Take the battery out or let the tender tend it??

[don_vanecek]

I have always in the past taken my battery out of the Vision for the winter and stored it in the basement, but last Christmas I gave it a battery tender.

So now I'm wondering if I should just run the tender once a week or so or if it would still be better the take it out??? Assuming a normal NE winter it will be subject to perhaps a few weeks of zero temperatures out in the back of the garage.

Opinions??

[Lucky]

if it's a fully automatic battery tender (like a "Jr") you can leave it on all the time.  that's how it should be used.

--Lucky

[Aelwulf]

Aye, I've got the Plus and I've just been leaving it plugged in & hooked up while working on it lately.  No, not while doing electrical stuff. :P

[h2olawyer]

My Battery Tender Jr. is connected whenever I'm not out riding.  Of course, I'm the one going through stators every thousand miles, too.  Still, the battery acts like new (3 full years on it now).  One of the few times I didn't hook up the battery tender was the last time I came home from the race track.  Had my fan switch on & forgot about it.   ::)  Boy was the battery flat!  Was headed out on a ride, so I just took the battery from Tractor (also on a battery tender) and swapped it into Silver V.  Hadn't done anything with that battery since June & it worked great.

When I got the Interstate battery, I told them it lives on a Battery Tender Jr. & they said the battery should last at least 5 years & probably longer with it.  Without it, they said figure on maybe 2 seasons if it isn't ridden during the winter.

Just hook the battery up, plug in the tender & forget it.  If your V is subjected to freezing temps while stored, it might be a good idea to remove the battery & store it in a warmer spot - still connected to the tender.

H₂O

[don_vanecek]

Thanks so far, one of the reasons I was hoping not to take it out is I cringe everytime I undue the side panels (someone remind me, I should put what on the snaps, grease?).

[QBS]

Grease the heck out of the plastic male part and the rubber female part.

[67GTO]

You don't need to remove the battery even if the temp is below freezing if you have it on a battery
tender. A battery will only freeze if it is completely dead.

[Lucky]

Grease the heck out of the plastic male part and the rubber female part.

I allways seem to have a problem with old rubber swelling over time when i do that, so i use dry lubricants, graphite, elmers dry, even talcum powder...