[zxme]

I had put in a new interstate battery in my 12 last year and the bike has been sitting since dec, well as we can guess the batt is dead, now being a year old do u think i can just put it on my battery tender(yea i know i should have had it on all winter)but i had it stored when i moved and couldnt find it, so there..LOL....and be good still..????

[ZX-12R]

That's odd for a battery to go after a year. I haven't unhooked or used a tender on my battery in the 12 since I bought it and it still fires right up.

If the battery is completely dead, the tender may not get it back to life. I would suggest trying an actual battery charger to see if the battery takes a charge. Put the charger in the "fast charge" setting (usually around 12A for motorcycle batteries) just long enough to check the ammeter to see if the battery is taking a charge. If it is, turn it down to 1-2A and slow charge it as per your battery's instructions.

If it doesn't take a charge, you may be the victim of sulfation and your best bet is to buy another new battery.

For proper winter storage, there is no need to have the battery on the tender 24/7. The best thing for a lead acid battery is to keep completely disconnected (open circuit) in an area that stays above freezing. Every 2 weeks or so, hook it up to a charger to top it off.