On Battery Minders

Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
1,112
Location
Otsego, MI
Bike
'10 NT 84 BMW R100RT Ural
Leads I don't think are meant for positive ground vehicle, but the company made them backwards by SAE standards. I guess the company had the print upside down! If you use the intended unit you get red positive as normal. Just did not understand why you make a SAE plug backwards: maybe a deal on the connection.
 
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
709
Age
62
Location
NSW, Australia
Bike
2013 DL650/A & CX500 Euro
Battery tender juniors will fail if used on larger batteries as they can never get the battery to full charge so I suspect they overheat and fail.

This information (about larger batteries, cannot remember the maximum permitted size) is included in the instructions.

I know this is correct as I killed two battery tender juiniors before reading the instructions. Luckily they were still replaced under warranty!

Seagrass
 

Bear

2
Joined
Mar 21, 2011
Messages
1,582
Location
Belfast, Maine
Bike
2010 NT-700 V Red
I have used the Battery Tender for two winters on the Shelby GT and have had no problems. Of course the battery was fully charged when I plugged the Tender in.
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
1,285
Location
Arkansas
Bike
2020 Kawasaki Versys
Deltran warranty was good and they have sent a new Tender Jr. I'm "topping off" the batteries today and all is well so far.
I noticed the newer model they sent is updated from my older unit. It is slightly smaller, and lighter weight. I'm pretty sure they changed to more circuitry and less transformer inside.

I'm not certain but the old unit may have gotten hooked to a lawn mower battery with 1 or 2 bad cells. That might have been it's downfall. From now on I will make sure I hook it to a good battery and if larger than bike battery, charge with a larger battery charger first.

Brad
 
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
709
Age
62
Location
NSW, Australia
Bike
2013 DL650/A & CX500 Euro
Please read the instructions thoroughly to avoid damaging the battery tender junior. There is a maximum sized battery that it can be connected to (regardless of how charged that battery may be)

Seagrass
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
1,285
Location
Arkansas
Bike
2020 Kawasaki Versys
I have read through my directions and there is not specific guidance to size but obviously a small (700 ma) charger is not meant for a large battery.
One thing about the tenders that may be deceiving is if you read the book they seem totally protected. For instance they are reverse polarity protected, current limited, and won't output anything until hooked up correctly to a battery.
Kind of a false sense of security, but anything can and will fail, just don't test it too often.

Brad
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2012
Messages
644
Location
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Bike
Black 2009 NT700
The important thing to remember is that a Battery "Tender/Minder" is NOT a battery charger.
They are meant to KEEP a battery at full charge, not recharge a flat one.
I do this successfully all the time.
A small Battery Tender CAN maintain a large battery if it is basically a good battery but do not try to use a "Tender" on a large sick battery.

Macka
 
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