Battery care for winter question

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I'm new to button start dirt bikes. Recently towards the end of summer I picked up a lightly use Yamaha Wr450f. Since I'm not riding this winter (eastern Washington). Should I pull the battery and store it inside? If so should I leave it on the battery tender inside too? Thanks
 
Yes if your storage drops below 50F and yes wither way.

I’ve done it this way for years and my bike batteries seem to last forever. My KLR battery isn’t easy to remove so it’s in the garage on a tender...we’ll see how it survives temps possibly down to 0F
 
Chemical reactions in general occur twice as fast for every increase of 10 degree C (18 degree F) and also occur half as fast for every decrease of 10 degree C (18 degree F). Also a discharged battery can be damaged by freezing if the temperature is too cold.

So for the longest life you want to keep a battery in cold temperatures, but not cold enough to freeze it. It is also a good idea to use a battery tender to keep the battery charged.
 
So basically if I leave it on the battery tender I should not have to remove it? I doubt we get cold enough to freeze a charged battery here. Rarely gets zero.
 
The battery in my Harley is over 3 years old, and is left in the bike in a unheated garage all winter, on a tender. It gets riden 1 day a week, and starts normally with 20/50 wt oil in it. The winter temps here get down to 5 f at times. I usually won't ride at that temp, but anything over 25 f is a go, unless there's snow or ice on the road. If your battery is iffy, I don't believe a tender will do much for you.,,, .
 
Remember garages don't get as cold as all outside, either. Mine bottoms out in the low 20s thanks to the concrete slab. When I had a bike I just put a battery tender on it for 2 hours on Valentines day then topped it off when I dusted it off in Spring.
 
When I was working on the Rat,Jan 1st- 4/15, the new battery sat in place with the cables off it. 4.5 months later, I hooked it up and ,lo . it started right up. I posed a question and was given a link. A 12.7 volt, 100% charged has 7 moles and a specific gravity of 1.30. I have only a fuzzy conception of what a mole is. Anyway, its good to - 94F before it freezes
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My dad was a chemist. When I was little I heard him mention "mole" in work conversation. The context confused me, so I asked him what a mole was: he said it was like a shrew. I said "whats a shrew?". He said "a shrew is like your mother. A mole is like a shrew, but not as bad tempered".
 
Originally Posted By: Blaze
Thanks for all the reply's I think I'll just leave it in the bike hooked up to the tender.


That's what I do. Based on the small voltage loss while stored (monitored it often), I just charge mine once a month, and don't leave the Battery Tender on all winter long. This is good too if you need to move the charger from one vehicle to the next.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

That's what I do. Based on the small voltage loss while stored (monitored it often), I just charge mine once a month, and don't leave the Battery Tender on all winter long. This is good too if you need to move the charger from one vehicle to the next.


I do the same. My motorcycle batteries usually last at least 3 years; which is good enough for me.

I store my bike in an un-insulated shed and never have any problems. For other's reference,the winter weather where I live is typically between 20 and 40F, with several days in the low teens and a just a few days a year at or below zero.
 
I use the Black & Decker battery tender's that cost $20 shipped. Intelligent components and quality piece for the cost.
 
I dont like leaving battery tenders plugged in constantly. It seems to shorten their life, giving you two years instead of 10-15.

I put my battery tenders on a timer. They turn on once a week for 12 hours. I also rotate the tenders between all my vehicles. Two motorcycles, a boat, a lawn mower, and three cars.

Instead of taking the battery out of the bike, I would just put a tender on it. And start it at least every two weeks as well. That's what I do.
 
No tender, just make sure its fully charged, then disconnect battery and store in a dry place.
If the vehicle is already in a dry place, just disconnect the battery if it will be in storage for 4 months or longer.
 
I remove my Yuasa battery from my Yamaha Vector, due to lack of access, then keep in on my work bench. Once a month or at least every 6 weeks I put my battery Tender to it and let it charge up until I see a solid green light.
Sometimes I'll leave it for a few hours and sometimes I'll forget about it until the next day.

It has worked for me and I just fired up the sled yesterday and it had lots of juice.
cheers3.gif
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
I dont like leaving battery tenders plugged in constantly. It seems to shorten their life, giving you two years instead of 10-15.

I put my battery tenders on a timer. They turn on once a week for 12 hours. I also rotate the tenders between all my vehicles. Two motorcycles, a boat, a lawn mower, and three cars.

Instead of taking the battery out of the bike, I would just put a tender on it. And start it at least every two weeks as well. That's what I do.


this would be the best method to avoid constant trickle charging if your charger does not have an off cycle once the battery is fully charged (Ctecks have this feature)

If the battery is out on a shelf, a full charge once a month or two will still be needed
 
it gets cold here during winter. currently, it's -31 C outside. thats -23.8 F for you americans. my motorcycles are and have always been stored in my unheated garage, batteries in, with a optimate battery tender plugged in all winter long. never a problem.
 
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