Battery tender question...

[Femmekat]

I was curious, over the entire winter while working on the bike every time the bike would get turned on to check if a turn signal was working, etc. the battery would start charging. The bike was not running, just the key was turned when sorting out the electrical nightmare that was my wiring. It would go from solid green (fully charged) to flashing green, to red (charging) in a matter of minutes. Is this normal, or is a sign of a bad battery? Doesn't seem like turning the lights on for 30 seconds should necessitate the battery to charge...

[greenmonster]

Hi Lauren...perhaps it may be that the charger is very sensitive to keeping the battery 100%. In other words, once you place a drain on it, no matter how short a time, or how small the drain amount, it kicks in and starts to charge. I have the same charger and it's on the battery in my cellar during winter, so I don't have any experience using it while still in my bike performing work. But it's a possibility that's whats happening in your case.

[csmutty]

That is normal....any drain on the battery should initiate the charging.

[SAB]

Absolutley normal. The headlights draw quite a bit when the engine is not running actually.

[Kurlon]

55w for the headlight = 4.5A @ 12v all by itself, not to mention the fuel pump if present, and all the other bulbs/etc. So even a short check is going to draw the voltage down a touch, which triggers the tender to throw some current at the system. (Most battery tenders are .75A to 1.5A so they can't run the headlight by themselves for comparison.)

[DuncanMoto]

Yep normal.
If you come by we can test your cells for free.