Trickle Chargers -yes or no?
I have often heard about trickle chargers and how they save your battery over the winter.
I have to admit,I have never used one and have had no issues with my batteries being charged enough to start my bikes.
I live in Colorado, so not much more than a month or so will go by without it being nice enough to ride,my bikes are in a completely enclosed garage that is not heated. When there are continuous days that will be warm start to show up(another couple of months,I will charge them up and ride all season with no problems.
Batteries generally last about 3+ years.
Should I be concerned about leaving a trickle charge on those weeks to a month that I am not riding them?
For those using trickle chargers,how long do your batteries generally last?
my experience...for what it's worth....
I live near Boise, ID...which... except for Lewiston, ID (at only 750 ft above sea level).. has the most mild winters in the state....and I can count the days since the middle of Nov that the daytime high reached 40 F.....it is cold here
Anyway.....most .75 to 1.25 amp trickle chargers work great for me....I am using one on my 2013 F6B this winter mainly because I didn't want to remove the seat to take the battery out of the bike....we all know how much fun it can be to put a Mustang seat back on the F6B....but I don't leave the electricity on it constantly.....just plugged it in every 3 or 4 weeks and it took less than an hour to fully charge....
I have a 2007 VTX1300c I bought new....since it is very easy to take the battery out of it during the winter months...I do....take indoors in basement to store.....put the trinkle charger on it once a month or so....that battery is the original battery that came with the bike....* years old and going strong.... if you can, IMO....take out over winter months, store indoors, and charge every month..if it is not easy to remove...put the trickle charger on it in the garage....Shaker