• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Moto battery charging with no AC or solar available?

solarae

solarae

old lady hah!
Joined
Sep 21, 2012
Location
Fieldbrook
Moto(s)
2003 SV650F (not SF just F), 2006 XT225, 2018 XT250, GS250T Cafe
Name
Edy
I need to be able to keep a motorcycle battery charged while in storage. There is no AC outlet and solar is not an option. Can I just hook to big deep cycle lithium? I know I won't be able to bring the charge up with equal voltages but is that a viable way to maintain the motorcycle battery? Other ideas? Thanks.
 
Put the bike in storage and take the battery home so it can sit on a charger.
 
You could get a large battery station and plug a trickle charger/maintainer into it. Might need to charge it once a month or so but it's an option if you don't want to pull the battery and take it home.
 
Yep, I thought about the battery station. For brevity, I left out that I'm posting for a friend that is not particularly mechanically inclined. I don't think they want to be removing and reinstalling the bike's battery. Just seems like and inefficient waybb to do it with the station, what with inverting 12V to 110 AC and then rectifying it back to 12v DC but it would be easy.
The bike does get ridden, but not often enough. The owner keeps it in storage because they have no garage.
 
Last edited:
Way back in 2002 I had a oem Yuasa battery in my honda F4i that sat unridden for 6 months during boot camp and training camp immediately after. It fired right up. I would pull the battery out and give it a trickle charge once every month or so.
 
1. How about switching to a lithium battery, which doesn't loose much charge over a long period of time?


2. Alternately, hook up a big 12V car battery in parallel externally. Maybe put a diode in the connection so the charge only goes from the car battery to the bike battery. Easy to recharge the car battery periodically.
 
Show your friend how to remove and install the battery. Have him practice a few times while you stand there. Take pictures for him to refer to.

Removing and installing the battery is not hard.
 
I'm extremely mechanically inclined and I find battery R and R to be a pain in the ass. Remove side covers, remove seat, remove screws and set aside pigtail for tender (or USB) and pigtail for heated vest. Pull battery. Now the fun part. Get the pigtails back on while dealing with the stupid captured nuts and screw heads that are not placed for easy access. Replace seat and hope the screws don't cheese. Replace side covers all while your friends are waiting to get going. No thanks.
 
OK how about finding another place to mount the battery? Maybe go lithium at the same time. Just a thought.
 
I would suggest doing two things;
1. Install battery disconnect. This prevents any parasitic drain.
2. Install clampless jump start harness and carry a jumper battery when you are going to get your bike

Ok, maybe 3 things....put a Yuasa AGM battery in it too


12V Car Auto Vehicle MotorBoat Battery Electromagnetic Disconnect Switch, DC 12V Electromechanical Solenoid Power Switch + One Button Dash Control Master Kill System Turn on/off No Open The Front Hood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GMPPYYI/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_NHF6RCVZQF5X6BF4VSX1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://antigravitybatteries.com/pr...ump-starting/clampless-starting-harness-xp10/

https://antigravitybatteries.com/products/micro-starts/xp-1/
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone! Gives me some ideas to work with.
 
solarae said:
I'm extremely mechanically inclined and I find battery R and R to be a pain in the ass. Remove side covers, remove seat, remove screws and set aside pigtail for tender (or USB) and pigtail for heated vest...
Click to expand...
Some bikes have easy battery access, some don't. And we do things like connect accessories directly to it that make it harder. Is your friend's really that hard to get to?

Using a power distribution module makes it easier. Another practice that helps if you don't use a power distribution module is connect accessories to chassis ground rather than battery ground.
 
planegray said:
I would suggest doing two things;
1. Install battery disconnect. This prevents any parasitic drain.
2. Install clampless jump start harness and carry a jumper battery when you are going to get your bike

Ok, maybe 3 things....put a Yuasa AGM battery in it too


12V Car Auto Vehicle MotorBoat Battery Electromagnetic Disconnect Switch, DC 12V Electromechanical Solenoid Power Switch + One Button Dash Control Master Kill System Turn on/off No Open The Front Hood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GMPPYYI/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_NHF6RCVZQF5X6BF4VSX1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://antigravitybatteries.com/pr...ump-starting/clampless-starting-harness-xp10/

https://antigravitybatteries.com/products/micro-starts/xp-1/
Click to expand...

These are all good ones, perhaps the best option is the Lithium battery, can sit several months if there is no parasitic drain.
 
Having live the storage garage life for 5 years, I had the same problem. Most storage units have a light bulb with a pull string on the ceiling. I got one of those socket adaptors that have an Edison style socket and still allow for the light to work. Plug in a cord and leave the light on (unscrew the bulb enough so that its not on).
 
Starpower said:
These are all good ones, perhaps the best option is the Lithium battery, can sit several months if there is no parasitic drain.
Click to expand...

Covid really proved the merit of lithium. And my multi is probably not light on parasitic drain but still started after sitting for months. The higher cost is worth it IMO
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top