Bike Starting Blues

Wanted A Battery. Dead or Alive?

I have been riding this bike for several years now and I have only one complaint, well two actually but that's for another time.

My complaint is the battery, which never seems to last me more than two seasons.

By the spring of the third year she's toast and I am left with the crumbs.

This year my mechanic told me to buy a Battery Tender.

I told him I had tried battery chargers before but had nearly burned down the shop.

He advised me that these little beauties are made specifically for ATV's, Motorcycles and similar machines.

Just hook them up and leave them on all winter. Now that sounds like a maintenance program even I can stick with.

How much will this little devil set me back? I was pleasantly surprised when I slid a fifty over the counter and he handed me back some change.

With my current back condition I couldn't see myself down on the floor trying to install this puppy so I called up a riding buddy to come rescue me.

Les had installed one the year earlier on his own bike and said it would take him a mere 15 minutes. He would have been on time if I had known just where in my garage I had laid my tools.

From the time we peeled back my bike's dust cover, until we plugged the new device into the outlet was about 30 minutes.

Actually the installation piece is just a small electrical wire. One end splits into two wires, one red the other black these slip onto the two battery terminals.

The other end comes out form under the seat and has a special plug in connector. You plug the actual Tender into the electrical outlet (110v) and the other end into the wire which comes from under the seat. Presto you are charging your battery slow and gentle like.

How good is this gadget? Couldn't tell you yet from personal experience but from friends like Les the reports are very good to fantastic.

Bonus, I am told the connector that comes from your battery and pops out form under your seat is designed to plug in a heated vest.

One thing I love about motorcycles is as soon as you buy one toy it leads to purchasing another toy, and the giving just keeps rolling along. That's the fun when you love Riding Iron.