How to maintain my Battery during the winter?

[DavidS]

Well I guess it's possible the battery was in poor shape before I put it on the tender last year. I'll try again this year and see what happens.

You also may have had a blown 7.5a fuse on the battery tender pigtail. If that happens, the tender will never keep the battery charged because it’s an incomplete circuit and the charging current never reaches the battery.  
Something to keep in mind.
 
-Skip

Thanks, I didn't even think about this, I'll check it periodically this year to make sure that wasn't the cause.

[koth442]

This is just for when I store the bike for the winter, and I'm not riding it. I usually stop riding mid October and start up again in March/April when the weather gets warmer.  
I have been just plugging it in and leaving it until Spring, would it help if I unplugged it periodically so it isn't connected for 5-6 months? or should it be ok, regardless? 

So long as your battery tender automatically shuts itself off when the battery is fully charged, you shouldn't need to do anything. For example, mine has a red blinking LED for charging and a green LED for charged. 

[mftic]

I haven't looked at the FJ yet. Last bike same thing happened to me. Stupid me didn't realize the battery wasn't sealed. All the water had cooked out over the winter.

[BBB]

I have been just plugging it in and leaving it until Spring, would it help if I unplugged it periodically so it isn't connected for 5-6 months? or should it be ok, regardless? 

In theory @david, you’ll be absolutely fine. My only point is that a battery tender will keep even a weak battery topped up. So, when you start up your freshly tendered battery the bike starts easily, but you’ll only find out that the battery is weak when you try and start it when its been off the tender. If thats when youve ridden some distance and stopped for a good lunch, you’ll be deeply unhappy about your discovery. 
Taking the battery off the tender occasionally lets you judge the state of the battery as it shouldnt take much recharging when you reconnect the tender. If it takes ages then you’re battery is weak or you have a parasitic load stealing charge when the bike is meant to be off.

[DavidS]

Well I got the Battery Tender Junior, and connected the wires to the battery and stored them semi-permanently under the seat. I can pull them out and plug the end into the charging unit, (it has about 15 ft of cord)
 
Seems to be working fine, shows battery is now >80% charged, and is charging. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it cycles off, and hope for the best. At least now I can easily charge the battery without having to do much other than taking off the seat and connecting the charger to the ends under the seat.
 
Thanks everyone for your helpful advice, I'll try to remember to report back next spring when I start getting ready to ride again......

[wrench]

Thanks for all the feedback, I'm going to get another tender and try again this year. Hopefully it will work ok. 
If not, I guess I'll have to buy stock in the battery suppliers......

Consider the Accumate.  I believe one of their models will charge/maintain both lead acid and lithium batteries.  You might want to go lithium in the future. 

[tktplz]

+1 on the tender. But not just for winter. If mine is parked in the garage, it's on the tender. 

This is me. The FJs on the tender, the ZUMAs on 1, the riding lawnmower, the Tacoma is on 1. I drive a company car so my Tacoma only gets driven once a month or so. The truck Camper is on 1. They have worked well for me for years. And if I have a battery in something and it's parked it has a battery tender plugged into it while it sits waiting to be used again.