battery charging question

[greenmonster]

Hooked my battery up to a charger-plug it-forget it-for the winter. Didnt ride this winter...too shitty! Anyway, put it in the bike today, buttoned it up...turned the key, and all I got was this very low sounding noise...like the battery had hardly any charge. Not even the clicking sound you'd expect, let alone the starter turning. One thing...I took the battery off the charger about a week ago and let the battery sit. I left the charger leads connected to the battery posts, but unplugged the charger at the outlet. Battery is only two years old, and the bike ran fine right up to the day I removed the battery for the winter. This hasn't happened before. Bike always started right up when I put the battery back in. Sooo...did I mess up the battery by leaving the charger leads connected and the charger unplugged? Thing is, I put the battery back on the charger just a half hour ago, and the red "charged" indicator is glowing, which means the battery is fully charged, right? Any ideas? Anyone in the Waltham area I can bring the battery to to check for strength? I'm scratching my head on this one...

[Cerberus]

Hooked my battery up to a charger-plug it-forget it-for the winter. Didnt ride this winter...too shitty! Anyway, put it in the bike today, buttoned it up...turned the key, and all I got was this very low sounding noise...like the battery had hardly any charge. Not even the clicking sound you'd expect, let alone the starter turning. One thing...I took the battery off the charger about a week ago and let the battery sit. I left the charger leads connected to the battery posts, but unplugged the charger at the outlet. Battery is only two years old, and the bike ran fine right up to the day I removed the battery for the winter. This hasn't happened before. Bike always started right up when I put the battery back in. Sooo...did I mess up the battery by leaving the charger leads connected and the charger unplugged? Thing is, I put the battery back on the charger just a half hour ago, and the red "charged" indicator is glowing, which means the battery is fully charged, right? Any ideas? Anyone in the Waltham area I can bring the battery to to check for strength? I'm scratching my head on this one...

yes.
most chargers, when uplugged from the wall, act as a load and suck the battery dead again.
also, battery tenders DO go bad occasionally..

usually the red led indicates charging.. green indicates charged.

[greenmonster]

yes.
most chargers, when uplugged from the wall, act as a load and suck the battery dead again.
also, battery tenders DO go bad occasionally..

usually the red led indicates charging.. green indicates charged.

My charger has two lights....the green for "power on" and the red for "charged". Both lights are on. One thing I noticed...the red light will turn off for like 2 seconds, then come back on...then stay on for about 2 minutes before it winks off again for the 2 seconds, repeating this cycle. It's a Schumacher 1.5 amp/12 volt charger. Think maybe the "winking" on and off means it's charging, even tho the red is labeled as "charged" and not as "charging"....

EDIT....instruction sheet gives the following info on light status....Green on...AC power is present. Red on...battery charger voltage is approximately 14 volts and charging has stopped. Red off...battery voltage has dropped one volt and the charging has resumed. So, my red is on, meaning the charging has stopped according to the instruction sheet...
You would think that a red light on would mean it's charging the battery! Apparently not in this case....

[Cerberus]

My charger has two lights....the green for "power on" and the red for "charged". Both lights are on. One thing I noticed...the red light will turn off for like 2 seconds, then come back on...then stay on for about 2 minutes before it winks off again for the 2 seconds, repeating this cycle. It's a Schumacher 1.5 amp/12 volt charger. Think maybe the "winking" on and off means it's charging, even tho the red is labeled as "charged" and not as "charging"....

bottom line, i am not familiar with your charger or its particulars.
i suppose i could do a quick online lookup..

[greenmonster]

bottom line, i am not familiar with your charger or its particulars.
i suppose i could do a quick online lookup..

I added more info (EDIT) in my previous post...not sure if it helps any.

[Kurlon]

Get it to the point the charger thinks it's 'good' and then unplug from the charger. Put a meter across it and watch the voltage. It'll slowly trickle down, but if you see it really dropping, suspect the battery is done.

[BluGixxer]

That doesn't sound like a float charger..sounds like a trickle charger..which does not shut off when the battery reaches a full charge..if you left it on all winter you might have boiled the water low..FIRST..check water level...then try to charge and get the battery load tested..any parts store will do that free of charge..it is posssible to cook you battery into a totally uselless piece of lead wieght..

[greenmonster]

That doesn't sound like a float charger..sounds like a trickle charger..which does not shut off when the battery reaches a full charge..if you left it on all winter you might have boiled the water low..FIRST..check water level...then try to charge and get the battery load tested..any parts store will do that free of charge..it is posssible to cook you battery into a totally uselless piece of lead wieght..

It's a float type....designed for "storage of a battery during non-seasonal use".
Battery is a sealed type. Instruction sheet also says the charger is designed with a circuit to prevent over-charging. I used it last winter too, and the bike fired right up when I reinstalled it. Better yet, I'll go the suggested route...get it tested at the local Advanced Auto....see what reading I'll get.