[AZroaddust]

I have done a search on this forum, but my question didn't get anwered. I'm thinking about getting a battery tender because being in a 130 deg. F garage is probably as hard or harder on the battery than -20 deg. F in Fargo.

I started my internet looking last night and see such items all over the board price-wise from $39.00 to over $100.00. Any of you folks have a recommendation on a reasonably priced one that works and will last at least 5 years from your experience?

Happy Independence Day and thanks in advance,

[skull2007]

i've been using a Deltran Jr. which so far has been working fine. think it ran around 35.00. once you put the piggy back devise onto the battery then tuck it into the frame somewhere you just plug the main unit into it when you get home. i've dropped it more then just a few times onto the concrete and it still works. it's a low amp output trickle charge. these units seem to enjoy a good reputation and are said to extend battery life by a couple years

[Hot01]

I have the battery tender junior that they sell at H-D dealerships. I've had it so long I can't even remember how much it cost. $40 maybe? I also have the SAE cable (I think that's what it's called) permanently mounted to the battery and tie wrapped to my frame so I can hook it up if I need to. I only use it once a month in the winter when I'm not riding. I like it because it has the red and green lights and you know when it's done.

The thing that's also pretty cool is that you can get adapters for that cable so you can get a cigarette lighter adapter hooked up to it so if you're on a long trip you can charge your phone or iPod while you're riding. I got that from Whitehorse Gear, and the name of the manufacturer is Powerlet.

[ironhorse]

got a few one is a solar one another is an old electric chair tender/charger i converted the other one i use is for tricle charging but it is 2 amp

[Sleepy]

I've had two for six years now..[I won the yuasa at a toy run] after I had bought the battery tender ..they're both great. I've used the battery tender to keep the battery in the Mustang topped up over the winter.

[kenfuzed]

The Harley battery charger is made for them by Deltran who makes the original Battery Tender. I've used both the full size and Jr. size and they all work great.

[AZroaddust]

Thanks for your excellent input everyone! I was leaning towards the BT Jr. but intentionally did not mention it. Doing so always seems to tilt the input one way or the other. Kinda like the bogus questions on political polls, or the "Have you stopped beating your wife"? questions.


Thank you E-Bay. NIB 5 year warranty $25.90 including shipping!
eBay Motors: Deltran Motorcycle Car Maintain Battery Tender Jr (item 190234166188 end time Jul-12-08 21:01:23 PDT)

[AZroaddust]

I got the BT Jr. Easy to hook up (only took me over a &^*+#HOUR)!!

Short Fat Fingers and a SHORT Negative cable are bad enough to mess with, but the stupid chrome battery box takes more dang time to get on right than anything!

Now I know why most H-D mech's have long skinny fingers!

I did get it on E-Bay brand new and with free freight for 25 bucks.

[chucktx]

very good price!! and now that it is installed, you will be happy!!!

[SPORSTERBOY]

don't know about the chargers, but I have the original battery in my o3, never put it on a charge and gone through 4 winters here. only ride'n about 4-6 months a year. I would say get a better battery.

[AZroaddust]

Originally Posted by SPORSTERBOY

don't know about the chargers, but I have the original battery in my 03, never put it on a charge and gone through 4 winters here. only ride'n about 4-6 months a year. I would say get a better battery.

120 deg. F in the grage for 6 months isn't the same as being parked in Spokane, even in the winter. This has to be the battery salesmans' capital of the world, (or maybe Abu Daubi).

Cold isn't good for batteries but heat is worse. We've been in tripple digits for 3 -4 weeks already and our hot weather isn't due until late July - early August.

I bought a new battery about 4-5 months ago. The Battery Tender was solid red (charging) for over 6 hours last evening, then it hit the >80% mark (blinking green). By this morning it was fully charged. That sorta tells me it doesn't fully charge on short trips. The general consensus is it takes 35 miles of driving to recharge just from starting it.

There was also no pre-warning whan my other battery died. I went to crank it over one day and it was pushing up daises. I think that with the BT it will give an indication of when it's not taking a charge properly.

[SPORSTERBOY]

how do you even get out and ride at 120, geeeze that's frigin hot, and you say it's still going to get hoter almost sounds like a tire salesman's dream spot too.

