[dothedrew040]

Anyone have experience with one of these? Battery tender brand or otherwise. Sure is tiny compared to the original battery.



This is my second one. I messed up my first one by not charging it for 12hrs. Wont make the same mistake with this one. Looking for some reassurance that I made a good choice here...

 

[jpr1968]

I assume you are talking about a lithium battery and not a battery tender. I have noe experience with their batteries but industrial lithium batteries are very reliable. Most of the online reviews are for SHorei batteries and the reviews say it's a great product.

 

[SnoGhost13]

I have never tried a lithium battery. Only downside i saw when i was looking at them is it appeared you need a battery charger designed for lithium ion batteries.

 

[firehawk]

I'm curious as to the life expectancy of a lithium battery in this type of application. Everything I've ever read about lithium batteries is that they do NOT like being kept/stored fully charged. I've read the optimum percent of charge for storage (no power draw) is 40-50%. Here is one article,

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries

 

[adlowe]

I've got a lot of recent experience with a Shorie LiFePO battery. The one Battery Tender offers is the same chemistry -- and there's likely only one formula making it onto the market. These are very, very different creatures than the lead-acid batteries we know so well.

They do NOT work at all with the tender-style float chargers we all like. The desulfation mode actually DISCHARGES LiFePO batteries. (Don't ask me how I know.) A special lithium-battery charger is NOT required, though many folks are heppy to sell you one for $70+. What you need is a bare-bones, low-amp trickle charger. Harbor Freight sells a 700 m.amp one for $10 or so. I have had GREAT success using one that had been sitting on my shelf for years.

They do NOT need to be connected to a tender. Fully charge then leave it alone. It will hold almost a full charge for months. (Probably years but I can't go that long without riding.)

They put out energy faster as they heat up -- opposite of lead-acid batteries. Output does NOT diminish as charge is consumed. They put out full voltage until suddenly they don't -- then it's just about nothing.

Did you really "mess up" the first one by not charging it? Seems inconsistent with my experience. LiFePOs can be completely discharged and still function perfectly afterwards. (Don't ask me how I know.) They supposedly are good for 3,000 such cycles. I do not intend to test that number.

The Shorai went into my bike in April of 2012. I have been very, very pleased with it despite not fully comprehending the differences I would encounter when switching from lead-acid technology. (Most of the lack-of-comprehension showed up when dealing with a stator failure.) If it lasts half as long as the AGM it replaced (eight mostly trouble-free years) then I will be completely satisfied.

Amazon has a very good price on the Battery Tender LiFePO.

 

[Gnarly]

I almost bought one.
Ended up calling their Cust Serv.
They told me: under 15*F, it better be either in the house or at least parked in a non-freezing shop.
I thanked them for their honesty, and moved on.

Apparently, the Shorai is different, somehow.
Lotsa positive reviews about it, in all weather.

 

[adlowe]

I almost bought one.
Ended up calling their Cust Serv.
They told me: under 15*F, it better be either in the house or at least parked in a non-freezing shop.
I thanked them for their honesty, and moved on.

Apparently, the Shorai is different, somehow.
Lotsa positive reviews about it, in all weather.

Mine has been in the bike or on a shelf inside the (unheated) garage into sub-zero F temps for extended periods each of the last two winters. No charger connected. (I only used the one mentioned above after discharging the battery. I got this battery as a test of technology so I'm not going to baby it.) No issues whatsoever. None. It will be "frozen" again.

My belief is that the folks at Battery Tender are being overly cautious because they don't know the how the technology performs in everyday use yet, either. Or maybe they're right and Shorai makes a better product -- but I tend to doubt that.

Unless we stumble across something better, LiFePO looks to be the battery technology that will take over automotive applications during the middle of this century. Smaller, lighter and more suited to vehicle starting needs, the only open question is durability. (Cost will sort itself out by either coming down or demonstrating better value than lead-acid.)

 

[dothedrew040]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I broke the first one. I let it get below 9 volts and now it won't charge. Haveven had it on the battery tender for a week and still only reads 5 volts. Apparently once they go below 9 volts they are dead for life. I already have my replacement charged and installed. So far its great. Cranks the starter with tons more energy than the lead acid one.

 

[Gnarly]

My belief is that the folks at Battery Tender are being overly cautious because they don't know the how the technology performs in everyday use yet, either. Or maybe they're right and Shorai makes a better product -- but I tend to doubt that.

Unless we stumble across something better, LiFePO looks to be the battery technology that will take over automotive applications during the middle of this century. Smaller, lighter and more suited to vehicle starting needs, the only open question is durability. (Cost will sort itself out by either coming down or demonstrating better value than lead-acid.)

I agree.

