Battery maintaining

[stollydriver]

Is anyone keeping a maintained on the battery and if so - are you direct to battery terminals via gly lead?

 

[stollydriver]

Should be fly lead and maintainer eg optimate

 

[JRock]

I keep a Delran battery tender connected with a pigtail directly to the battery.
I'll probably disconnect it soon, as the night temps will be staying above 60.

 

[Boog]

I would expect this to be like any other motorcycle. If I remember right, my dealer, on a test ride, said Triumph is uses an AGM battery. but even with anew battery, I think a trickle charger should be used if you are not going to be riding for two weeks or so. The electronics seem to drain a battery just sitting these days, cars or bikes.

 

[sonny]

Due to the fact that may not be able to ride for a bit from upcoming surgery i am now interested in topic.

 

[barbagris]

1st off - it really matters what sort of battery.
But if you are expecting PROLONGED inactivity. DISCONNECT IT.

I am NOT a fan of permanent connection. A good maintenance device is NOT a trickle charger. I should actually stop charging. But ime they are not as good as one expects. They CAN indeed induce surface charging - i.e you have 13V but no amps. A really good maintainer actually discharges and recharges the battery.
M/C batteries are not big so the are much easier to damage than a 90-100AH car battery.

It also matters whether it's Wet, AGM, Gel or LiFePO4. imo after many years of laying up here or there .
It's often simpler and cheaper to disconnect the battery - attach the charger every couple of weeks for 5 minutes and then reconnect when you're ready to rock.

And if you expect a 6 month lay up. Chuck the battery and get a new one later.

 

[Larry_M]

My local dealer told me every spring they sell a lot of batteries to people who charged them to death during winter.
He says one or two charges during the off season is plenty and batteries and oil(changes) are the two prime overthinking subjects with MC owners.

 

[R3RM]

Interesting.
The mechanic of my previous bike (an Indian Roadmaster) told me that either decision is good i.e. either keep the maintainer (e.g. an Optimate 3) connected around the clock or connect it only punctually.
I used to keep it connected non-stop except when I was away at least 2 weeks. Never had any problem with the original battery (kept the bike 3,5 years).
I wonder what the Triumph mechanic will tell me...

 

[Larry_M]

Perhaps purely anectodal, but i have been IT-tech at university for 20 years, and the laptop batteries that generally perform best after a few years are the ones that get cycled. There are some who use their laptops 99% tethered to their desk and they generally perform worse.

 

[FE_rex]

Laptop and lead-acid are two different animals.
Lead acid / agm worst enemy - low charge for extended periods of time.
2nd worst enemy - chargers with no charge control. Not unusual to see 16+ volts if this type charger left on for long time periods.
Best friend - ride trips of 30+ miles every day
2nd best friend- battery maintainer that floats IE cuts of at full charge. Some even have de-sulfonater function. Deltran makes some good ones called tenders
Just FYI- if it advertises more than a couple amps charging capacity - make REAL sure is is a maintainer