Battery maintainer

dlycan2 · 10-30-2009, 04:16 PM

Hi, New member and first time BMW owner here.
I got my '06 K1200R about a week ago and I've been doing a lot of reading about battery chargers/maintainers.
As a long time Porsche owner, I'm very much up to speed on the necessity of using one.
I was so confused by all the comments that I bought a Battery Tender Plus.
Now for my question. Do I need to disconnect the battery while using or is it ok so long as the key remains off?

dlycan2 · 11-02-2009, 05:57 AM

Thanks!
I probably didn't ask my question correctly. I want to know if the battery must be disconnected from the bike while being charged with a Battery Tender plus? I plan to use the pigtails in any event.
Thanks again!

PAULBACH · 11-02-2009, 06:17 AM

As long as the tender is connected directly to the battery you may leave it connected for the entire winter. I hook my bike up to the battery tender after each ride. This was especially important when I owned an airhead. Airheads don't always fire at the first push of the starter.

Best place I found for a heavy duty ring attachment is at the local Harley Davidson store. Do not use alligator clips.

I blew up a good battery out in the middle of nowhere with alligator clips I had attached for permanent tending but that's another story.

dlycan2 · 11-02-2009, 08:08 AM

Thanks Paul! That's exactly what I needed to know!
Don

Clay · 11-03-2009, 08:03 AM

Had an interesting situation with my Battery Tender that I leave on after each ride..came back one day and found my battery drained but showed green on the charger... FYI..battery outlet is connected directly to the battery on my '08 K12S

PGlaves · 11-03-2009, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clay

Had an interesting situation with my Battery Tender that I leave on after each ride..came back one day and found my battery drained but showed green on the charger... FYI..battery outlet is connected directly to the battery on my '08 K12S

So what, exactly drained the battery. Is this a short in the bike story or a defective charger story, or is it related to Three Mile Island?

Clay · 11-03-2009, 09:31 AM

Don't know how to answer your question..put a 3 amp charger directly on the oem AGM battery to wake it up..'cause Battery Tender wouldn't charge battery from it's flat state..

Had dealer check out the bike..did show low battery fault(s) also performed a load test..battery showed OK..a mystery

Clay · 11-03-2009, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 58058

I would again recommend RTFM. My '09 K13S (M)anual is a tad unclear on the charging process with the accessory outlet. I think it is simply a typo on page 127 under Charging Connected Battery it says "Charge DISconnected battery via onboard socket." (should say connected?) Then goes on to say the onboard electronics know when the battery is fully charged, then it switches off the socket. The key has to be in the Off position for this, not the steering lock position. It then has instructions for Charging disconnected battery and Removing battery. The manual is specific that "Charging the connected battery directly at the battery terminals can damage the motorcycle electronics. " and advises to disconnect if you are going to do this. Though, I would think this might be in regard to the sparks that fly when connecting to the terminals, or my dealer's pre-installed pigtail would be violating this statement? And if you attach a pigtail as you say, I would think it should be no problem, like Paulbach stated.

I think you should re-read my post before answering with such an uniformed comment...the power outlet (replaced the oem acc. outlet) was installed by a( very well known DC/Wash.) BMW dealer for the very reason.."directly to the battery"..by passing any canbus issues and thus the OM doesn't apply here. FYI..bike has had no issues with about 1 year of ownership until about a week ago..

Clay · 11-04-2009, 09:09 AM

Here is a response from the dealer that I had asked about 'directly connecting to the battery'...

"We actually get that question quite frequently. In our experience we have
never had an issue with the use of chargers/mantainers directly connected to
the battery. Not quite sure why BMW says you have to do it their way other
than they want customers to buy their chargers. We actually have more
issues with their chargers working incorrectly than we do with any of the
aftermarket ones. "

FYI...this dealer installs Powerlet outlets directly to all their new bikes as part of setup..as the new owner of the bike I had no say in this until after the fact and was told this what they do to all their new bikes...

Regards,

Clay
Kimberton,Pa.

SANDYKOECK · 11-04-2009, 09:41 PM

got 2 oilheads ('96 850 R and 1100RT), and MY instructions from the dealer (actually his longterm mechanic!) was to use the battery tender about every 6-8 weeks until green light comes on!
I go through the accessory outlet, ignition off, and so far it worked without a problem for many years!
Also advised, that ideal temerature for a battery is 40 F, which happens to be normal REFRIGERATOR setting!!
Surprised me, but never heard anything diffrent (like: who would think of storing a battery in the fridge...!)
Sandy!

