Bike Batteries can be a nightmare if they are not stored in the correct condition. You not only need to know about your battery maintenance, but also the best technique of battery charging to prolong your bike’s battery life. First of all, let’s take a brief look at different types of batteries that are implemented in bicycles. It is essential before diving into why bike tenders are much more of a feasible option for your bike. And more importantly, you can decide about leaving the battery tender connected to your bike all winter only knowing the facts.
Flooded Lead acid batteries operate by individual cell charging. This happens at different rates and there is a risk of overcharging.
- To prevent this, the battery boils off the water around it.
- This system often works well as an automotive battery because it just has to be periodically topped out with water.
- For motorcycles or bikes, AGM, gel cell, and lithium batteries are far less prone to leak battery acid. This is why the majority of manufacturers have chosen this choice in recent years.
Now I am going to talk about bicycle battery tenders and leaving bicycles with battery tenders all winter.
Battery Tenders
Battery tenders effectively carry out the same function as a trickle charger, which is to recharge and maintain the charge in your bike’s battery. Tenders, on the other hand, have built-in safety features that make them a better option for your bike.
- Battery tenders prevent batteries from losing power when not in use, whereas trickle chargers recover dead batteries. Whether you use your motorcycle every day, every other day, or less frequently, a battery tender will increase the battery’s lifespan and ensure that it is always ready to travel.
Every biker enthusiast should get it because it is so practical and easy to use.
- It is safe to leave a well-functioning battery tender connected to your bike, even when you are not riding.
- They can spend an ample amount of time being connected to your motorbike without causing it any harm.
Moreover, battery tenders are a highly practical solution and don’t need much maintenance until it is time for you to ride yours. The battery charger will put out a very low amperage.
How Do Battery Tenders Work?
There are four different modes of a battery tender.
- Safety Checks- this ensures the voltage, connections, and polarity are all up to the mark.
- Full Charge- full current mode used to fully charge the battery.
- Absorption Mode- reducing the current to fill the battery to full capacity
- Float Mode- lowering the current to maintain the battery charge
Can You Leave The Battery Tender On A Bike All Winter?
You can use a battery tender to keep your batteries charged while it is in storage. It is a crucial step to keep your batteries in good condition. If you absolutely cannot arrange for a battery tender, then you can manually check and charge your battery using a multimeter. That will work as a tender. Additionally, you have to check every month and monitor the battery level.
Checking Battery Volts/Charge:
- To manually use multimedia as a battery tender you have to connect the positive and negative leads to the battery. And then check the voltage reading.
- If the reading shows less than 12.6 volts, then your battery is not fully charged.
- In this case charge battery, one more time however be careful not to charge.
What To Do When Leaving Battery Tender On A Bicycle All Winter?
During the winter, all electronic devices, including vehicles, require additional care and protection. Upgrading your bike’s maintenance throughout the winter months helps shield its parts from a variety of problems, including regular battery depletion. So now the question arises can you leave your bike battery connected to the battery tender throughout the winter?
- A modern motorcycle’s electrolyte can withstand temperatures as low as 19 degrees Fahrenheit.
- This indicates that a battery that is 40% charged and in excellent condition may easily endure temperatures below zero.
- A fully charged battery will lose its stars and degrade quicker at ambient temperature than it would at -20 degrees.
- It is safe to connect your bike’s battery to a battery tender if you want to keep your bike or bicycle at room temperature.
However, batteries that are kept in storage for a long period should be protected from severe temperatures. This is due to the fact that a battery produces less power at lower temperatures.
Benefits Of Using A Battery Tender
Their safety mechanism activates as soon as your bike’s batteries are fully charged.
- A battery tender is compatible with all kinds of batteries.
- Modern cycles and motorcycles have inbuilt GPS and USB ports that drain their batteries. By connecting a battery tender, you can make sure that when the battery falls below a predetermined level, it will step in to provide a backup.
- Maintaining a fully charged battery can prevent sulfation that occurs in lead-acid batteries. And Sulfation causes serious loss in cranking amps and capacity. But Battery tenders can easily resolve this issue without running the danger of overcharging the battery
Bicycle Battery: Winter Care
- Charge your battery one final time to lower the chance of freezing in extreme temperatures before your store your bike for the winter.
- Remove the battery from your bike and please them somewhere cool and dry, preferably indoors.
- A helpful tip is to store your bike’s batteries near a charging outlet. So that you can charge the batteries periodically throughout the off-season, or leave them connected to a battery tender.
- Charging your batteries, use a charger that is specifically made for the type of battery you own.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have a better understanding of battery tenders, how they influence the batteries in your bicycles and motorcycles, and how long you may leave one on.
- If you don’t use your bike for a while, a battery tender is an excellent solution for the reasons discussed above.
- Even if you don’t ride your bike for a few weeks or months, it will maintain the battery charged to 100%.
- So it is safe to keep a battery tender on while you store your bike for the winter.
In fact, it is advised that you can leave the battery tender connected for months and still have a fully charged bike when you need it.
