Keep Your Battery Charged

[pmdave]

It's important to keep your battery charged between rides. There are some parasitic drains even with the key off. Without a charger attached, the battery will lose voltage, and within about 4 weeks it would be totally flat. Any time a battery is discharged below it's resting voltage it is degrading, and it's life will be substantially shortened. Low battery voltage can also cause faults in complex electrical systems.

Whenever I park my Spyder, I plug in a fully automatic charger.

Assuming you have a sealed AGM battery, the charging voltage with the engine at fast idle will be about 14.0 - 14.1 v. With the engine off and a charger attached, it should be about 13.5 to 13.7 volts with a fully charged battery. If you disconnect the charger and let the battery rest, it will probably settle down to 12.7 v or so, but if you allow it to rest with no charger, it will slowly sink below 12v, and will begin to permanently lose capacity.

If your charger is older than four years, it very likely was designed with a charging voltage suitable for a wet battery, say 12.7v. If so, it will barely manage to keep a sealed AGM battery at minimum voltage, but not give it a good surface charge.

If you think your automatic charger is adequate, I suggest doing a check. Connect it and allow to charge for say 12 hours, then check the voltage with a digital voltmeter while it's connected. If the charging voltage is less than about 13.3 - 13.4 v, I suggest a newer charger. You might also disconnect the charger for 12 hrs. and let the battery drop to its resting voltage to see whether that's higher or lower than your charger voltage.

Both the ACI and the Optimate 4 chargers I obtained ealier this year have the appropriate charging voltage for AGM or Gel batteries (13.7v), plus the complex algorythms and amps needed to raise a sulfated battery from the dead.

I also have some Battery Doc chargers that are in the ballpark, for a few less bucks.

I'm not making any suggestions for brands, nor is this a complete charger comparison. I do suggest you obtain a reliable digital voltmeter (say Radio Shack 22-810) and do some checks before depending on any charger.

Voltage can be measured between the "hot" positive terminal (protected by the red plastic cap) under the seat, and the negative connector on the other side. Charging is a lot easier with a fused pigtail attached to these terminals and hanging down below the plastic panels, say with an SAE plug connection. You can buy SAE plug/fuse/wire kits at auto parts stores.

pmdave

[dancogan]

Dave, thanks for a valuable tip. With all the computer power in the Spyder there's probably a higher than average drain on the battery when the bike is sitting idle. I just went out and hooked up my BMW/Battery Tender charger and will be checking the voltage as you suggested.

[dknapp]

I was glad for the battery information, however what happens when you are on an extended trip and don't have access to re-charge the Spyder battery?
I have contacted BRP about this battery drain problem that has left us stranded a couple of times, but no response as of yet. We are on the second battery and still having the same problem. I owned Goldwings before and never had this problem. There should be no reason why you should have to charge the battery after 3 or 4 days of down time. I have talked with two different Spyder dealerships and they are at a loss.

My Spyder is a 2009 that I purchased new in 01/11 and I enjoy riding it, however I now have my doubts if they have the "bugs" worked out.

Currently I will be making arrangements for my third trip to the dealership and leaving it until the problem is resolved. We have even cancelled our trip to the Can-Am Spyder Event in Cherokee, NC as we are afraid of being stranded again.