best place to attach battery tender cable

[Guest]

When I got my bike the PO had a battery tender connector attached to the positive on the starter motor relay and the negative of the battery. It was convenient because you could just take off the side cover and hook up the tender.

He had it there because his charging system was a mess so I removed it after getting everything squared away. However I must admit that I ride more when its 110f out then when it is a brisk/freezing 60f so I am thinking about putting the lead back on. The bike can go a week and a half without being taken out.

I know that the best way to use the tender is attached directly to the battery and having the battery cables removed but if you were going to attach the connector for permanent mounting ... where would you hook it up? Did the PO have it right?
Alex

[Baatfam]

I just put mine directly on the battery, never even considered another way.

I run the cables up between the seat and gas tank, since I use it to power my tank bag gear.
You can see it in this picture.

[mmattockx]

I just put mine directly on the battery, never even considered another way.

+1, I have always just put it directly on the battery posts.


Mark

[Gorminrider]

There's no reason you can't connect it to the solenoid BAT post and any good ground on the frame or engine.
Im assuming your bike is "electrically" in as good a condition as the bike above looks! ie: the starter ground cable is good.

as an aside, if you have leads on permanently, any exposed connector would be the "ground" side so you don't accidentally create a short or sparks around a leaky carb if the exposed connector touches the frame....I'm thinking of "trailer lights" connector-type that I use for a heated vest and a charger.

[gsrick]

When I got my bike the PO had a battery tender connector attached to the positive on the starter motor relay and the negative of the battery. It was convenient because you could just take off the side cover and hook up the tender.

He had it there because his charging system was a mess so I removed it after getting everything squared away. However I must admit that I ride more when its 110f out then when it is a brisk/freezing 60f so I am thinking about putting the lead back on. The bike can go a week and a half without being taken out.

I know that the best way to use the tender is attached directly to the battery and having the battery cables removed but if you were going to attach the connector for permanent mounting ... where would you hook it up? Did the PO have it right?
Alex

The majority of the time I go directly to the battery posts, but I don't see a problem with the way he had it mounted if it makes it more convenient. If the battery has a dedicated ground to frame, I'd use the solenoid post and the frame mount for the solenoid. If you have a rubber mounted solenoid any frame bolt will also work. With some bikes it the preferred way since the battery is in a place that's hard to get to like some late model bikes. You could also just zip tie the end to the frame just out of sight so you don't have to worry about damaging the side cover tabs from removing it often.

[Boriqua]

The majority of the time I go directly to the battery posts, but I don't see a problem with the way he had it mounted if it makes it more convenient. If the battery has a dedicated ground to frame, I'd use the solenoid post and the frame mount for the solenoid. If you have a rubber mounted solenoid any frame bolt will also work. With some bikes it the preferred way since the battery is in a place that's hard to get to like some late model bikes. You could also just zip tie the end to the frame just out of sight so you don't have to worry about damaging the side cover tabs from removing it often.

I am trying to eliminate taking the airbox out whenever I go to trickle so the side panel area works best. Good idea on the zip tie. Gorminrider My bike is certainly not as nice as the one pictured above but the electric is sorted properly .. thanks to all the posts here. Great advice on not mounting near fuel. DOnt think I would have thought of that.

I think she looks pretty good but certainly not that beauty up top.

[Big T]

Your seat flips up, right?
Connect it to the battery and run it around the air box to under the seat

[Boriqua]

Your seat flips up, right?
Connect it to the battery and run it around the air box to under the seat

no mine doesnt flip up .. I wish it did .. but its not a big deal to take it off. Now does whatever circuitry in the tender get affected by attaching it to the battery while the battery is still attached to the bike cables? I would think not but thought I read that somewhere.

[Steve]

There is no problem connecting directly to the battery, whether the battery is disconnected from the bike or not.