PAULBACH · 11-05-2009, 07:33 AM

Quote:

How long can I leave the Battery Tender Plus battery charger connected to a battery?
In theory, you can leave the Battery Tender Plus battery charger connected to a battery forever. Like they say, “Just plug it in and forget about it!” Practically speaking, it is a good idea to check on the battery at least once a week. Strange things can happen. Sometimes a battery can have a weak cell that won’t show up until the worst possible time. Of course, that time is usually when the battery is connected to a charger. If something goes wrong, then you have to deal with the question of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Did the battery fail because it was connected to the charger or did the charger fail because it was connected to the battery?

No matter how good a product is, anything can break. With a battery and a charger connected together, it’s a much better idea to be proactive and anticipate problems, however unlikely they may be. In more than 99.9% of cases, nothing will go wrong. That still leaves about 0.1% where something might. Learn to respect electricity. A little common sense can go a long way.

For source of above and much more information about battery maintenance click here.

10-30-2009, 04:16 PM	#1
dlycan2 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Collierville, TN Posts: 4	Battery maintainer Hi, New member and first time BMW owner here. I got my '06 K1200R about a week ago and I've been doing a lot of reading about battery chargers/maintainers. As a long time Porsche owner, I'm very much up to speed on the necessity of using one. I was so confused by all the comments that I bought a Battery Tender Plus. Now for my question. Do I need to disconnect the battery while using or is it ok so long as the key remains off?

11-02-2009, 06:17 AM	#3
PAULBACH Once there was a Tavern Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ballston Spa, NY; South of the Adirondacks, North of the Catskills and West of The Berkshires and Green Mountains Posts: 6,180	As long as the tender is connected directly to the battery you may leave it connected for the entire winter. I hook my bike up to the battery tender after each ride. This was especially important when I owned an airhead. Airheads don't always fire at the first push of the starter. Best place I found for a heavy duty ring attachment is at the local Harley Davidson store. Do not use alligator clips. I blew up a good battery out in the middle of nowhere with alligator clips I had attached for permanent tending but that's another story. __________________ Paul Bachorz - F Twins Moderator Director - Vermont MOV For *Touring Tips* archives click here Last edited by PAULBACH; 11-02-2009 at 09:14 AM.

11-04-2009, 09:41 PM	#10
SANDYKOECK Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Missoula, Montana, a University City of 60thousand or so, 45 miles from the top of Lolo Pass on US Hwy 12, 3 hrs from Glcier Park, 5 hrs from Yellowstone Park, in short: The Last Best Place Posts: 3	on oilheads got 2 oilheads ('96 850 R and 1100RT), and MY instructions from the dealer (actually his longterm mechanic!) was to use the battery tender about every 6-8 weeks until green light comes on! I go through the accessory outlet, ignition off, and so far it worked without a problem for many years! Also advised, that ideal temerature for a battery is 40 F, which happens to be normal REFRIGERATOR setting!! Surprised me, but never heard anything diffrent (like: who would think of storing a battery in the fridge...!) Sandy! __________________

11-02-2009, 05:57 AM	#2
dlycan2 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Collierville, TN Posts: 4	Thanks! I probably didn't ask my question correctly. I want to know if the battery must be disconnected from the bike while being charged with a Battery Tender plus? I plan to use the pigtails in any event. Thanks again!

11-02-2009, 08:08 AM	#4
dlycan2 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Collierville, TN Posts: 4	Thanks Paul! That's exactly what I needed to know! Don

11-03-2009, 08:03 AM	#5
Clay Clay Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kimberton,Pa. Posts: 87	Had an interesting situation with my Battery Tender that I leave on after each ride..came back one day and found my battery drained but showed green on the charger... FYI..battery outlet is connected directly to the battery on my '08 K12S

11-03-2009, 09:31 AM	#7
Clay Clay Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kimberton,Pa. Posts: 87	Don't know how to answer your question..put a 3 amp charger directly on the oem AGM battery to wake it up..'cause Battery Tender wouldn't charge battery from it's flat state.. Had dealer check out the bike..did show low battery fault(s) also performed a load test..battery showed OK..a mystery

11-04-2009, 09:09 AM	#9
Clay Clay Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kimberton,Pa. Posts: 87	Here is a response from the dealer that I had asked about 'directly connecting to the battery'... "We actually get that question quite frequently. In our experience we have never had an issue with the use of chargers/mantainers directly connected to the battery. Not quite sure why BMW says you have to do it their way other than they want customers to buy their chargers. We actually have more issues with their chargers working incorrectly than we do with any of the aftermarket ones. " FYI...this dealer installs Powerlet outlets directly to all their new bikes as part of setup..as the new owner of the bike I had no say in this until after the fact and was told this what they do to all their new bikes... Regards, Clay Kimberton,Pa.