It is sad enough to have to put your motorcycle away for the winter; however here
are some tips for charging and maintaining your AGM battery for a fresh start in spring.
The new AGM (activated glass matt) battery is special in that you can't just forget about it when winter comes. If your bike is going to sit in a nice warm storage unit, you can install what is called a Battery Tender Plus or smart charger. This is a
little black box that plugs into the wall outlet and connects to your AGM battery through
a short wire harness connected to the battery on the bike. The harness stays with the bike
when the tender is not being used. It can be left plugged in all winter. It shuts down
when the battery is fully charged and turns back on automatically when the battery drops
to a certain voltage. This takes just pennies to operate all winter. This option is for
bikes or batteries that are in a heated storage area only.
If your bike is going
to sit in an unheated storage area, you can do one of two things. One, take the battery out of the bike and store it in a warm area, connecting it to the Battery Tender Plus, mentioned above, once a month or you can leave it connected all winter. This will maintain the proper charge. Two, install a Global charger wire harness to the battery (leaving the battery in the bike) and plug it into a 110-volt outlet for the winter. The short wire harness stays with the bike when the charger is not being used.
The Global charger is different from the Battery Tender in that it adjusts voltage to compensate for temperature change. As the temperature drops, it takes more voltage to charge and maintain a battery and as the temperature increases it takes less voltage to maintain the battery. This is the best way to keep your battery fresh and fully charged if it is going to be outside in an unheated building or under a blue tarp for the winter. Like the smaller unit, the cost of operation for the winter is quite low.
In your bike owner's manual, there is a conversion chart and instructions for using a regular battery charger for charging AGM batteries, however, the above-mentioned methods are much safer for the battery and easier to use. Failure to properly charge and maintain AGM batteries will cause damage and the need for another new battery when riding season comes around again. We want to help save you the money and frustration of a battery that doesn’t survive hibernation.
If you have any questions please call, and be sure to read the instructions for whichever charger you purchase.
Service Manager
