If so what is the most reliable tender you all feel is safe for our bikes? TIA!
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Putting a tender on my battery with it hooked up kills the battery in about a month. I have read that the '05's and maybe some '06's have an EHC that draws a small amount of current when the bike is sitting. This was changed on later years. I think it's this constant charge/discharge that prematurely ages the battery. You should be ok with an '07.
 
Jwooky

Jwooky

Well-Known Member
mleach72 said:
Putting a tender on my battery with it hooked up kills the battery in about a month. I have read that the '05's and maybe some '06's have an EHC that draws a small amount of current when the bike is sitting. This was changed on later years. I think it's this constant charge/discharge that prematurely ages the battery. You should be ok with an '07.
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This doesn't quite make sense. All the EHC's did have a small key off current draw. But keeping them topped up would be the best thing you could do. It would not kill the battery in a month.

If that were true, there would be a lot of BDM's out there killing batteries, and this site would be flooded with them.

You must have something else going on. Could you tender have an issue where its constantly over charging?
 
mleach72

mleach72

Well-Known Member
Jwooky said:
This doesn't quite make sense. All the EHC's did have a small key off current draw. But keeping them topped up would be the best thing you could do. It would not kill the battery in a month.

If that were true, there would be a lot of BDM's out there killing batteries, and this site would be flooded with them.

You must have something else going on. Could you tender have an issue where its constantly over charging?
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Nope, the tender works great. It's a harley supersmart. The Yuasa I have in the big dog is 7 years old and still going strong. I keep the tender on the battery over the winter. I just have to disconnect the leads. Every spring, I hook it back up and the bike fires right up. When I first got the tender, I killed 3 brand new batteries in a few months by keeping the tender on the battery with it hooked up. I use the tender on my Harley a lot too. I don't have to disconnect the battery on it, and it works just fine. That battery is 4 years old and still working good. So, it has to be something that the bdm electrical system doesn't like.
 
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Pete F

Member
WOW, again lots of answers across the board! Thank you allWas hoping not to have to disconnect leads everytime I wanted to put a trickle charge on her! I do ride her every couple days, my Indian is getting a little jealous! Guess I still need more ansers/clarifications to make an informed decision! Is there any viable way to put a +/- disconnect in line so you can just flip a switch instead of dis-connecting leads? TIA!
 
john sachs

john sachs

Well-Known Member
Not saying it will happen, BUT being a firefighter for 32 years, and fighting several structure fires that were started by battery trickle chargers that ran consistently, I always disconnect mine after a few hours of charging.;)
John
 

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mleach72

mleach72

Well-Known Member
Pete F said:
WOW, again lots of answers across the board! Thank you allWas hoping not to have to disconnect leads everytime I wanted to put a trickle charge on her! I do ride her every couple days, my Indian is getting a little jealous! Guess I still need more ansers/clarifications to make an informed decision! Is there any viable way to put a +/- disconnect in line so you can just flip a switch instead of dis-connecting leads? TIA!
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I'm not sure why my bike is different, but it just doesn't like the battery hooked up with the tender on it. I'm the original owner, so I know that the electrical system hasn't been hacked up. Other than this tender problem, the bike has given me no sign that there is a problem with the electrical system. Everything works exactly as it should, and the bike fires up every time. If it sits for 3 or 4 weeks, it will turn over slow, but it's always been that way since brand new. The manual even states that the bike may not start if it sits for a month or so. When I killed those 3 batteries, the bike probably only had 5 or 6k miles on it, so it isn't like it had a lot of wear and tear on it. I don't know. If someone has an answer, I'm all ears!
 
john sachs

john sachs

Well-Known Member
4 common ways a battery goes dead.
Not enough battery (cranking amps) (Battery has to work too hard) re: electrical system.
An electrical draw. ( could be as simple as start, stop, start, stop, without giving it a chance to reach an acceptable charge).
A poor charging system. (rotor, stator, voltage regulator).
Age.
 
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