Winterizing, buddy, battery, etc

Danielm · Post by **Danielm** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 6:38 pm

So this will be my first winter with my buddy 170. I don't have a garage and it's parked next door, can't get a power outlet anywhere near it for charging. I do ride it most days, I'm fortunate that my job is under a mile away so it's a fast ride, no need for special winter clothing as no matter how cold it gets I can take it for 5 minutes, hah.

The good and the bad of the couple minute commute is that I don't get a lot of time during the week to ride it otherwise. So it's barely warmed up and it's time to shut it off.

So I'm wondering now that it's colder, even though I'll ride it every day unless there is rain/snow/ice, do I need to do anything special with the battery? I didn't know if it's getting enough time running to even charge it.

Thanks.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 7:27 pm

Well, don't really know if I can help.

Your very short ride is inadequate for the charging system to replace the 'juice' you take out for a cold start.
Ideally, a battery tender with the quick disconnect attached to your battery is the answer but you indicate no power available.

Eventually, the battery will be depleted to the point it won't be able to crank the engine and, since a depleted batterys acid converts back to water as it discharges, it will eventually freeze and crack the battery case.

Till you find a way to get power out to the bike and a tender.....you're doomed.....just don't know when.

Rob

Danielm · Post by **Danielm** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 7:33 pm

Hmm, is there a way to pop out the battery and charge it in the house easily? I could charge it over the weekends, or whenever really, if that is an option.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 7:55 pm

my wife's jaunt is even less than mine, and during our last cold weather blast her battery was depleted.

There are some solar chargers, but I'm not sure how effective they are as they get mixed reviews.

I just pop mine out and carry them up. it's not the easiest with 4 bikes but dragging them up and tending them during super cold weather isn't so bad.

Invest in a tender or a 2-bank charger, you'll be glad.

Danielm · Post by **Danielm** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 8:23 pm

Any suggestions for chargers for the house?

ed85379 · Post by **ed85379** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 8:37 pm

One thing you could do, to minimize the power drain is to not use the battery to actually start the scooter. As long as it is warm enough (35+?), kick-starting it should be easy enough.

If you're not using the power to start the scoot, than even a short trip should technically provide some power back into the battery, I'd guess.

Danielm · Post by **Danielm** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 8:43 pm

Sadly there is no kickstarter on the buddy 170. Sometimes I think it would be great to have in a pinch, maybe it is something with the fuel injection that is beyond my admittedly limited mechanical understanding.

ed85379 · Post by **ed85379** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 8:46 pm

Danielm wrote:Sadly there is no kickstarter on the buddy 170. Sometimes I think it would be great to have in a pinch, maybe it is something with the fuel injection that is beyond my admittedly limited mechanical understanding.

Seriously?! Well, I guess I'll never be upgrading to a 170i. The kickstart has saved me from being stranded so many times... I'd never feel safe without it now.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 9:11 pm

Danielm wrote:Sadly there is no kickstarter on the buddy 170. Sometimes I think it would be great to have in a pinch, maybe it is something with the fuel injection that is beyond my admittedly limited mechanical understanding.

Fuel injection requires electricity from a battery (or a running engine). The brief current that you get from a kick is enough to provide spark for the plug, but not a fuel injector.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 9:54 pm

Danielm wrote:Any suggestions for chargers for the house?

this is the basic one that most people use. If your battery is very low it can take some time, but using just the basic toolkit that comes with your bike, you can have it out in a few minutes.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-02 ... +tender+jr

Danielm · Post by **Danielm** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:01 pm

Awesome, thanks. I just had an idea, at work I park right outside a loading door on the side of the building. If say once a week or so, I plugged it directly into the charger/tender linked above, would 6-8 hours on the charge be fine for a week or two of cold weather starts?

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:58 pm

depends on your jaunt, but it SHOULD be. A good battery shouldn't discharge that fast, so plugging it in with the included leads should work pretty nice. You can always go up to the 1.25amp module if you want a faster charge time.

All Battery Tenders have a light that shows you, so if you come out and it's solid green, then it's fully charged.

OldGuy · Post by **OldGuy** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:30 am

My dealer installs wiring to connect a battery tender, on all new scooters they sell. On mine, they connected to the battery, then the wires leave the batery compartment and go under the scooter; tie-wrapped to other wires. Therefore I have a battery tender-type connector under the scoter that I can get to with no tools.

If you can charge at work, and if you make the connector easy to get to, life will be good.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:18 am

You can make it easier still if you buy the 12v plug adapter for the Battery Tender. Instead of battery clamps or permanent battery-terminal leads, he has a plug on the end that fits into the Buddy's 12v socket, which is wired always-on to the battery.. I run the extension cord over to the scoot, plug the BTJr in, then shove the plug into the 12v socket, then toss the BTJr and cords into the glove box below the socket. Throw the cover over the scoot, and all is well.

No bending down beneath the scoot to find and connect the pigtail.

Danielm · Post by **Danielm** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:20 am

From the pictures on Amazon it looks like the tender jr comes with the wiring harness that I can run under the scooter and zip tie in. I looked at the cigarette lighter adapter too but unless I'm mistaken the wiring harness looks like it might only take 5 minutes to put in place.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:31 am

Danielm wrote:From the pictures on Amazon it looks like the tender jr comes with the wiring harness that I can run under the scooter and zip tie in. I looked at the cigarette lighter adapter too but unless I'm mistaken the wiring harness looks like it might only take 5 minutes to put in place.

Yup, super-easy and very convenient to use the pigtail (SAE) plug. Just be careful with the ring connectors to the terminals. I've broken a couple due to excessive bending. Cheap to replace, though.

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 4:57 am

I would definitely recommend going with the bigger 1.25A Battery Tender Plus. It will recharge your battery much quicker than the Junior model, which would make charging at work a very realistic possibility.

The whole unit is only about 5" x 6" with the cord wrapped around it, so it can easily be stored under the seat or carried in a backpack on days you want to recharge.

As with any battery charger, you want the shortest, largest diameter wiring path possible between the battery and the charger. Installing the 2-prong SAE adapter that comes with the charger will provide a shorter, more secure connection than the 12V socket adapter. Installation is a 5 minute task for sure. Just be sure to use a couple cable ties to hold it in place and away from anything hot or sharp.

Battery Tender also makes several solar panels with built in charge controllers (5W-15W). They are well made and should keep your battery topped up between rides if you have a secure, sunny place where you can mount one (solar panels that are not well secured have a tendency to walk away in my experience)...