 

[adlowe]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I broke the first one. I let it get below 9 volts and now it won't charge. Haveven had it on the battery tender for a week and still only reads 5 volts. Apparently once they go below 9 volts they are dead for life.

Absolutely, unequ1vocally untrue. I've had mine down to 2 volts and charged it back to the full 13.3. No issues.

As I noted earlier, the typical float-charger/battery tenders we love to use with out lead-acid batteries will NOT work with a LiFePO. The float chargers with a desulfation mode draw down LiFePOs. They need a constant-output charger. Having a LiFePO connected to a battery tender for a week and you're lucky it had any charge to it at all. Wrong tool for the task.

Again, going back to the basics on the technology, LiFePO batteries should be good for 3,000 complete discharge/recharge cycles. They should bounce back to full charge every time. I can only comment on 2 cycles but both times mine came back to a full 13.3 volts and held it. One of those two times was when I tried to bring it up with a float charger. FAILURE. Took that battery from 5 volts down to 2 volts.

 

[dothedrew040]

I see. Well, I've been looking on Battery Tender's website for any type of charger that is specific for a lithium iron battery. I can't find one. My current lithum battery (the replacement) has been on the battery tender for days now, green light on. No drop in voltage. I've relied on battery tender chargers forever...I suppose I need to look into buying another type/brand for bringing a lithium back to life. It's odd though, even the manual for the battery tender battery says it's no good once it drops below a certain voltage. Also, battery tender sells a nice plug in device that reads out voltage and charge stage. When I recieved the package it said not for use on lithium batteries. Why not?? All it does is read voltage. What gives? I plugged it up, worked fine.

 

[jpr1968]

Right off Deltran's website--
CAN I USE A STANDARD LEAD ACID CHARGER/MAINTAINER FOR MY BATTERY TENDER® LITHIUM BATTERY?

As long as the battery charger does not have a desulfation mode and the peak voltage does not exceed 14.8V during the charge cycle it can be used to charge a Battery Tender® Lithium Battery. Of course the best way to charge and maintain a Battery Tender® Lithium Battery is to use a Battery Tender® Lithium Battery Charger.

 

[adlowe]

This works.

Probably

, too, for another $17.

For an extra $40+, you can get the one with "lithium" printed on the label.

 

[dothedrew040]

I think my battery tender jr will do fine. It has a 4 stage charge process that does NOT include a desulfation mode. Either way...it's got a 3 year warranty. I'm excited about the 3000 deep cycles! I'll just need a different charger if my battery does get too low I guess.

 

[jpr1968]

You should never have to worry about 3,000 deep cycles. A deep cycle is using a battery without it charging at the same time like when running a boat motor. Your battery should stay almost completely charged when you are riding your bike so there is no deep cycling to worry about.

 

[adlowe]

Your battery should stay almost completely charged when you are riding your bike so there is no deep cycling to worry about.

Unless your stator fails. (That's what happened to me.) Or your regulator-rectifier. Or you get a grounded positive battery cable. (I had that one, too.) But racking up 3,000 such issues on one bike? No way.

 

[Snyperx]

I know this is an older thread, but wanted to post. I just picked up a Lithium Iron battery for 09 Aero. Battery is crazy light. I have a Battery Tender Jr. (750mA/12v).

The instructions state that mine is for wet acid batteries. I was hoping to use it on my LFP battery. Can someone explain to me why I would not be able to use my Battery Tender Jr. on my LFP battery??

 

[adlowe]

The instructions state that mine is for wet acid batteries. I was hoping to use it on my LFP battery. Can someone explain to me why I would not be able to use my Battery Tender Jr. on my LFP battery??

I don't know much about the Battery Tender device but if it's got a desulfation mode (generally the main thing that makes a tender right for wet acid batteries) then it will kill a lithium battery.

More important, though, is why you thing a lithium battery even needs a maintainer. These things are supposed to hold 95+% of their charge for months at a time. I know mine was at 13.3 volts when I last rode in September and was at 12.8 volts (IIRC) when I went out to check it a couple of weeks ago. Not run AT ALL in between. No maintainer. Three years old with two winters of multiple sub-zero days. Plus discharging it under 8.5 volts on the bike a couple of times.

These lithiums are going to change our thinking about automotive batteries. We're going to have to discard the mindsets we've been carrying for decades to make our ancient lead-acid technology viable. First one to go needs to be the "maintenance" charger. (Putting away the soapbox now...)

 

[Furball Zen]

If you actually RIDE your bike, you wont need a 'tender'

 

[Snyperx]

For the sake of information. Here are the stages my standard Battery Tender Jr. performs during a charge:

Complete 4-step charging program (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Absorption Mode, Float Mode).

I do not see a "desulfation mode" listed, but could it be listed another way?