Leaving battery charger on in bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

Leaving battery charger on in bike

Vontwowheels

Well-known member
Hy guys, I bought a Noco G750, a 0.75A charger/maintainer and used the eyelets to run up under the seat with the quick disconnect included and left that on the bike while it’s in the garage.
any downsides to me leaving the charger connected while the battery is connected to the bike?
I know car batteries it’s not a huge concern especially at this amperage but less going on in the bike.
thank
Glenn
 
Hy guys, I bought a Noco G750, a 0.75A charger/maintainer and used the eyelets to run up under the seat with the quick disconnect included and left that on the bike while it’s in the garage.
any downsides to me leaving the charger connected while the battery is connected to the bike?
I know car batteries it’s not a huge concern especially at this amperage but less going on in the bike.

It's got nothing to do with the amperage. Your model is a maintainer, so it will taper off the amperage so you won't overcharge the battery. So it'll be safe to leave it on all the time.

Even a tiny trickle charger will eventually boil the electrolyte off a car battery if left on long enough, if it doesn't have circuitry that senses when the charge on the battery is topped up.
 
I just start my bike at least once a month for about 5 min during winter...

not really sure what this does.....

it won't charge the battery

it don't get the bike up to temp

it just sloshes old oil around for no good reason

since it does not get up to temp, it probably just creates condensation in areas you don't want.

Probably other things as well....

just get a proper tender, hook up to battery, plug into wall, and leave it all alone until your ready to go out and start your season...

at least it's how I do it....

ohhh and I do the same as CHRIS63, when I come back from a ride I just plug in the tender, and never worry about a weak battery...

.
 
Semi hijack --
My tender jr is not giving a steady green, it's flickering. Does that mean it's effed? (I may have asked this somewhere before and completely forgot the answer)

Sent from my purple G4 using Tapatalk
 
Hi Joe, if you unplug it, leave it for a bit, and plug it back in...does it start off flashing red then solid red then flashing green but doesn’t get to solid green?

Do you have a multimeter?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's got nothing to do with the amperage. Your model is a maintainer, so it will taper off the amperage so you won't overcharge the battery. So it'll be safe to leave it on all the time.

Even a tiny trickle charger will eventually boil the electrolyte off a car battery if left on long enough, if it doesn't have circuitry that senses when the charge on the battery is topped up.

Trickle charger .... such an unfortunate term ... tells really nothing what the charger is setup to do or not. That's what counts ... if it doesn't stop charging when cells reach certain voltage, it doesn't matter what it's called, but for sure should not be left plugged in permanently.
 
not really sure what this does.....

it won't charge the battery

it don't get the bike up to temp

it just sloshes old oil around for no good reason

since it does not get up to temp, it probably just creates condensation in areas you don't want.

Probably other things as well....

just get a proper tender, hook up to battery, plug into wall, and leave it all alone until your ready to go out and start your season...

at least it's how I do it....

ohhh and I do the same as CHRIS63, when I come back from a ride I just plug in the tender, and never worry about a weak battery...

.
Starting the bike and running it for 5 minutes a month will charge and sustain your battery over the winter. If your charging system is working, your bike is charging as soon as it fires. Most likely above 14.25v at idle, 14.75v at high idle.

There is no need to worry about condensation in the winter, RH is too low to condense moisture inside your bike.

Just do it on days that are around zero to reduce cranking. I have 4 bikes that have never seen a tender, my '08 SS still has the factory battery, my other 3 batteries are at least 5 years old and still work like new. I start each bike and run it for about 10 minutes each month thru the winter.

In the GTA the average daytime temperature is 0C, hardly cold enough to worry a battery. Sure it gets colder, but there are plenty of days in the 2 coldest months where temps are at zero -- start your bike on those days and you will be fine.
 
Starting the bike and running it for 5 minutes a month will charge and sustain your battery over the winter. If your charging system is working, your bike is charging as soon as it fires. Most likely above 14.25v at idle, 14.75v at high idle.

There is no need to worry about condensation in the winter, RH is too low to condense moisture inside your bike.

Just do it on days that are around zero to reduce cranking. I have 4 bikes that have never seen a tender, my '08 SS still has the factory battery, my other 3 batteries are at least 5 years old and still work like new. I start each bike and run it for about 10 minutes each month thru the winter.

In the GTA the average daytime temperature is 0C, hardly cold enough to worry a battery. Sure it gets colder, but there are plenty of days in the 2 coldest months where temps are at zero -- start your bike on those days and you will be fine.
It's not the humidity that causes condensation but the byproduct of combustion.

Even though it might be a charging voltage, doesn't mean it has enough current to charge.

I'm with GateKeeper.
 
