Battery maintenance wisdom?

[snikr]

So is there any truth that the "gel" batteries for the FJR will dry out if you leave a trickle charger on them?? I've heard a "yes" from my dealership and heard it kicked around here. What say you all? TIA

Tom

 

[Toecutter]

So is there any truth that the "gel" batteries for the FJR will dry out if you leave a trickle charger on them?? I've heard a "yes" from my dealership and heard it kicked around here. What say you all? TIA

I say you can't get a gel cell (see my post above for descriptions of gel and AGM batteries) for the FJR, and a "trickle" charger will damage the battery you do have, but I'm no expert. I just heard constant voltage (like trickle chargers) is bad, constant current (like float tenders) not bad.

Any real battery experts around?

 

[FJRay]

I just ordered a battery for a customers FJR and the one in the T/R catalog says it is a gel battery. It is the only one listed for the FJR. Don't know if it is true or not but I put one in mine and it said on the box "sealed gel battery.

 

[FJR919]

I have the battery tender plug on all the bikes. Each one has its own tender, and I plug them in when I get home to avoid the possibility the bike won't be ridden frequently enough to keep a proper charge. My 2001 and 2003 motorcycles still have their original batteries and are still quite strong (of course the newer ones still have the original batteries as well). The garage is also temperature controlled, never going below 58 degrees nor higher than 80 degrees. The combination of all these factors I believe has significantly extended the batteries useful life.