Should You Remove the Motorcycle Battery for the Winter?

Indeed, winterizing your motorbike can save your motorbike parts from several problems, and one of the problems of the battery in the winter is that it suffers from practice discharge. Now the question arises, Should You Remove the Motorcycle Battery for the Winter? 

You shouldn’t remove the motorbike battery for the winter because nowadays, motorbike batteries come with an electrolyte that can easily withstand the -19 ℉ temperature, which is insane. Even a good-condition battery with 40% charging can bear the sub-zero temperature easily.

Let’s consider what it means and what you can do about it. 

While writing this post, I leave no stone unturned so you can know everything about the motorbike battery which you may suppose to remove in the winter. 

Should You Remove Motorcycle Battery for the Winter?

Experts claim that you need to remove your motorbike battery for winter storage; now the question arises, should you remove the motorcycle battery for the winter? 

You shouldn’t remove the motorbike battery for the winter because nowadays, motorbike batteries come with an electrolyte that can easily bear the -19 ℉ temperature, which is insane. 

Even a good-condition battery with 40% charging can bear the sub-zero temperature easily.

Secondly, suppose you have a motorbike battery maintainer that maintains your battery charging capacity. In that case, it only applies if your motorbike is in good condition. 

The motorbike battery maintainer helps the battery to maintain the battery current and voltage throughout the storage period and doesn’t charge the motorbike battery blindly, as doing this will cause battery malfunction. 

What if You Don’t Remove the Motorcycle Battery for the Winter?

Indeed you don’t need to remove the battery for the winter to protect your motorbike battery; now the question arises, what if you don’t remove the motorcycle battery for the winter? 

Suppose your motorbike battery isn’t in good condition and you don’t have the motorbike battery maintainer. In that case, you should remove the battery from the motorbike because it will prevent your motorbike from going into parasitic discharge. 

Parasitic discharge refers to a condition in which your motorbike battery starts to discharge when storing the motorbike without even starting any motorbike electrical device. 

The continuous parasitic discharge will cause the motorbike to reach the situation where the motorbike battery is completely drained, and you will need to charge the motorbike battery. 

Will Parasitic Discharge Destroy the Motorbike Battery?

So far, you understand that our motorbike battery will go under the parasitic discharge in which your motorbike battery will automatically get discharged while storing the motorbike. Now the question arises, will parasitic discharge destroy your motorbike battery? 

Parasitic discharge can’t destroy your motorbike battery permanently unless your motorbike battery is in good condition. However, several parasitic discharges will cause the motorbike battery to a condition in which the motorbike battery will stop responding to the charging. 

To protect your motorbike battery from parasitic discharge, you need a motorbike battery maintainer, which will significantly increase the motorbike battery life. 

What to Do If You Don’t Have a Motorcycle Battery Maintainer?

Indeed the motorbike battery will enter into parasitic discharge if your motorbike isn’t attached to the motorbike battery maintainer; now the question arises, what if you don’t have a motorbike battery maintainer? 

Suppose your motorbike battery isn’t connected to the battery maintainer. In that case, your motorbike battery will likely enter into the parasitic discharge state, or worse, your motorbike battery will stop responding to external charging. 

In simpler words, you can start the countdown of your motorbike battery if the battery goes parasitic discharge several times. Fortunately, you can protect your motorbike from falling into a parasitic discharge state by riding the motorbike at least two times a week. 

Riding the motorbike at least two times a week forces the stator to charge the motorbike battery; if your motorbike isn’t starting because of the dead motorbike battery, then you need to connect the battery tender to the battery. 

How Long Would it Take to Charge the Battery? 

Generally, the motorcycle battery charges best at 13.5-14.5 V, which means you need to ride your motorcycle for at least 3 hours to charge the battery completely. 

The stator converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. And in this sense, the charging capacity will increase as you increase the motorbike’s speed. 

You can further decrease the charging time by switching off the additional accessories you installed on your motorbike. Additionally, the smaller the battery size, the faster it would charge.

Should You Leave the Battery Tender Connected to the Battery All Time in Winter? 

So far, you understand that you must ride the motorbike at least two times a day to protect your motorbike from parasitic discharge. Now the question arises, should you leave the battery tender connected to the battery at all-time in the winter? 

According to the battery tender sales community, the battery tenders come with an auto-disable feature that stops the charging motorbike battery once your battery is fully charged. They also claim that you can forget about the battery tender once you can connect your battery to it. 

However, I always recommend inspecting your motorbike battery regularly if it’s connected to the battery tender. There are several cases in which the battery tender smart charging doesn’t work, causing the motorbike battery to be overcharged. 

What Does Motorcycle Battery Tenders Do? 

So far, you understand why you should choose a battery tender to charge your motorbike battery. But have you ever wondered what a motorbike battery tender does? 

A motorbike battery tender is an intelligent charging device that charges your motorbike battery without any short circuit. The battery tender protects the motorbike from sulfation and parasitic drain thanks to microprocessors and the auto-switch-off feature. Also, motorbike tenders offer you to know the motorbike status. 

In simpler words, you can expect a motorbike tender to charge your motorbike battery without any short circuit. 

But please remember, you can’t use a motorbike tender to jumpstart your motorbike battery. And in this case, you may need a trickle charger. 

When to Use Motorcycle Battery Tender? 

They say timing is everything, which is even more true for battery tender. 

Experts suggest using or connecting a motorbike tender with a motorbike battery once your motorbike battery discharges slightly or you feel sluggish light when riding. Or you can even connect a motorcycle battery tender to your motorbike when storing for several months in winter. 

Now you know why and when you should use a battery tender. 

Which is Best, Battery Maintainer or Battery Charger? 

Throughout this article, you read about the motorbike battery and maintainer used for the battery when storing it for a longer time, like in winter. Now the question arises, what’s the difference between a motorbike charger and a battery maintainer? 

The motorbike battery charger is a simple device like your smartphone charger, which charges the battery once you install it. 

On the other hand, the motorbike battery maintainers maintain the motorbike battery voltage; once your motorbike battery voltage gets down, the auto system will start to charge the motorbike battery automatically. 

You can’t leave the motorbike charger connected to the battery. Still, you can leave the motorbike maintenance by simply connecting it to it for a longer time. 

That’s why experts always recommend having the motorbike maintainer when storing the motorbike for a longer time; with the battery maintainer, you can rest assured that your motorbike battery won’t fall into the plastic discharge. 

Also, read my previous post where I mentioned whether you need to winterize your motorbike in the upcoming winters or not, CLICK HERE to read.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Final Verdict: 

Should You Remove Motorcycle Battery for the Winter? You shouldn’t remove the motorbike battery for the winter because nowadays, motorbike batteries come with an electrolyte that can easily bear the -19 ℉ temperature, which is insane. 

Even a good-condition battery with 40% charging can bear the sub-zero temperature easily. I’ve also mentioned things you must do to protect your motorbike battery from entering the parasitic drain.