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Message started by Doug B on 11/20/12 at 16:10:51

Title: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 11/20/12 at 16:10:51

I just purchased a CTEK US 800(and a CTEK comfort indicator eyelet). Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with this product(past or present) ? Any advice (pros/cons) would be appreciated.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Boofer on 11/20/12 at 17:39:32

Doug, we're so cheap on this site we usually get the WalMart Schaumacher for $20 or the Harbor Freight one for $5. Then we buy a new tire with the money we have left over from not buying a CTEK. And a coke. ;) Looks ok on the quick check I did. I have my pigtail installed, and it is really handy. It just lays behind and on top the right side cover with the end tucked in on the rear of the cover.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by verslagen1 on 11/21/12 at 11:49:13

hell, I don't even know what it is.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 11/21/12 at 12:20:29

Has anyone ever had any type of problem charging your battery while its still in place(hooked up) on the bike ?

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by verslagen1 on 11/21/12 at 12:21:44

only when it's out of water.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Routy on 11/21/12 at 14:14:28

202F26440 wrote:

Has anyone ever had any type of problem charging your battery while its still in place(hooked up) on the bike ?

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 11/22/12 at 11:21:36

5F504A514D4B585A525C4B390 wrote:

[quote author=202F26440 link=1353456651/0#3 date=1353529229]Has anyone ever had any type of problem charging your battery while its still in place(hooked up) on the bike ?

What kind of problem could there be,....except the bat terminals are not the easiest to connect to. Thats why most of us are hard wired w/ a connector for our favorite cheap charger.
But the negative will charge anywhere on the frame.
And actually the positive will charge thru any hot wire, doesn't have to be on the battery.
[/quote]

One potential problem is mentioned in the Clymer manual(p. 34) Always remove the battery from the bike's frame before connecting the battery charger. Never recharge a battery in the bike's frame; the corrosive mist that is emitted during the charging process will corrode all surrounding surfaces. I don't know if anyone has seen this - just asking :-/

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Charon on 11/22/12 at 12:34:53

The corrosive mist should be directed away by the battery vent tube, presuming it to be properly connected and routed. Another potential but unlikely problem might be excessive voltage causing damage to the voltage regulator. I'd worry about that with either a high-current charger or an el cheapo which might produce high-voltage spikes during charging.

Title: Re: battery chargeR
Post by Gyrobob on 11/22/12 at 14:10:41

Doug B said, "One potential problem is mentioned in the Clymer manual(p. 34) Always remove the battery from the bike's frame before connecting the battery charger. Never recharge a battery in the bike's frame; the corrosive mist that is emitted during the charging process will corrode all surrounding surfaces. I don't know if anyone has seen this - just asking "

This is true. Like Charon said, this mist will be coming out of the battery vent tube, assuming there is one installed. Some folks don't bother with installing the battery vent tube when putting in a new battery. Even if the tube is there, sometimes it might be misrouted.

So,.... if you charge the battery while it is installed in the bike, make sure the battery vent tube exhausts somewhere down below the bike where it won't do any damage. With some batteries and some chargers, you can have situations where there will be lots of very corrosive mist/droplets that will come gurgling out of that tube.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Routy on 11/23/12 at 17:40:55

If a battery is dry and dead, don't ever fill it to the max !
You must fill it to just above the plates, then charge it to very near max. Then last of all fill it to max.....not over the top line.
Using this process will eliminate most any liquid coming out of the vent tubes.
For myself, I leave a maintainer charger plugged into my bike batt 24/365......or anytime I'm not riding. After 3 yrs, I've NEVER seen any sign of corrosion anywhere.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 11/25/12 at 11:48:58

Thanks to all of you who replied - I appreciate your time and opinions - I'll be giving the charger a try tomorrow - I haven't had any battery problems yet - but my bike is less than 100 days old from the dealer(new) - so it shouldn't have any - I just want to get another full year out of it

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Charon on 11/25/12 at 15:13:45

I can't speak for others, but I bought my '07 S40 new in August 2006 and it is still running on the OEM battery. I remove the battery in winter and keep it in my garage. Every couple of months, when I happen to think about it, I check the water and put it on an automatic battery charger for a day or so. Come Spring, back into the bike and off she goes. We'll see if it keeps working about next April.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by houstonbofh on 11/27/12 at 19:16:43

It is ok to charge a connected battery and even jump from a non-running car. Some data about the worries...

