How often do you need to charge your battery?

MELTON139
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1/24/2019 11:58am
I bought a 19 YZ250F and the 3rd time riding it at the track the battery was dead. I knew I needed to get a charger but everyone said it will last a while on the same charge. I did ride it around the yard a few different times. I had a guy tell me he has never had to charge his honda and another guy said the same about his husky. Just wondering how long yalls battery last?
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1/24/2019 12:17pm
Got my 2018 450 in the fall of 2017. Haven’t had to charge the battery yet. I disconnect it when I’m not using the bike for long periods and that’s it as far as maintenance.
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809
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Paducah, KY US
1/24/2019 12:26pm
It should last a while with a full charge. A battery tender will extend the life though
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c0ncEpT
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Harrison Twp., MI US
1/24/2019 12:27pm
I bought my 2018 KTM new in the fall of 2017. I've never charged the battery. I actually don't even own a charger for it.
MarkF
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Colorado Springs, CO US
1/24/2019 12:31pm
The 19 YZ250F had a bad batch of batteries. I'm told Yamaha is aware of this and is working on a fix. I put a basic $30. lead/acid battery in mine for now and it works fine. Still waiting for Yamaha to replace the $400. stock lithium battery because mine did the same thing as yours.

The Shop

kb228
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Mansfield, OH US
1/24/2019 12:31pm
throw it on a battery tender
1
crowe176
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Spring Lake, MI US
1/24/2019 12:33pm
A little off topic, but if anyone could answer me a question too, I'd appreciate it.. I bought a WPS battery last summer, and forgot to throw the tender on it. Does it shorten the life of the new lite weight lithium batteries if you leave them uncharged over the winter, or should I charge it and throw the tender on it asap?
Markopolo400
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St. Paul-ish, MN US
1/24/2019 12:33pm
I have the battery out of my 19 KX450 on a tender on my desk at work lol.
1
Tonynz
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NZ
1/24/2019 12:36pm
I have about 100 hours on my 2016 KTM 350 SXF, still on orginal battery, and never had to charge it. We don’t have extreme cold conditions.
1
1/24/2019 12:55pm
I tender mine. But it’s 5-40 degrees for half the year it seems.
Jaybird67k
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Vidor, TX US
1/24/2019 1:28pm
I highly recommend a Shorai battery. I have never had to charge that brand and it spins it over way faster than stock battery on my 350 SX-F and they last years and years.

Jason
1
1/24/2019 1:30pm
Just one kick the first ride of the day is all the time my bike takes to charge.
4
1/24/2019 1:36pm
We keep it on a charger because it’s cold here. Apparently batteries cell don’t do well at low temps.
1
1/24/2019 1:38pm
We keep it constantly on the charger here because of the cold. The shop told us battery cells don’t do well in the cold.
1/24/2019 1:40pm
If you do go the battery tender route, buy a quality unit. I have used quite a few of the cheaper "tenders" and they boil the acid out over an extended amount of time in storage. With that being said, i just replaced a 8 year old original battery out of my Vulcan with it never being on a tender....
1/24/2019 1:42pm
I bought one of those ultra light batteries that looks like a six pack for my crf450x. It is the best battery I have ever had. It holds a charge for months without being on a tender. Got it from Sportbiketrackgear
MELTON139
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1/24/2019 2:40pm
MarkF wrote:
The 19 YZ250F had a bad batch of batteries. I'm told Yamaha is aware of this and is working on a fix. I put a basic...
The 19 YZ250F had a bad batch of batteries. I'm told Yamaha is aware of this and is working on a fix. I put a basic $30. lead/acid battery in mine for now and it works fine. Still waiting for Yamaha to replace the $400. stock lithium battery because mine did the same thing as yours.
That's interesting. I actually paid $300 extra when I financed for life time battery replacements. I bought a battery tender and gonna see how it does after being charged fully.
1/24/2019 2:47pm
must depend on the area. no issues with mine yet but my buddy lives in eastern oregon where it's real cold. his 19 yz450 was dead after sitting in his garage for 1 week, only got one ride on it haha.

button start bikes have only been out a few years, I wonder what the average life span for a starter will be. Ive been covering mine with a trash bag when I wash the bike
Timo_2824
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Wichita, KS US
1/24/2019 2:49pm
I bought my YZ450FX in October and I haven't had to charge the battery, it's 20° F outside right now.

