Topic: New Harley Battery Charging (Read 6817 times)

DESERTBEAR54 · « **on:** May 14, 2012, 11:42:45 AM »

I just put a new battery in BLUU my 2010 SEUC. I have noticed that my start issues have gone away and the bike starts good every time now. The issue that I am noticing is when I ride for a day and I come home and plug the battery in on my battery tender it takes almost 5 hrs for the charging to complete before the light turns solid green. Yesterday I thought it might be my battery tender so I swapped out the one on my wife's bike and it does the same thing. Could it be my battery tender harness is bad or did my dealer sell me a crappy battery? Normally it takes less than a hour for the battery to go solid green?

Oh on Sat I took BLUU into the dealer and had them check out my electrical system and they said everything is working as advertised and no problems. Is it good that it takes awhile to charge on the Battery Tendor?

grc · « **Reply #1 on:** May 14, 2012, 11:56:06 AM »

Quote from: DESERTBEAR54 on May 14, 2012, 11:42:45 AM

I just put a new battery in BLUU my 2010 SEUC. I have noticed that my start issues have gone away and the bike starts good every time now. The issue that I am noticing is when I ride for a day and I come home and plug the battery in on my battery tender it takes almost 5 hrs for the charging to complete before the light turns solid green. Yesterday I thought it might be my battery tender so I swapped out the one on my wife's bike and it does the same thing. Could it be my battery tender harness is bad or did my dealer sell me a crappy battery? Normally it takes less than a hour for the battery to go solid green? Oh on Sat I took BLUU into the dealer and had them check out my electrical system and they said everything is working as advertised and no problems. Is it good that it takes awhile to charge on the Battery Tendor?

It's easy to check the battery tender harness if you have a multimeter. There should be no voltage drop when you measure from the actual battery terminals to the terminals that connect to your battery tender. High resistance in that circuit can throw off the battery tender sensing. btw, there is a 7 amp fuse in that harness, make sure it isn't corroded or causing high resistance as well.

I've found that even with nice clean and tight connections my tender also takes a relatively long time to go full green even after a 100 mile ride.

Jerry

dayne66 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 14, 2012, 12:10:14 PM »

Not actual 'Battery Tenders'...but my Ultra takes 3-4 hrs...and the Wife's Sporty under 2 hrs......both after riding for 5 or 6 hrs.

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 14, 2012, 12:52:13 PM »

Jerry Thanks!! With the old battery that I replaced it would go green within 30 mins and now that it takes 5 hrs I thought the dealer slipped me another nightmare. When I get home tonight I am going to check that fuse and also ring out that harness.

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 14, 2012, 01:08:08 PM »

I was also wondering if the heat breaks down the harnesses? I was thinking about re-locating it because they have it running down just aft of my rear cylinder and I'm tired of burning my hand trying to plug it in.

skreminegul07 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 14, 2012, 01:36:40 PM »

I'd check the charging system. Maybe its not the tender cable but the alternator /regulator isn't doing its job. Check for 14.2 VDC at the battery while running and bump the throttle a few times and see if it increases from 14.2.

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 14, 2012, 03:10:09 PM »

Charging System checked and working as avertised.

Skillet · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2012, 05:57:44 PM »

Quote from: DESERTBEAR54 on May 14, 2012, 11:42:45 AM

I just put a new battery in BLUU my 2010 SEUC. I have noticed that my start issues have gone away and the bike starts good every time now. The issue that I am noticing is when I ride for a day and I come home and plug the battery in on my battery tender it takes almost 5 hrs for the charging to complete before the light turns solid green. Yesterday I thought it might be my battery tender so I swapped out the one on my wife's bike and it does the same thing. Could it be my battery tender harness is bad or did my dealer sell me a crappy battery? Normally it takes less than a hour for the battery to go solid green? Oh on Sat I took BLUU into the dealer and had them check out my electrical system and they said everything is working as advertised and no problems. Is it good that it takes awhile to charge on the Battery Tendor?

That wasn't very good battery life. You should have gotten a lot more out of that battery.

