No Dead Motorcycle Battery!
No Problems Starting and Riding My Motorcycle!
I have had my TaoTao TBR7 motorcycle for a year now, and I still have the original stock motorcycle battery. Nope, not making this up; I still have a good battery that cranks up and starts my motorcycle each time. All because of one piece of technology, a battery tender I bought for my motorcycle. For those that don’t know:
A motorcycle battery tender is an automatic charging device connected to your vehicle’s battery that charges it slowly and cycles the charging process on and off, keeping your battery topped off, floating at the 100% peak level of performance.
I figured I would need to get a trickle battery charger/tender to extend the life of the TBR7’s stock motorcycle battery. This was my thinking a year ago: Do I Need A Trickle Battery Charger/Tender For My Motorcycle?
Having A Motorcycle Battery Tender Means?
Now, this sounds weird, and I would be so happy about such a small thing, even more, bizarre that I am writing about it. For new Chonda-Owners and passerby’s, these Chinese dual-sport motorcycles typically come with poorly performing batteries.
Chonda’s are a class of motorcycles considered Chinese knock-offs of Honda designs. The better-known RPS Hawk 250 is one, and of course, my TaoTao TBR7 is also one.
Chonda Motorcycles are known for ‘questionable’ build quality, typically showing sloppy welds and weird electrical behaviors.
The weird electrical behaviors are usually lights going on and off, instrument cluster bulbs burning out fast, gear indicator light occasionally working, and the short life span battery.
How Is My Battery After A Full Year?
Like I said, the stock battery is going strong( Stock TaoTao TBR7 and Hawk 250 Battery Any Good? – FAQ ). I have the sealed battery version that shipped with my TBR7, and it continues to work. I know I am jinxing myself, but even at this point, if the battery dies, it lasts a whole year with no problems.
How Do I Treat My TBR7 Motorcycle Battery?
Generally poorly. :/
My TBR7 has a habit of overheating. I had left the motorcycle running too long while in inner-city traffic, and the engine didn’t like it. See Previous Post: Overheated Motorcycle Engine Problem(s).
So when at long traffic lights, before I start getting overheating symptoms, I turn off the motor with the kill switch, and this leaves my lights motorcycle lights on.
Once the engine is off, I return the motor kill switch and get ready to crank the TBR7’s engine when the light turns green.
When the light changed, I would restart with the electric starter and be on my way. Cranking an engine will draw a lot of currents and eat up battery life. Add in my frequent use of the motorcycle even on the hottest days, and you can see I am not nice to my bike’s battery.
What’s The Secret To A Good Motorcycle Battery?
The whole message of this post is battery tender.
The slow charging process seems to bring the battery to 100%, and with the cycling charging process, the battery is kept at 100%. Lead-acid batteries lose charge sitting around, and regular lead-acid batteries don’t like discharge. So having a constantly fully charged battery keeps the battery happy.
Read more about lead-acid batteries here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93acid_battery.
Are Motorcycle Battery Tenders Expensive?
No. I picked up my battery tender for under $25, and it came with standard motorcycle charging items. It came with a plug-in cable to install on the battery terminals, allowing quick connect charging options, and it came with small clamps to charge batteries directly off their terminals.
For less than 25 dollars, I have a motorcycle ready to ride anytime I want to ride. Also, the battery tender was cheaper than buying a new battery.
I picked up my motorcycle’s battery tender off Amazon. There are all different sizes(charging rates/charging speed) and features, but my battery tender was a cheap one that charged and maintained both 12-volt and 6-volt batteries: nothing special, just a cheap battery tender.
Author’s Notice: This page contains affiliate links, for which I may earn a commission by their use. Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases.
Here are some of Amazon’s selections: Motorcycle Battery Tenders.
In Summary: How To Use A Battery Tender On A Motorcycle
When:
I use the battery tender every time the motorcycle is parked and not running. If my ride break becomes an extended break, the battery is taken care of by the battery tender.
How:
I use a quick disconnect to make it easier to connect and disconnect the battery tender since I’m lazy. Face it. If I have to come in from motorcycle riding, some “Adulting” event is pulling me away from riding, and I get forgetful.
So, a battery tender quick disconnect is necessary for absent-minded people like me.
Luck Favors The Prepared.
Edna – from The Incredibles
Click To See My Recommended
TBR7 Upgrades
Hi I’m Tom, A New Motorcycle Rider and Blog Author.
I am a new rider(Pa Learners Permit at the end of 2020, and I received a Pa Motorcycle License in 2021 after passing a Motorcycle Safety Course).
I bought my first motorcycle, a TaoTao TBR7, at the beginning of 2021 and have been doing upgrades on that motorcycle since.
I added to my motorcycle collection by buying a Boom Vader Gen 2 in 2022, and that Grom-Clone motorcycle has been upgraded by me as well.
I continue to ride my Boom Vader Gen 2 motorcycle as well as my TaoTao TBR7 dual-sport bike.
Read more on my About Me page.
Fun Fact: I’ve only been on one group ride.