FYI you want an automatic 1 to 2 amp charger not a battery tender. A tender doesn't shutoff when the battery is fully charged, hence the boiling of acid. Lithium batteries should have a circuit protection built in that stops taking a charge when the battery gets hot or is fully charged, but if it goes bad and you keep pumping in juice, your bike may catch on fire.
Motox627!
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P-ville, TX US
1/24/2019 2:51pm
I use that lever that sticks off the right side of mine, never had any issues LaughingLaughing
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MELTON139
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1/24/2019 3:12pm
Timo_2824 wrote:
I bought my YZ450FX in October and I haven't had to charge the battery, it's 20° F outside right now. FYI you want an automatic 1...
I bought my YZ450FX in October and I haven't had to charge the battery, it's 20° F outside right now.

FYI you want an automatic 1 to 2 amp charger not a battery tender. A tender doesn't shutoff when the battery is fully charged, hence the boiling of acid. Lithium batteries should have a circuit protection built in that stops taking a charge when the battery gets hot or is fully charged, but if it goes bad and you keep pumping in juice, your bike may catch on fire.
Yeah I said tender, I meant charger. I got a cheap $17 Stanley 1 amp automatic charger/ maintainer with smart charge.
kxf250f176
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Lafayette, IN US
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1/24/2019 3:33pm
Make sure you always shut your bike down with the kill switch and do NOT just stall it in gear to kill it. I know at least for the Honda, there's a loop that closes when hitting the kill switch. If you don't close the loop after riding, you will be leaking current to ground when the bike is sitting in your garage and over time drain your battery not knowing it. At least, that's what my Honda dealer told me.
rikhek
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Tulsa, OK US
1/24/2019 3:37pm Edited Date/Time 1/24/2019 3:38pm
Over 800 hours on 4 different KTM 450s since 2010 and I've never had to replace a battery. I get a new bike every 2 years/200 hours and all have lasted the duration and I never put them on a charger/tender as I ride year round.
1/24/2019 3:47pm
Bought my 2016 ktm 450 sxf in 2016, rode it for 20 mins , crashed! The battery was on trickle charge since then but dead now , won't take a charge ! Wtf!!!
ob
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Carlsbad, CA US
1/24/2019 4:08pm
Never used a charger on one, but I have jump started my bike a few times lol. Back when I was the only guy around with electric start at the track I got some real smart ass jokes about my ktm.
swtwtwtw
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Apple Valley, CA US
1/24/2019 5:35pm
I use a lithium battery charger. Mostly for peace of Ming when the bike sits due to injury. Otherwise, if one is riding often, never will the battery need to be charged.
1
bents
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CA
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1/25/2019 5:49am
Jaybird67k wrote:
I highly recommend a Shorai battery. I have never had to charge that brand and it spins it over way faster than stock battery on my...
I highly recommend a Shorai battery. I have never had to charge that brand and it spins it over way faster than stock battery on my 350 SX-F and they last years and years.

Jason
Where do you find this battery. I was a lazy ass and put my 2018 Husky in storage for the winter and left my battery in it and I fully expect to have to buy a new one this spring.
Kelz87
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1/25/2019 11:03pm
Had my ‘16 350sxf since 2017 and have never charged it or had battery issues thus far
kiwifan
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CA US
1/25/2019 11:17pm
I use a TecMate OptiMate Lithium Battery Charger, it is perfect for LiPo batteries...no issues at all
1
CPR
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AU
1/25/2019 11:22pm
Your MX bike has a battery?!

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