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2012, 07:41:52 PM »

Thats what happens when the dealer slips you a 12 yr old battery in the midst of all the engine changes.

phato1 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 14, 2012, 09:00:56 PM »

Maybe off track, but, My '11 CUSE had a intermittent fault in the power locks for the saddle bag causing a draw and draining the battery even when on the tender. finally found it when I put the multimeter in the circuit with the battery and saw the draw. Static draw on the battery should be less than 2mA if it's more you have something sucking the life out of the battery ---- sloooowly

Indenial · « **Reply #10 on:** May 14, 2012, 09:07:54 PM »

It still confuses me----if the alternator is constantly throwing out 14 volts to charge the battery while riding, why does it take 2-4 hrs to charge it up when you plug in the tender right away when you get home? Shouldn't it be fully charged after a ride?

Sledge · « **Reply #11 on:** May 14, 2012, 11:36:51 PM »

Quote from: Indenial on May 14, 2012, 09:07:54 PM

It still confuses me----if the alternator is constantly throwing out 14 volts to charge the battery while riding, why does it take 2-4 hrs to charge it up when you plug in the tender right away when you get home? Shouldn't it be fully charged after a ride?

I was just about to ask the same question. Batt should be fully charged after a few hours of riding, at least that's what I always thought, or else after so long the bike would die on you. Is there really any advantage to plugging the tender in after every ride?

My stepdad burned his garage down when the trickle charger he was using on his car caught fire in the middle of the night so I'll never just plug it in and leave it.

Sledge

dartman · « **Reply #12 on:** May 15, 2012, 08:05:41 AM »

Quote from: Indenial on May 14, 2012, 09:07:54 PM

It still confuses me----if the alternator is constantly throwing out 14 volts to charge the battery while riding, why does it take 2-4 hrs to charge it up when you plug in the tender right away when you get home? Shouldn't it be fully charged after a ride?

Yes, Ive been using the Deltran Tenders for years, after a ride of any length the Green light starts flashing within seconds indicating a 90 percent charge and within a short period of time goes steady green, ive never had one go bad but I do replace them every few years I rode my 02 for 7 yrs with the original battery and it still started properly, Usually I swap bikes more often but I havent replaced a battery in a long time the Tenders seem to be very effective.

grc · « **Reply #13 on:** May 15, 2012, 08:45:10 AM »

The "smart" chargers like the Battery Tender have three operating stages (bulk charge, absorption charge, float) and even if you just rode several hours and the battery is fully charged, the tender still goes through its programmed routine when you hook it up. So it initially charges at the full 1.25 amps (solid red light) until the battery voltage reaches 14.4 volts, then it monitors the the charging current (flashing green and red) until it drops to 0.1 amp. When the charging current reaches that level it goes into float mode (green) and the voltage drops to around 13 volts.

Depending on the current draw of the always on accessories, and any excessive resistance in the wiring or the battery, it may take longer for some to reach the float stage than others. And some might never get there, so the tender has a time limit as well. If it hasn't gone into float mode through monitoring of the charging current, it will do so anyway after about 6 to 8 hours.

When you check for high resistance connections at the battery, don't forget to also check the connection from the Battery Tender to the bike harness. I found it necessary on mine several years ago to clean and then "tighten" the female half of the connector terminals. I also started using dielectric grease in the connectors to ward off corrosion.

This is just my off the cuff memory of how this thing works. If you want the real scoop, you might want to contact Deltran since my memory is suspect at best.

Jerry

btw, it isn't necessary or even adviseable to hook up the charger after every ride. I hook mine up only if the bike is going to sit for at least a couple weeks or more. If you find you need to hook yours up after every ride to make it easier to start the next day, you need to check out the condition of your charging system and battery and look for abnormal current draws with everything off.

MadCVORG · « **Reply #14 on:** May 15, 2012, 10:05:23 AM »

GRC is on it--what matters more is amperage, not voltage. If your acessories are pulling near to the output amp rating of your charging system, the actual power available to charge your battery may be minimal. May be best to have your tech measure static charging amps, then recheck with your accessories operating and measure the current draw.