It's not the humidity that causes condensation but the byproduct of combustion.

Even though it might be a charging voltage, doesn't mean it has enough current to charge.

I'm with GateKeeper.
If your bike is putting out more than 13.5 volts, it's charging. At idle, at least 50 watts of surplus power. Step that up to fast idle and you'll have 150+ +12amps) to spare -- plenty to charge your battery.

You are right there is combustion creates moisture, however in the winter the cold dry air will suck that up in no time.

This topic is not really worth arguing about. Folks that start periodically over the winter seem do just fine, so do the tenderizers. Choose your poison, they both work.
 
If your bike is putting out more than 13.5 volts, it's charging. At idle, at least 50 watts of surplus power. Step that up to fast idle and you'll have 150+ +12amps) to spare -- plenty to charge your battery.

You are right there is combustion creates moisture, however in the winter the cold dry air will suck that up in no time.

This topic is not really worth arguing about. Folks that start periodically over the winter seem do just fine, so do the tenderizers. Choose your poison, they both work.
Have you factored in 2 headlights, probably 4 spark plugs, marker lights & tail lights?
 
Have you factored in 2 headlights, probably 4 spark plugs, marker lights & tail lights?
Yes, however not may bikes run both lights. Bikes running dual headlights (mostly touring and STs) have big alternators, they will have no trouble charging at fast idle.

Too much fuss. Bikes are away for 5 months - a fully charged battery should last that long with zero attention. I didn't start by Busa all winter because of how I had her parked -- she has the OE battery, 9 years old, and she started up just fine after a 5 month hibernation.

Look after your battery by making sure she is fully charged in the fall AND you have no power leakage on your bike. If your battery is in spec and your late model bike is stored in the GTA, it too should fire up after a 5 month hibernation.
 
I just start my bike at least once a month for about 5 min during winter...

No. No no no no no. Just NO.

Everything Gatekeeper said. Starting a bike in the winter without actually getting out and bringing things up to full operating temperature afterwards just does more harm than good, contrary to what people still insist on thinking.

If you aren't going to take the bike out and ride for at least 15-20 minutes, don't start the bike. Keep a proper battery tender on it and leave it alone.

Starting the bike and running it for 5 minutes a month will charge and sustain your battery over the winter. If your charging system is working, your bike is charging as soon as it fires.

Nope. That's a woefully incorrect blanket statement most certainly does not apply to all bikes, specially those with stator based charging systems that barely charge the battery at riding speed, much less sitting.

And many bike alternators are barely adequate to begin with, and again, do not make any significant amperage at idle speed, despite showing a positive voltage. Starting the bike can easily cause a greater loss in state of charge than what even 10-15 minutes idling can recoup, if it manages at all.

Look after your battery by making sure she is fully charged in the fall AND you have no power leakage on your bike. If your battery is in spec and your late model bike is stored in the GTA, it too should fire up after a 5 month hibernation.

Again, incorrect blanket statement. Glad all your bikes apparently have little to no phantom loads, but again, not all bikes apply.

Also, lead acid batteries self discharge at a rate of 5% per month, meaning the average rider who's bike is left idle for 6 months is losing 30% of the batteries charge just sitting, assuming zero phantom load. Add in a small phantom load and that same battery could be at a 50% SOC, or less.

Enough to still start the bike in the spring? Maybe, if it fires right off, but maybe not if it wasn't tended to over the winter with occasional top-ups.

Then there's the reality that depth of discharge effects the lifespan of a battery.

The tried and true method of ensuring a powersport battery remains healthy is proper use of a battery tender (NOT a trickle charger), long story short. All other methods have downsides, or do not apply universally. Putting a battery on a tender is NEVER a bad thing.
 
Another vote for Don't Start Your Bike In The Winter For 5 Minutes.

I don't believe the moisture/condensation will cause *that* much damage to the engine

Water, even just a droplet of it. can cause a crap-ton of damage to bearing surfaces and piston walls in a split second - water doesn't lubricate well, but it can and does wash away the often microscopic film of oil protecting wear surfaces, and all it takes is a split second without that important oil in sensitive places to do damage.

I have some pistons in my garage from one of our old Jetskis that show the results of water scouring from a previous owner who didn't follow the rules of marine engines..and I was the lucky guy who bought that problem and ended up having to fix it because the compression on that one cylinder slowly decreased to the point of struggling to fire anymore.

On a motorcycle, sure, it's concealed in the engine and the owner would have no idea it's occurred unless they tear down the engine and inspect bearing surfaces, pistons, and cylinder walls..and it's not going to happen to the extent of a marine engine. And it may never cause an issue in the life of the bike, or at least the duration that they own it.

But it's there. Guaranteed.
 

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