Great deal on a great Battery Tender at Canadian Tire!

[Charles Darwin]

I have a question about this charger. I just bought the Ctek (after reading the rave reviews and seeing the sale price) with the intention of hooking up the eyelets permanently to my battery so that I can simply plug in during the winter or longer-than-normal periods of inactivity. Here's the problem:

The manual states quite clearly, in multiple locations, that:
- when the battery is plugged into the vehicle, the negative (grounded?) terminal from the charger must be attached to a ground point/the engine on the bike, and NOT to the negative end of the battery.
- Both the negative and positive leads from the charger should be attached to the negative and positive leads on the battery only when the battery is NOT hooked up to the vehicle.

Is this just over-cautious? I have an older (1980's) bike, and there are no digital readouts. Am I putting it at risk by attaching the positive AND negative leads from the Ctek to their mates ON THE BATTERY, while it is still electrically attached to the bike?

[mchatel]

The manual states quite clearly, in multiple locations, that:
- when the battery is plugged into the vehicle, the negative (grounded?) terminal from the charger must be attached to a ground point/the engine on the bike, and NOT to the negative end of the battery.
- Both the negative and positive leads from the charger should be attached to the negative and positive leads on the battery only when the battery is NOT hooked up to the vehicle.

Is this just over-cautious? I have an older (1980's) bike, and there are no digital readouts. Am I putting it at risk by attaching the positive AND negative leads from the Ctek to their mates ON THE BATTERY, while it is still electrically attached to the bike?

My opinion, is that this is just being overly cautious. There is always a chance, that there will be a spark, with the last cable you connect (should be the negative cable). Batteries can emit hydrogen gas, and there is always that tiny risk that a spark could set the gas off. So, hooking the negative cable up, to another ground point (off the battery) puts some distance between that potential spark, and the battery.

I keep my "harness" connected at all times....so that if I want to hook up the trickle charger overnight, it's just a simple "plug-in".

[PaoloC]

bought it last year at the $54 sale price.... best battery tender in the world. It is also shipped with every new Ferrari and Maserati.

[Blues hurler]

I have a question about this charger. I just bought the Ctek (after reading the rave reviews and seeing the sale price) with the intention of hooking up the eyelets permanently to my battery so that I can simply plug in during the winter or longer-than-normal periods of inactivity. Here's the problem:

The manual states quite clearly, in multiple locations, that:
- when the battery is plugged into the vehicle, the negative (grounded?) terminal from the charger must be attached to a ground point/the engine on the bike, and NOT to the negative end of the battery.
- Both the negative and positive leads from the charger should be attached to the negative and positive leads on the battery only when the battery is NOT hooked up to the vehicle.

Is this just over-cautious? I have an older (1980's) bike, and there are no digital readouts. Am I putting it at risk by attaching the positive AND negative leads from the Ctek to their mates ON THE BATTERY, while it is still electrically attached to the bike?

Oops. I completely ignored this. It's been hooked to the two battery terminals since last November, no problem. I have no intention of removing it.

[koogeorge]

The CTeK 3300 is on sale at Canadian Tire again this week for $49.99 just in time for winter storage. Connect directly or remove and use clamps. The Part Source will price match if you show them a copy of the add/flyer.

[VifferFun]

Just FYI, the CTEK US3300 is on sale this week at Canadian Tire for $49.99:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

[alphaChaser]

Awesome, thanks for the heads up!

[tranna]

Good deal. I've used one for two years, on cars and bike, without problem. Also used it on UPS 12v batteries to desulphate them.

[VifferFun]

I just bought a second CTEK today They are nice little units, and I love the "quick-connect" harness that I just leave connected to my battery and routed to the tail storage compartment of my bike.

[wikeke]

read good reviews on this and was just waiting for it to go on sale,....thanks VifferFun.

[pesto_boy]

Hmm, I may be wrong here, but I would be concerned about the 3.3A charge rate. That's much too high for a motorcycle battery.
As a rule of thumb the charge rate shouldn't be higher than 10% of the battery's Ah (Amp per hour) capacity; anything over 1.5A might be too high for a small battery.
Again, I'm no expert; just going by what I've learned over the years...

[Charles Darwin]

[clutch]

Just FYI, the CTEK US3300 is on sale this week at Canadian Tire for $49.99:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

Thanks Viffer. Just picked these up on sale!

[5:12]

I'm selling a ctek charger if any of you is interested or know someone who might be. inlaws sent me one but i already got one. brand new never been used, not even taken out of it's package. pm or reply. i have it posted on the for sale section. just letting you guys know. thanks.