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 15, 2012, 10:23:48 AM »

Well the only accessory I'm using on BLUU is a I-Pod that I'm running through the radio.I suspect the charging harness is my culpret but we will see once I dig into it.

cahdbiker · « **Reply #16 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:07:52 PM »

DesertBear54, I have 4 battery tenders. They all go thu a cycle as described by grc. I called the company last year to verify this because when I would ride my 95 Heritage the tender would stay red, blink green, for a lot longer before it got to solid green compared to my 09SEUC, and Honda 450CRFX. Sometimes if I unplug or accidently shut the one off on the Heritage it goes right back to green, or it may go red, blink green and then go back to solid green. I have mine sitting on concrete so I am not worried about over heating, but it still does bug me that they take different time periods to go to solid green. I think it has something to do with the batteries on an individual basis as to how easy they accept a charge since I have swapped tenders around to check this out. I also have one on one of my cars that usually sits for a week or two at a time. That takes 7 or 8 hours to stop blinking green and get to solid green. If you plug in at night and get up in the morning and tender is solid green I wouldn't worry about it. It is just another thing that takes away from enjoying your bike.CAHDBIKER

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:59:57 PM »

Cahdbiker, Thanks for the reassurance!! At the end of June I plan on going up to my cabin in Northern New Mexico and I just want to make sure this new battery I just got is legitimate and charging correctly. As you said when I get up in the morning it is solid green. I was just use to my old battery going solid green within 30 mins before it crapped out.

cahdbiker · « **Reply #18 on:** May 15, 2012, 06:18:19 PM »

DESERTBEAR54, I check my battery voltage regularly with a multimeter. At idle or slightly above Heritage and SEUC are at about 13.8-14.3 volts. After being on battery charger for a day or two they are always slightly above 13Volts (no motor running or ignition on). It is easy to check using the lead from the batteryto the tender connection. If you are still concerned take your Battery Tender on your trip and when you get to your cabin plug your bike in providing you have electricity, or take your multimeter and check battery at Battery Tender leads after a day of riding. My wife and I are now in the annual process of discussing(code word for arguing ) about where we want to ride. She is thinking Arkansas since her sister and nieces live there. She will probably get her way since she is a good back seat rider and really has developed a knack for packing, and this would be a completely new route for us. Have a fun vacation. CAHDBIKER

Quote from: DESERTBEAR54 on May 15, 2012, 12:59:57 PM

Cahdbiker, Thanks for the reassurance!! At the end of June I plan on going up to my cabin in Northern New Mexico and I just want to make sure this new battery I just got is legitimate and charging correctly. As you said when I get up in the morning it is solid green. I was just use to my old battery going solid green within 30 mins before it crapped out.

2012HOG · « **Reply #19 on:** May 16, 2012, 11:00:54 AM »

I have a 2012 UC CVO with only 1,000 miles. Went to the garage to add more miles and it was dead as the bug on my windshield. Hooked up to tender and after a few hours started right up. Went on a ride and stopped for gas, dead again! Got home, put on tender and left over night. Checked system from starter with ignition off and was getting 12.36 volts. turned ignition on and dropped to 10volts and of course wouldn't start. Jumped it and tested volts at 14.26. Local store is coming out to pick it up and informed me that they have hadlots of problems with the 12's in the last 3-4 months and have ordered plenty of parts. Stated it could be the stator, regulator, or a few other things but assured me they would get it fixed. I just hope they give me a new battery as well as it drained a few times and I am sure that is not good for its long term health, especially since I added a few hundred Custom Dynamics LED's while at Thunder Beach!!

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #20 on:** May 16, 2012, 11:48:51 AM »

They have had a slew of Regulators that are bad from the vendor.

Sledge · « **Reply #21 on:** May 16, 2012, 02:31:19 PM »

Had good luck with my 2011.5 (so far). No bad paint on engine or tins, electrical probs, "death wobble", wheel balancers flying off in the fender, etc.

Gotta be the nekkid chrome girl I got wrapped around my clutch cable bringin' me good fortune. Should be standard equipment.

Sledge

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #22 on:** May 16, 2012, 05:35:25 PM »

I need one of them Chrome Nekkid Girls!!

Sledge · « **Reply #23 on:** May 16, 2012, 08:03:05 PM »

Quote from: DESERTBEAR54 on May 16, 2012, 05:35:25 PM

I need one of them Chrome Nekkid Girls!!

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/520-011
or
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/520-012

dirtdobber · « **Reply #24 on:** May 17, 2012, 12:20:44 AM »

I do not think it is possible for any charging system on anything will have a battery charged completely when it is parked. Too may variables.
maybe I'm wrong but that is how I see it

dd

DESERTBEAR54 · « **Reply #25 on:** May 17, 2012, 09:02:49 AM »

Sledge,
Thanks for the link!! BLUU could use a Chrome Front View NEKKID Girl!!

Author Topic: New Harley Battery Charging (Read 6817 times)