Why make it any harder than necessary? In fact, in the interest of keeping it easier, I am along with gorminrider and gsrick. I try to make any electrical connections away from the battery posts. Why? Because the battery is the most-often accessed item in that area. The fewer wires I have to keep track of, the better. Just ONE wire on the positive post, it goes to the starter solenoid, where I make my other connections. TWO wires on the negative post. One is the large starter ground, the other goes to my single-point ground location.

By the way, with a good AGM battery (note that is a construction type, not a brand name), you should not have to do anything more than once or twice over the storage period. Certainly should not have to keep it connected all the time.

.

[Redman]

Weiter it is connected to the battery+ or to the solenoid is essentially the same thing. Maybe they put it in the solenoid because the battery+ already had more than one connector and adding another was a problem since the bolt not reach the threads in the "nut" in the battery post.

I have mine coiled up behind the side cover with the connector hanging out below the side cover so can connect to the tender without removing the cover. Maybe during summer I might tuck the connector up behind the cover also.

.

[Gorminrider]

Now does whatever circuitry in the tender get affected by attaching it to the battery while the battery is still attached to the bike cables? I would think not

No. Does no harm. You can put similar on a car without disconnecting the battery- (It might be that you're not even "supposed to" where disconnecting the car battery can reset the icu to defaults)
...and even if your key is on for awhile won't hurt it.

but..(there's always a"but") I wouldn't leave it on a LOUSY battery all winter. a) Waste of electricity b) these maintainers probably aren't designed to run on a crappy battery all the time...and I'd have to add an "unknown drain" when the bike is connected . I've had a slow drain through a bad component once..took me awhile to know it was even there...noticed a tiny spark when hooking the battery up. Ok on a car with a radio or the cab lights on, but on our old suzukis there shouldn't be one.

So, I prefer to disconnect and remove a winterized battery that I won't be using for no really good reason I can easily describe beyond "it's easier to keep an eye on it".

PS-Yes, I'd keep a lock on THAT bike! You guys!!..I have to get at least 20' away from mine to take a picture that doesn't make me frown..

[850 Combat]

Whilr yoy are in there, I would consider grounding the solenoid mounting post to the battery, and to an additional location on the frame, like a battery box mounting post.

[850 Combat]

I just put mine directly on the battery, never even considered another way.

I run the cables up between the seat and gas tank, since I use it to power my tank bag gear.
You can see it in this picture.

Great photo,by the way

[Grimly]

When I got my bike the PO had a battery tender connector attached to the positive on the starter motor relay and the negative of the battery. It was convenient because you could just take off the side cover and hook up the tender.

He had it there because his charging system was a mess so I removed it after getting everything squared away. However I must admit that I ride more when its 110f out then when it is a brisk/freezing 60f so I am thinking about putting the lead back on. The bike can go a week and a half without being taken out.

I know that the best way to use the tender is attached directly to the battery and having the battery cables removed but if you were going to attach the connector for permanent mounting ... where would you hook it up? Did the PO have it right?
Alex

My tender charge point is connected directly to the battery (with a fuse in line, of course) and the single-point ground, then the outlet/inlet terminates in an IEC shrouded plug that just pokes out of the front edge of the RH side panel, so easy to reach. One of my battery tenders is permanently fitted with the mating supply socket.
As a system it works well, and I really must install it on the other bikes. I've never bothered using it for this, but the idea of doing it that way was to run a camping light sometime.

[Boriqua]

My tender charge point is connected directly to the battery (with a fuse in line, of course) and the single-point ground, then the outlet/inlet terminates in an IEC shrouded plug that just pokes out of the front edge of the RH side panel, so easy to reach. One of my battery tenders is permanently fitted with the mating supply socket.
As a system it works well, and I really must install it on the other bikes. I've never bothered using it for this, but the idea of doing it that way was to run a camping light sometime.

That is exactly what I landed up doing. It just pokes out from the side cover and I zip tied it to the frame so it doesnt go anywhere. It has the boot on it and I can just walk up to it as need arises and put the tender on it without removing the side panel.