[rcraig45617]

I just moved from a house in Florida to an apartment in Virginia. I don't have street parking; my building has an underground garage. I've scoured all three floors of the parking garage and there isn't a single power outlet to connect my battery tender to. I've learned that if the bike isn't ridden every week and a half or isn't connected to a battery tender, the battery will die. Work has me out of town for more than a few weeks at a time, so I need a battery tender to keep it from dying. The only other option I can think of is to disconnect the battery if I won't be riding for a while. But with the tour pack, that's obviously an issue. Anyone have a similar dilemma? If so, what kind of solution have you found? TIA...

 

[wheelman1857]

I have a 16 chieftain, ride all year in pa, however there are those times of ice and snow. So my rule of thumb is if I haven't rode for three weeks the but the tender on. I have never had a problem with any of my bikes using this rule.

 

[Geoff-3]

I just moved from a house in Florida to an apartment in Virginia. I don't have street parking; my building has an underground garage. I've scoured all three floors of the parking garage and there isn't a single power outlet to connect my battery tender to. I've learned that if the bike isn't ridden every week and a half or isn't connected to a battery tender, the battery will die. Work has me out of town for more than a few weeks at a time, so I need a battery tender to keep it from dying. The only other option I can think of is to disconnect the battery if I won't be riding for a while. But with the tour pack, that's obviously an issue. Anyone have a similar dilemma? If so, what kind of solution have you found? TIA...

That I find unusual ,I lear my bike as it is ,not battery tenders and parked under cover beside our unit and never have a issue.I don't know if it is the weather or just a lot of the guys in the USA have loose battery cables that cause this. If your battery is in good condition ,you should be able to leave the bike without a charge for at least a month .I doin in some cases and never ever needed a changer of any kind.May be I am lucky but then again my mate and I were talking about this yesterday on our weekly ride and his does the same as I do ,without any issues . Good luck ,I hope it works out for you . If not I would be seeking the approval from the apartment management for a power source ,even if you had to pay for it.

 

[KAL]

Admittedly, a battery tender is the nicest solution. But if there’s nowhere to plug on in, and you need to disconnect the battery, perhaps something like the below. It might be small enough to mount under the seat or in front of the shock, facing the rear jug. I don’t know, but might be worth a try. I’d likely mount it to the ground side to avoid chances of arcing.
Amazon.com: 6V 12V 24V Battery Disconnect Cutoff Switch for RV Marine Boat ATV Car Auto Vehicle Truck, Battery Isolator Switch with Two Removable Keys, Waterproof Battery Master Kill Switch, 200/1000 Amps, On/Off: Automotive

 

[vsteel]

Not very convenient but you could take the battery out when you are going to be out of town and just keep the tender on in your apartment.

 

[Highway 2]

I’d look into one of the portable jump start/power pack units. Charge it up in the apt, then bring it down to the garage on occasion and plug in a small battery tender. Make sure to have an easy to get to pigtail off the battery and you good to go. If your worried about someone lifting it, chain it to the bike when left unattended.

 

[BoySCOUT]

Strap/lock a portable power supply on the bike hooked up to the battery tender

 

[geewago]

Had bikes for years, never had a tender. Most of my batteries last at least 4 years.

 

[wildmandmc]

i prob would take the battery inside the apartment.

 

[rcraig45617]

Some good options here. I think the portable jump pack may be the way to go. I’ll do some research and see how viable it is. Thanks y’all!


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[Soldado]

Portable jump pack and a quick battery disconnect as previously mentioned is what I would do.

Juan

 

[wheelman1857]

Now if you can park it where you can set up a solar battery tender, problem solved.

 

[Magoo6541]

I wonder why your battery doesn't last more than a week and a half? I've gone away for work for 3 weeks at a time and intentionally left the batter tender off because I wanted to see if my battery would last. Mine is a '16 and I have extra USB outlets that are constantly illuminated and I was concerned about the additional draw on the battery. After 3 weeks, it fired up just fine. Not sure how old the battery is but I've owned the bike for a year.

To answer your question, I think a portable jump pack is probably your best solution. For the winter where you'll not ride for months at a time, I'd probably disconnect the battery and bring it in your apartment.

 

[walynut]

Install a battery cut out switch, problem solved

 

[Geoff-3]

Some good options here. I think the portable jump pack may be the way to go. I’ll do some research and see how viable it is. Thanks y’all!


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[WillyH]

Rent a house with garage or shed, or buy one. Problem solved.

 

[Jchris56]

Just pull the main fuse

 

[EIGHTEENSnTWOs_inOH]

I just moved from a house in Florida to an apartment in Virginia. I don't have street parking; my building has an underground garage. I've scoured all three floors of the parking garage and there isn't a single power outlet to connect my battery tender to. I've learned that if the bike isn't ridden every week and a half or isn't connected to a battery tender, the battery will die. Work has me out of town for more than a few weeks at a time, so I need a battery tender to keep it from dying. The only other option I can think of is to disconnect the battery if I won't be riding for a while. But with the tour pack, that's obviously an issue. Anyone have a similar dilemma? If so, what kind of solution have you found? TIA...

Does it have an alarm? That might be what’s killing the battery.

If you’re contemplating taking the battery out, try disconnecting the alarm instead. If you take the battery out, you have no alarm anyway.

My Victory was eating batteries, unhooked the alarm and no problems since.

No problems with my Chief sitting (no alarm). I fire it up about once a month in the winter, no problems.

 

[slewfoot]

Install an inline cutoff switch to prevent a small drain and not have to disconnect battery but may mess up some memory stuff. Make sure switch is capable of power in that cable. Maybe just switch the ground

 

[fixdent]

I leave my 2016 Roadmaster for weeks at a time occasionally and have not had a problem with dead batters, and it is still the original.
Now cold weather is another story. (like 35F, which we are starting to get now)

-
Gordon