| Author | Message | ||
     Fltwistygirl |
After replacing four motorcycle batteries in the past year, we've been shopping around for a battery tender or similar. On a recent excursion to Northern Tool, we stumbled across solar powered battery maintainers and are intrigued. We are in the sunshine state and judging by the way our solar yard lights remain lit as I'm gearing up for an o-dark thirty a.m. class, they get plenty of light/charge. Have any of you used these for maintaining m/c batteries and if so, how'd they work out for you? | ||
| Froggy |
I got some Coleman one a year ago to keep a car charged as it sits 11.5 months a year. It works, but not good enough. Check the output rating, they usually aren't even enough to charge a phone. I found the normal drain from a car sitting (clock and other electrics) were enough that even with the solar maintainer that it wasn't enough. Motorcycle might be more plausable, but finding a place to put it to absorb sun and keeping dry when rain comes around will be tough. | ||
| Kenm123t |
I have the larger one from Harbor Frieght in my 4300 International works well when you remember to point it toward the south. A 4300 is your basic 24 ft class 10 heavy truck it looks like a Semi with a day cab and 24ft bed out the back | ||
| 7873jake |
I played around with this once using a couple of foldable solar panels (6w and 12w). The 12w 'cranks' out about 3/4 of an amp when the sun was at its most intense and it seemed to take forever to charge anything beyond a hand-held device. The 12w panels were good for charging anything that could be charged on a USB type connector as most USB stuff, IIRC, charges around .7 amp. I used it to charge my Blackberry and a couple of other hand-held GPS and small wireless devices when I was in the field a lot. I used the flexible cells found here: http://www.altestore.com/store/Foldable-Solar-Pane ls/c542/ For comparison, most plug-in trickle chargers run at around .75-2.0 amps. I don't know where my 12 watt panel is but I have a 6 watt unit that 'pumps out' about .4-.5 amps if you want to try it out. PM me and I'll send it to you if you want to fiddle with the idea. Just send it back when you are done. For some reason, I found the foldable panels to be less tolerant of anything other than 100% full exposure on a clear day than most of the rigid panels I've toyed with. The rigid panels were far more eager to keep current flowing in a wide variety of conditions. | ||
| 7873jake |
It just occurred to me to bring this up too: Your battery tenders have protection circuits in them to shut them off and then float until the battery drops again and has to be charged. This keeps from over-cooking the battery. I'd have to defer to some of the EE types on here but unless the solar charger has some similar protection circuitry, I guess the risk of damage is/could be there. Again, I'd have to defer to someone with formal training in electron herding. One thing I've learned through the years: When magic smoke comes out of electronics, it is very difficult to make it go back in.  | ||
| Tiltcylinder |
7873jake, it's not magic smoke. All electrical components are manufactured with a certain amount of smoke built into them. Silicon chips, super conductors, resistors, gold plated conductors.... it's all a sham. The smoke does all the real work. That's why stuff stops working once you let the smoke escape. You can let a little of the smoke out and things will keep working, but once you let all the smoke out... | ||
| Uly_man |
Fltwistygirl - If you have changed out four OEM batteries in one year you have either a bike charge problem or you do not use the bike for 4-6 weeks at a time. If you do not use the bike then either take off the Earth lead, to stop parasitic drain with or without an alarm, or use a mains battery tender. Solar is not worth the investment for the size needed. | ||
| Closetbueller |
It wasn't 4 batteries in one bike, but rather 4 batteries for four different bikes, all in the 3-4 yr old range. Just looking at an option for optimal maintenance. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Actually, IIRC, one bike went thru 2 batteries. That was the 06 triumph that sometimes did not get ridden for 2 months at a pop mostly because of the riding position. We bought a "used" battery thru someone we knew to replace the OEM, and it lasted 4 or 5 months. Replaced that with a brand new battery just before that bike went to its new home. The others batteries mentioned above tended to crap out when it got "cold". Most of the solar maintainers I've checked into have a shut off feature. I've witnessed the smoke referenced here on one occasion in our garage, and my heart is too timid to experience that again. Yikes!  | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Sitting around for like 8 weeks or more is hard on batteries and other components. All that sitting around gives the gremlins a chance to cling on. You can gremlin proof several areas including the battery. Battery tenders are great and inexpensive and there are all kinds of other options. I have several bikes and therefore at least one is getting ignored most of the time and have been using an "automatic" battery charger for 20 years or so. I don't own a battery tender. The difference is that I have to put the charger on the bike when it needs it. If I leave it on for a day or two, it won't overcharge it. Solar works but by the time you set up a system that actually works, you spent a lot of money. If you have 110VAC available and are interested in saving money, consider one of the battery chargers that says "automatic" on it. Most have a "low" and a "high" setting so it works on the motorcycle (sitting neglected with a tear running down it's fairing), boat, lawn mower, personal watercraft, snowmobile, motor home, etc. (Message edited by panhead_dan on February 18, 2011) | ||
| Bttrthnwrk |
When I first got my Uly a couple of years ago, my '06 Suzuki M50 cruiser sat idle for months. It needed the battery tender. It finally got to the point that I HAD to start riding the Suzuki again. While it was just sitting idle, every time I walked by it would spit oil on my boots. I took the hint, and now ride it at least Tuesdays and Thursdays to work (back home, too!). It seems much happier, now. I don't think the Uly minds the split in attention, either. Ah, peace at home... | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks for everyones input. We may roll the dice on solar and see how it works. We'd be about $25 bux in, and really it's only gonna be one bike once the city-x sells. The rest will be ridden. His task: "so do I take the red one or the blue one today?" Peace at home is muy important. Our ignored bikes don't usually spit oil, but they sometimes scowl just a little bit. I may have even heard one sobbing once (but that may have just been the neighbor, a hd sales guy, after seeing another buell in our driveway...) It's funny how our ignored ones- the sporty, the triumph- are usually non-buells. Not always though. My beloved lightning is the next on the chopping block thanks to the "X". I thought I'd have that bike forever, how fickle I feel. B. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Volkswagen ships all their vehicles with one of these in the windshield. I don't feel the need for a solar charger - I plug my bikes into a tender religiously. Should be pretty easy to wire one of the Uly 12v plugs to be always on, and just plug one of these in. http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570 .l1313&_nkw=volkswagen+solar+battery&_sacat=See-Al l-Categories | ||
| Teeps |
I've been using one of these: http://batterytender.com/battery-tender-junior-12v -at-0-75a.html for over 7 years. The Yuasa battery in my '06 Uly is going on 5 years. My Uly goes 2 to 3 weeks between rides. However, when I do take it out for a ride it's rarely less than 100 miles. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Pkforbes87-that looks sweet! Teeps-for non-solar, we opted for a battery tender jr. from sportsmans guide where we had a Christmas gift certificate. Gonna check to see if those battery tender people in the DeLand area have retail store as they have solar stuff also. If they do, may stop there on our way back from Daytona in a couple weeks. B. | ||
| 7873jake |
Lemme save you a trip. They don't have a retail store. They have a pond out front, a YMCA next door and a good spot to eat meat cooked on a grill while watching skydivers land about two blocks behind their facility. http://skydivedeland.com/ You'll have better luck going to a Cycle Gear in Daytona or J&P up on I-95. They might do a booth at Bike Week but I've not paid attention in the past. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks for clarifying that, 7873jake. We've driven past a bunch of times and always wondered. Meat on a grill and skydiver watching sounds like fun, though. Thanks!!! |
