Battery Myth | How Much Does it Cost to Maintain a Motorcycle Battery?
It's time to be honest. Companies and experts will tell you that it's a good idea to keep your motorcycle battery on a 12 volt trickle charger/maintainer. They'll claim, accurately so, how it will extend the life of your motorcycle, ATV, or other powersports battery. It is especially important to consider this practice if you let your big boy toys sit in storage during the winter months or off-season. But somehow or another, nobody ever mentions the cost involved in battery maintenance. The numbers are missing. Is it really worth all the hype? You’ll be surprised that it’s a much better investment to make a one time purchase of a battery charger than to replace batteries year after year.
At BatteryStuff.com, we're not ashamed of our prices. We believe that our products hold value, so you're not getting cheap plastic. Our motorcycle battery maintainers and trickle chargers typically charge at rate of 4 amps or less. This is just right as most motorcycle sized batteries are rated at 30 Amp Hours (AH) or under. Our most popular 3-stage chargers would include the Battery Tender Plus and the Noco Genius G-1100. Both of these are less than $50. Currently, standard Ground shipping for a single order is $7.50. That's a maximum of $57.50 for a new battery charger, maybe less.
If you consider the fact that a brand new motorcycle battery from the dealer will typically cost you $100-150, is it worth it? Let's see the statistics. Lead Acid Batteries (AGM or Wet Cell alike) have an average of 3-5 years of life. But did you know that this statistic takes into consideration proper battery maintenance? This usually means using a battery charger. If your battery is used a few times a year, left outdoors, or discharged severely on a regular basis, the lifespan drops to 1-2 years. If you have been spending money on a new battery every 2 years, it will be worth paying a little extra if you can double or triple the lifespan the first time around.
If this is still not enough to convince you that it's worth the investment, then don't miss our best deal yet. The Battery Tender Jr. is a 2-stage maintainer with a charge rate of 750 mAh. This unit is designed to be used for batteries that have already reached full charge. It’s great for plugging it in immediately after your ride. The Battery Tender Jr. will simply maintain the charge, all the while preventing the battery from being over-charged. Our current price for the Battery Tender Jr. is about $35. If this charger can double your battery's life, then you have essentially purchased a "second" battery for less than half the price, at least.
Some of you have heard stories of OEM batteries lasting up to 8 years. From a technical standpoint, that's completely feasible. It's uncommon, but what you'll find about these batteries is that they've been well maintained. It doesn’t happen out of luck. For most of us, since our standard mode of transportation is usually our automobile, we need to make sure that our bikes don't get left to drain and die in storage. Is a battery 12 volt trickle charger worth the investment for your motorcycle battery? If you are a proud owner of an electric start motorcycle, then the answer is yes!
