Re: Requesting list wisdom re gel battery and Battery Tender Plus

[Robert Silas <robert.silas@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve,
Last spring I bought a BMW gel battery (CAN $208+tax) which I used very little in the RS. Last fall I took the K75 to L.A. and transferred the battery over. Now it's back in the RS.
Your present B.T. is ok for maintaining the gel battery but to charge it up you'd need a regular (small) charger, for example the one I use for car batteries is ok as long as I am careful with charging time. Apparently the gel battery can be charged to a bit higher voltage than the ones we used before. I am not sure of the "truth" about gel batteries but using a small car battery charger did it for me. I did not hook it up to the battery tender.
Dealers "forget" to tell you that regular charger, for charging, is OK. No need for B. Tender, charge it once in 2 months for a half an hour with regular, charger if need it, then let the bike's alternator do the rest. It works for me.
Bob Silas 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Steve Makohin 
  To: IBMWR List ; Oilheads List 
  Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 10:54 AM
  Subject: Requesting list wisdom re gel battery and Battery Tender Plus


  Hello all,

  What is the list wisdom regarding a gel battery and a Battery Tender Plus? I
  am aware that the makers of the Battery Tender tell you you need a special
  Tender, as does BMW. My mechanic says the gel batteries have not been in the
  field long enough to conclude if there is any harm done by using a standard
  Battery Tender, and that he knows of no cases where he can attribute a gel
  battery's demise to using a standard Tender vs a special gel Tender.

  What's your take? I live in a part of the country where we see several weeks
  of 90'F temps, as well as sitting dormant over the winter at below freezing
  temps.

  -Steve Makohin
   '01 R1100S/ABS
   Oakville, Ontario, Canada


  -- 
  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG Free Edition.
  Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.2/314 - Release Date: 4/16/2006

------------------------------