Battery tenders for the winter.....

[OhioEric]

somebody tell me why i dont want one of these.....

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42292


thank you. (maybe)

 

[bonanzadave]

Because you could take the $7.50 and buy a tank of gas and go riding all day !! \\/

Otherwise it looks like a deal to me.

 

[knotzilla]

"If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is" but then again there are a few naive people out there. Ted

 

[spyug]

It is likely not up to the high quality of the Battery Tender product but for the money what do you have to lose.

I have a couple of plain vanilla 1 amp chargers that I bought on sale for about the same price from our Crappy Tire chain (Canadian Tire). They work well enough but quality control is not the greatest and some don't last all that long. I had one go south after only 3 months of intermittent use but the other is holding up after 4 years. I bought another one when they came on sale again this year so I always have 2.

I'd give it a whirl and maybe buy a couple extra for an nice Xmas gift for your riding buds.

Cheers,
Spyug.

 

[BlackStar]

As long as they don't go ape$hit and toast your battery! Then it wouldn't be such a good deal.

 

[bakalorz]

"If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is" but then again there are a few naive people out there. Ted

Thats usually true, but there are qualifications to it too ...

The battery tender is a microprocessor controlled charger.
The computer revolution that is giving you a PC that is twice as powerful as last years model every year or two applies to microprocessors too.
The chip at the heart of it costs less than a quarter nowadays.

A couple (or more) of years ago it was a cutting edge inovative product.
Now its a commodity, and the chinese can whip them out cheap and undercut the market.

I don't know anything about that particular one, but its a VERY simple thing to make nowadays.

I suspect its quite adequate.

Martin

 

[gbw]

At that price how could you go wrong? I saw something similar at Pep Boys for $14 and was going to buy it. Maybe I'll buy this one instead. It will probably cost as much to ship as the actual charger

 

[Guest]

I bought the same thing for $5 locally two years ago. Seems to work OK. The Battery Tender is probably better in some way, but for a tight budget, the cheapie seems OK.

 

[OhioEric]

bought one...

next step: add some type of connectors, and hidden plug , so that the seat and or side cover isnt coming off and on every time its used... :-D

( also to be used for more than one bike )

 

[tkent02]

Does this one shut off all current when it doesn't need to charge?
If not, it might be better to unplug it most of the time.

 

[Muser3]

Cheepo Chargers

Cheepo Chargers

I have used these for several years to keep my yard equipment batteries charged over the winter. They work fine and I have never had problems with the batteries. I also use them for the bikes I do not ride in the winter because I only ride bikes with fairings then. So far I have only compliments for these cheeeeeep little devices. HF has them for 3.98 or 4.98 from time to time, and they seem to last OK. I use polarized connectors on all the vehicles and chargers.
Lee

 

[duaneage]

I have a solar panel that mounts on the shed and keeps the battery up on the bike al winter. About 35 dollars. It uses no power cord and works great.

 

[koolaid_kid]

Does this one shut off all current when it doesn't need to charge?
If not, it might be better to unplug it most of the time.

It says that it does. Where it cuts corners is the cabling. Mine came with a plug connector that can switch between the clamps and one that is permanently installed on the battery (both included). I then bought a trailer light connector and cut it in two, and installed them on the other two bikes. Now I can switch the charger between any bike I choose.

 

[OhioEric]

It says that it does. Where it cuts corners is the cabling. Mine came with a plug connector that can switch between the clamps and one that is permanently installed on the battery (both included). I then bought a trailer light connector and cut it in two, and installed them on the other two bikes. Now I can switch the charger between any bike I choose.

where did you buy the connectors? Wally's? Tell us more on how you did this...and thanks.

 

[RASNDAS]

I have 18 bikes on these chargers right now and have only had one failure which Ibelieve was an internal short in the battery which also killed the charger. Other than that no problems and it sure is nice not to have to use jumper cables.

 

[bubba]

Here in the great white north our bikes sit idle for 6 months so I take my battery out and put it in the basement. Also got a Black & Decker trickle charger at Wally world that is automatic and works great. A little light duty for a car, but works great on the bike and garden tractor.

 

[chuckycheese]

Cheaper yet!

Cheaper yet!

In case anyone's interested, I just got a flyer from HF and this same charger is on 'super duper double bubble sale'....for only $5.97!! I'm gonna get one!\\/

 

[physics-teacher]

I bought three of these little buggers at HF a couple of weeks ago for only $4.99 each though the label on the shelf said $9.99 and no sale was mentioned. It was a pleasant surprise at the checkout. They put out 12.87 volts and so have zero current on a fit battery. If the battery drops below 12,87 volts an almost infintesimal current will begin and bring the voltage back up to 12.87. I have three in operation right now and no problems. The most ominous things are 1. Made in China, like practically everything at HF and 2. They come with a 90 day warranty (!) How much faith can you have on a product not even warranteed to last through the winter?