Sealed batteries (AGM and Gel) generally do not mist.

Voltage regulators and ignition systems never come into play if the key is off.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by verslagen1 on 12/01/12 at 15:52:57

343B32500 wrote:

I just purchased a CTEK US 800(and a CTEK comfort indicator eyelet). Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with this product(past or present) ? Any advice (pros/cons) would be appreciated.

So, How do you like it?

are these connectors compatible with SAE connectors?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31eqo40zEBL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 12/05/12 at 06:49:27

verslagen1 - the connector you pictured is the pigtail type, mine is the eyelet type As far as liking it ???

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 12/05/12 at 06:50:06

DAY 1 I finally installed the comfort indicator eyelet 2 days ago. When I did it's middle(of 3) light came on. I then plugged it into the US 800 charger, and the charger into an AC outlet. The charger's "charging" light came on. The indicator's middle(yellow) light implies that a charge is recommended. The red light implies that a charge is needed. Within 3 or 4 minutes the lights on both units went to the green(charged status). My battery was fine with 3 1/2 months of riding/being parked. I left things hooked up for a few minutes before unplugging them. I didn't like that the comfort indicator's lights flashed almost every second, thinking that this may cause an unnecessary current draw. I went away and returned in 5 hours. The indicator's light was now in the red. It wasn't red initially with no battery charging in the 3 1/2 months I've owned the bike since it was purchased new. I didn't feel like working on it anymore that night, so I hooked the US 800 back up and decided to leave it that way overnight. I also decided at that time to remove the indicator and install the one(without lights) that came with the US 800. I also decided to take the battery out and check the electrolyte level in each cell.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 12/05/12 at 06:50:25

DAY 2 The next morning I unplugged the charger. I then unhooked the negative cable of the battery and placed an ammeter in series(in between the cable and the battery "post") to check current draw - about 1.5 mA. I removed the indicator and checked current draw - 0.0 mA. This was what I expected since our bikes don't have anything on them to draw current. I installed the comfort eyelet that came with the US 800 - still 0.0 mA draw(no lights). Great - onto the battery. To remove it I had to remove the bracket that the tool box cover is bolted to. It was then that I saw it - there was no vent tube !!! I remembered the posts within this thread about charging with the battery in place. As long as a vent tube directed the corrosive mist downward things would be fine. I felt like going to my Suzuki mechanic and cleaning his clock. Instead, I cleaned the surrounding area. I assumed that a vent tube was in place, and I assumed that my local Suzuki mechanic was competent. Of course, I know what can happen when we ass/u* things. I do blame myself 100%

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 12/05/12 at 07:06:21

I'm not sure what happened at the end of my previous post I wrote(and confirmed it) "Of course, I know what can happen when we ass/u* things. I do blame myself 100%" it cut off after the u and turned red

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 12/05/12 at 07:07:31

I guess our site can't handle slash marks

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Doug B on 12/05/12 at 07:25:33

I was, of course, referring to the old saying : never assume anything, because it can make an a_ _ out of you and me with the word "assume" broken up with slash marks between the 3rd and 4th letters and the 4th and 5th letters

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by verslagen1 on 12/05/12 at 07:26:32

5A555C3E0 wrote:

verslagen1 - the connector you pictured is the pigtail type, mine is the eyelet type As far as liking it ???

Understood, I like the battery status indicator. I'm wondering if I can use this with my current charger which has the iso type.

Will the iso type connector plug into their plug? :-?