Battery Charging

[blaine]

Originally Posted by DianeinNM

Wow, thanks! With all your help, I've checked my voltage at various times, known to keep the bike running while I stopped for a breakfast burrito (just in case it was borderline and hadn't charged up much on the way there) on my way to work.

I realize that you were nervous to shut the bike off in case it didn't start.That been said,it is never a good idea to leave your bike idling more than a couple of minutes,as the motor can over heat,and the charging system,is border line at idle & can not charge the battery sufficiently.But it sounds like you got it sorted out anyway.Good luck.Safe riding.Enjoy.
:cool:

[DianeinNM]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Diane, how long does the bike run stationary while you grab your breakfast ?

I had called ahead to order so it would only be about two minutes. Unfortunately, they had lost my order so it was more like five. I generally don't do that (besides damaging the machine, I hate to burn gas for nothing!).

:-) Diane

[DianeinNM]

Originally Posted by blaine

I realize that you were nervous to shut the bike off in case it didn't start.That been said,it is never a good idea to leave your bike idling more than a couple of minutes,as the motor can over heat,and the charging system,is border line at idle & can not charge the battery sufficiently.But it sounds like you got it sorted out anyway.Good luck.Safe riding.Enjoy.
:cool:

Thanks for the info. Now that I'm trusting the battery, I'll just stop and get food and then restart the bike.

:-) Diane

[cburgess594]

Okay let's start it then (the breakfast)

[toha]

Can you guys recommend a good battery charger and meter? Never had those before, so not even sure what to look for...

[alantf]

Can't comment on the charger, because there are so many different ones, but as for the meter, any cheapo digital meter with voltage and resistance (ohms) scales will do. :2tup:

[Water Warrior 2]

A Battery Tender is a good choice. I am very happy with mine. It is a modern smart charger that won't cook your battery and can be left hooked up all winter if you want to. I have also used mine to charged new batteries overnight.

[mrlmd1]

Any charger with an output of 1.5 - 2 amps at most. You can even use of of those 12V wall plug power supplies used for various small electronics if you have one laying around - it will keep a battery topped up and not damage it left longterm because of the small current output. Just make sure you hook it up with the right polarity, + to +, - to -.