[007chacoy]

My garage's inside temp. is about 5-7c cold during the winter months. Is it safe to just hook up my 2A battery tender to my Nomad 1700 all winter months? (Nov. to Apr.) It has a small cable portruding on the side with same plug as the tender. I also put the bike cover on. Will it affect the bike's ECU if it's plugged that long?? The battery tender turns off automatically as soon as the battery shows 100%charged. Is this ok or should I unhook the battery and keep it inside the house? Anyone here done this with no issues?

 

[hockeynut52]

My garage's inside temp. is about 5-7c cold during the winter months. Is it safe to just hook up my 2A battery tender to my Nomad 1700 all winter months? (Nov. to Apr.) It has a small cable portruding on the side with same plug as the tender. I also put the bike cover on. Will it affect the bike's ECU if it's plugged that long?? The battery tender turns off automatically as soon as the battery shows 100%charged. Is this ok or should I unhook the battery and keep it inside the house? Anyone here done this with no issues?

Nope. It is a trckle charger. It monitors the battery and floats a small charge once the battery reaches 13 volts. I have been using a battery tender for years. As soon as I get home from a ride, I plug the bike in. I have both my Vaquero and 1500 Classic on tenders as we speak. So I say go for it you will be fine.

 

[Superdave54]

Battery Tender

I've used a battery tender on my previous Kawasaki Concours as well as the Voyager I have now with no issues. As a matter of fact, if you want to try and hurt your ECU(s), improper jumping to a car system is a great way to do it.

If you are interested in batteries, the Battery Tender website is an excellent source of information. Since the battery is a crucial element in any vehicle electrical system, it is worthwhile knowing how to keep them working properly.

I always laugh at the used motorcycle ads that say "runs great, but just needs a battery".

 

[007chacoy]

Thanks for the quick reply Superdave and HockeyNut but I noticed you guys live far from snow country. I live in Toronto where the nasty winter temp. goes to -20c sometime Jan./Feb. The owners manual says it's not safe to charge a frozen battery Also that small cable with the flat plug on the side of the bike I believe is for accessories. I have the 2011 Nomad 1700. Is that where you hook up the tender too? I tried it and the charging light lit up right away and turned off after about 30 minutes. The only time I turned on the bike was from the dealer's delivery truck straight to my garage 4 days ago. Probably the battery has not discharge that much yet? Anyway I appreciate your inputs. Thanks again.

 

[fawlty99]

Thanks for the quick reply Superdave and HockeyNut but I noticed you guys live far from snow country. I live in Toronto where the nasty winter temp. goes to -20c sometime Jan./Feb. The owners manual says it's not safe to charge a frozen battery Also that small cable with the flat plug on the side of the bike I believe is for accessories. I have the 2011 Nomad 1700. Is that where you hook up the tender too?QUOTE]

A battery tender will have it's own connector which you attach direct to the battery. You would then thread it to where it is out of the way but accessable for connecting to the charger. It's hard for me to imagine a battery freezing up given it has acid in it. Maybe check with manufacturer? Smart trickle charging might even stop it from freezing?

 

[hockeynut52]

Thanks for the quick reply Superdave and HockeyNut but I noticed you guys live far from snow country. I live in Toronto where the nasty winter temp. goes to -20c sometime Jan./Feb. The owners manual says it's not safe to charge a frozen battery Also that small cable with the flat plug on the side of the bike I believe is for accessories. I have the 2011 Nomad 1700. Is that where you hook up the tender too? I tried it and the charging light lit up right away and turned off after about 30 minutes. The only time I turned on the bike was from the dealer's delivery truck straight to my garage 4 days ago. Probably the battery has not discharge that much yet? Anyway I appreciate your inputs. Thanks again.

It should be hooked up directly to the battery. I have my connector set so it sticks out from under the seat when I am ready to charge. It should not be connected to the accessory connectors.

 

[Borsato]

I'm from Toronto too. All will be fine.

 

[Inkydoggy]

It should be fine but it is much easier on a battery if you keep it in a warm environment instead of a cold garage. I take mine out and bring it into the cellar where it stays about 65 degrees all winter and put it on the work bench with the trickle charger holding it in place all winter. I had a few batteries last over 7 years doing them this way so I figure why quit when you know it works out good.

 

[007chacoy]

Thanks for all your replies. I might just have to take the battery indoors just to be safe. My charger (maintainer from Canadian Tire store) has 2A output. I'm still trying to borrow my son's Hotsot which has less than 2A. If ever I'll use that one. The manual say use a trickle charger that should not be more than the 1/10th of the battery amp. which normally is 18ah. Anyway, I guess I have to work on this soon before the really cold temp. sets in. They're calling for -0C in the coming early days of Dec. Have a good Christmas everyone.

 

[Inkydoggy]

2 AMP is what I use all the time so yours will be okay and work great if it is also a 2 AMP charger.

 

[sfair]

Always bring the battery inside if it is, or possibly could, be exposed to freezing temperatures. If the maintainer should quit and the battery go dead, it could freeze and split the case. You would then have a mess on your hands!!!