[CD]

I use Deltrans on my trailer batteries, generator battery and used them on all my bikes. My 02RK had the original battery in it when I sold it and it still passed the battery load test.
Talk about hot, I was riding that day in June 1990 when it hit 117 in Tucson. Sky Harbor in PHX was shutdown due to the taxiways getting soft (asphalt). I was west of Tucson on a loop ride going from Tucson to Ajo to Gila Bend and back down I10. By Kitt Peak I had already stopped and drank half my water and by the time I hit the Sells area I decided it was a little too warm and headed back stopping at Kitt Peak to kill off the water. The pavement was getting soft and the AZ road snakes were bitin' hard. Remember them out by Oatman SK? I got to a place called three points and bought two liters of cold water and a gallon off the shelf. Soaked myself with the gallon, drenched my long sleeve shirt and killed the two liters. Waited until I was sweating again and headed toward town. By Ryan airfield I was cookin' again so pulled in and sat at the bar and just said "water" and the bar keep kept them coming until I asked for a Bud. She asks what I was doing and I told her I was riding out by Sells. She looked at me like I was nuts and showed me the airfield temp which was about 111 at ten or so in the morning! she said that Sells runs anywhere from 3-5 degrees hotter so it was probably 115 or so... and this was still before the peak of the day. Stayed until I felt rehydrated and headed to the house. Grabbed a cold six pack and hit the pool in the shade. Soaked up that water until the siz pack was gone and I felt a little cooler.
Bein' an AZ desert rat growing up in Phoenix in the South Mountain foothills I knew how to recognize my heat stress levels and that was way to close to heat exhaustion for me. I always rode with a long sleeve shirt in the summer usually open and it keeps the sun off and actually keeps you cooler not to mention less cooked. A good trick I learned from early on was to soak my shirt with water when it was really hot. Works great as an evap cooler for a few miles.

[AZroaddust]

Originally Posted by SPORSTERBOY

how do you even get out and ride at 120, geeeze that's frigin hot, and you say it's still going to get hoter almost sounds like a tire salesman's dream spot too.

Yeah, I think its any automotive/motorcycle/air conditioning, etc. mechanics dream spot.

I didn't mean to intimate we had hit 120 YET. I think our highest was 118 so far, but we will get there in a few weeks,

Riding is actually fun especially at night. It may still be 100+ but the intensity of the sun isn't there and it actually feels good as long as you are moving. When you have to stop and sit at a red light it's a bitch for sure.

I tend to do most riding early morning (weekends) and evenings (weekdays) during the summer.

By the way, I lived in Kent, Enumclaw, and Vancouver, WA before we moved to Phoenix, and I still get to Spokane about 3-4 times a year. The wife and I are giving some serious consideration to moving there or just across the WA-ID border someplace. I miss the Northwest but can't handle west of the Cascades anymore.

[AZroaddust]

CD: Excellent recountance of reality down here.

I couldn't do beer though being that dehydrated. I'd just get a headache. I constantly have 20+ OZ Thermos insulated cup full of water and ice and drink constantly all day. Some folks have no idea of how bad dehydration can be, but it sounds like you know all about it. This really is a different world down here.

South Mountain Foothills, eah? I live in Mountain Park Ranch on a preserve lot in--------The South Mountain Foothills!

[SPORSTERBOY]

funny, I came up from tucson about 4 years ago, can't stand it here anymore, all they do is keep coming up with new laws and tax's, I would chose post falls, or coeur d'alene Id. over spokane. doesn't matter now, I'm planing to move now by nov. to lake jackson,tx [houston area]

[HellBoy]

I tried Harley's "Hydration" jacket on a 300 mile ride this weekend. It's a perforated mesh design that has four pouches that you soak with water and put in the jacket, keeping you hydrated. It's a great idea and does actually work, except the sleeves are a little tight and have no hydration packets. The packets stay for hours and hours. If I was in your situation I'd try having a tailor cut the sleeves off the Hydration jacket and wear a light long sleeve shirt under it. That. or put a cotton liner in the sleeves.

Stay cool my friends!

[hotroadking]

The nice thing too about the Battery Tender is they are made in USA, right up the road from me in Deltona FL.

I agree FL heat kills batteries in no time.

Battery tender is on my bike, and I use it from time to time.