Left my taillight on...

[alanmcorcoran]

...overnight and most of today. Had to push start the bike. Was able to start it twice after riding. Then I left it on for another two hours. (Yes, I am an idiot.)

Does this mean I have hosed my battery beyond recovery? I'm going to fire it up and ride it around to get it juiced up a bit.

[primal]

I've done that a few times (though not overnight). I really hate the parking lights... I wish they would have designed the ignition to not allow you to remove the key when the parking lights are on...

I wouldn't think that discharging it once would do much immediate damage.

[alanmcorcoran]

Originally Posted by primal

I really hate the parking lights... I wish they would have designed the ignition to not allow you to remove the key when the parking lights are on...

Roger that.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

...
Does this mean I have hosed my battery beyond recovery? I'm going to fire it up and ride it around to get it juiced up a bit.

From that other thread:

Experience tells me that once you completely discharge the battery on a GZ, it might take a LONG time (never) to get it back to full charge without some external help.

Since yours is relatively new, you should be OK......if you get it back to a full charge soon.

Mine wasn't.....new or OK. Them little suckers are kinda expensive! ~ $85 !!

[mrlmd1]

Put the battery on an overnight charger to get it fully charged. The amount of current in the charging system of the bike when running will probably take you a whole tank of gas at highway speed to fully charge it up. I wouldn't trust just a 10 min ride to charge up the battery, you may not have enough juice in it to restart it again.

[alanmcorcoran]

Is there a special kind of overnight charger for an MC battery? Can I get one at an automotive store or do I need to go to an MC dealer? (I don't even know where the battery is on the thing but I guess I can find it if I look it up in the MOM.) I'll assume it's got + a - marked on it, + being the business end.

[Sarris]

Alan;

There is a "Battery Tender" available with quick disconnect harness that I use on all my bikes.

It is available here on sale. http://www.bikedepot.net/battery-tender-junior.html

Good luck.

:jo:

Edited for spelling.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Is there a special kind of overnight charger for an MC battery?

No.

Since you live in an area where there is no appreciable down time..... :skull: .......I'd suggest a multi-purpose, dual range charger.....from Wally World or similar.....with ranges of something like 2 amps and 6 amps. A built-in meter is preferred. Can be had for ~ $30.

On low, it can be left on overnight without any harm. On high, it will boost a weak battery enough to start in about 20 minutes or so. When the meter shows it is drawing 1/4 the charging capacity or less, it is pretty much fully charged (that is, on the 2 amp range, it draws .5 amp or less). Works for cars, trucks and lawn mowers too.

Battery is located behind the right side plastic cover. Red(+) to red; black(-) to black.

[mrlmd1]

Go to WalMart or any local discount auto parts store and get a 1.5-2 amp charger. You don't need anything fancy. A higher amp charger can burn out the battery as these are much smaller and lower capacity compared to a car battery and best to charge slower. Mine, a Schumacher fully automatic battery charger maintainer with float-mode monitoring, I think was less than $30 out the door.
Most of these come with spring clips (alligator clamps) that can attach to the battery, and also with a flat 2 pole connector on the end (the alligator clip end plugs into this). Open the box and look at the wires. If it's not in the box with the battery charger, get a mating flat 2 pole connector which attaches to the battery terminals permanently, and leave it hanging on a short lead under the right side battery cover out of the weather but where it is accessible, so that if you ever have to charge it up again, you can just attach the charger without taking off the side cover over the battery and trying to reach the terminals. Just make sure the polarity hookup is correct. You can also use this flat connector off the battery to supply 12v to some small accessory, like to recharge a cellphone or power a GPS, nothing big or you won't keep up with the bike's charging system.

[alanmcorcoran]

Thanks for the detailed instructions mrlmd1. I was going to buy the Battery Tender recommended by Sarris above with the easy disconnects. Does that conflict at all with your advice? It seemed to fit the bill and had the quick connect capability.

Also, like you Florida boys, I'm in a warm weather climate, which is a lot easier on the batteries than elsewhere.