battery charger

anyone recommend any type of batter charger to keep my batter going over the winter?

 

I own a Schumacher speedcharge maintainer. It's rated at 1.5 amp maintenance charge. I have attached the post pigtails to the battery and when I need to, I just plug it into the connector that is tucked under the seat. Haven't had any problems with this setup so far.

 

yeah i was just looking at that one, are the motorcycle batteries 6 or 12v?

 

Depends on how old, and what the bike is.
You need to give a bit more info on the bike. Also, from the sounds of it you should get an owners manual, that way you can look up what things you need to do to keep the bike maintained.
Where will the bike be kept, heated or unheated, inside or outside?
Lots of different ways to prep a bike for winter, but we need to know a bit more.
Look at other posters signatures, bike, location, stuff like that helps us help you.

 

I just have a cheap trickle charger from Harbor Freight. Don't know if they have those wherever you are, but I haven't had any problems with it. I like it because it turns itself off when the battery is charged, so I've just left it on there many times.

 

I use a .750 amp charger on my bike. It charges it up in no time and the amperage is perfect for keeping your battery over the winter. I have even used it on my marine batteries. I found that it is perfect for batteries that don't want to take a charge. Had a marine battery that I could put on a regular charger and it would not charge up. Threw this thing on and 24 hrs latter it was charged and have never had a problem with it since! The independent biker store I go to told me to stay under 1.25 Amps when charging bike batteries.

 

I've used one of those trickle chargers with the pigtail off the battery since I bought a AGM battery I haven't needed it in all honesty I will never buy another type of battery again.Holds a charge for what seems like forever.The pigtail is still useful for my slime compressor tyre repair kit.

 

yeah maxim-x i do need a owners manual. i got this bike only a few months ago and still trying to learn about it, its a 82 yamaha xj550 the PO said it has 16,000 miles on it like it says on the tach. The bike is going to be kept inside unheated but i think i might throw some type of heater in the garage so it helps out a little bit and i also live in southeastern ohio..

 

Hey tuba, well I wouldn't worry too much about a heater unless you are working on the bike, been there, done that. But if you can store the battery indoors and put it on an automatic trickle charger then you should have a good battery come spring/nice weather.
Look for one that not only charges, but "cycles" the battery like this one for example:
http://batterytender.com/?gclid=CP3k3-K ... MgodsDkAKA
You don't have to get a battery tender, but get one that just does not charge it like some of the old chargers our parents used on there cars.
I can remember my dad hooking up a charger in the winter and having to go out and monitor how much it had charged so that it didn't "cook" the battery dry.
Anyway, keep us informed on how you're doing with the bike and we'll try and help where we can.

 

I would have to agree with the recomendation to stay under 1.5A; I use a 0.75A "Battery Tender Jr." for over-winter battery maintenance.

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-XM ... p/15140193

this is what im looking at getting only because its available in my area

 

So is this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Battery-Tende ... gMethod=rr (link on the same page you posted.)

The 1.5A unit will "cook" your battery if you leave it completely unattended and just let it "do its thing." I believe the actual spec for our batteries is 1.2A max.

I have a Schumacher 1.5A charger. It's great for a "quick charge" when you can keep an eye on things. No so much for "maintaining." Go with something 'lighter' AMP-wise.

 

yeah I actually just read that too, I'm headed to sears to get the battery tender jr 12v .075A. There on sale right now

 

I used a Battery Tender Jr for several years and it does an OK job, however if the voltage on your battery goes low enough for some reason they drop off line.
The battery Tender Plus is a much better charger with new circuit monitoring technology. You can go to their website and read about it. You can find the B/T+ on Ebay new for less than 45 bucks.
Stay away from the Schumacher line. I went through 3 or 4 of them, they are a cheap charger and just that! The innards fry, and they give a false indication of a charged battery. Schumachers warranty and support is terrible. I threw mine away.
And what ever model you buy plug it in via a surge protector..., they are electronically sensative and need an outlet with ground! Single outlet surge protectors work great and are available for about 5 bucks.
I own three of the new Battery Tender Plus models and they work GREAT. The JR is OK...
I believe they also came out with a new JR+ model as well. They also have multi-bank models.

 

i actually got the battery tender jr. had the battery on the charger for about half a day or so cant remember but it charged it up better than new