Battery Tender Jr.

The most practical mod or addition I've done is hooking up a Battery Tender Jr. to my 650. This should have been the first thing I thought of but I had no idea how quick a motorcycle battery loses potential in just a few days. For around $30 at the auto store, it's paid for itself over and over in just a few short weeks.

It took about 10 minutes to install using a Phillips screwdriver and a 5mm allen key. Don't be too gentle when taking off the cover, that right side needs a solid tug to take off.



Make sure to remove any rings, bracelets, and other accessories from your hands before working near the battery. Familiarize yourself and follow all electrical safety precautions.

Loosen the strap by pulling it downwards then towards you, that should clear the D-Ring at the end from the plastic tab it's hooked to. Take off the two visible wiring connectors by pulling it off carefully from the plastic tabs. Bend the plastic battery cover away from the battery.

Here's how I was taught in Navy "A" school about disconnecting batteries: "Red socks, black boots, which one can you take off first?". Disconnect the black negative cable using a Phillips screwdriver with an insulated handle. Even though the cable is not a threat once it's off, as good practice treat it like a live cable and make sure it doesn't contact any metal pieces. Disconnect the red positive cable from the battery. Treat it like a live cable as well. Take the Battery Tender wire with the red end and insert it over the red cable, then re-connect to the positive terminal. Do the same with the black end over the negative cable. Start threading the screws by hand if you can, that way you are less likely to contact the frame with the screwdriver and make a complete circuit (fry your battery). The upside is there aren't very many metal pieces around the battery compartment to do this with, the 650 Custom is a plastic master piece in this regard.     



After taking off the seat, I used two black zip ties to secure the wires under the seat and around the shock. This placed the cables out of the way and I was able tuck them discreetly over the storage compartment or inside it.



Before putting the battery cover back on, you might want to start your bike to make sure you didn't disconnect anything or if you did, that you remembered to re-connect them.



Test out the Battery Tender Jr. by following instructions in the package (plug it in, make sure the light is red = charging). Put the covers back together once you're satisfied everything works properly.



An added benefit is that it comes with jumper cables. You don't need to take off your battery cover when you need to jump start your bike. Just simply hook up the cables the same way as the charger, make sure you keep the black and red clamps away from each other, if they touch you're in for a nice surprise. It also comes with a 7.5 amp fuse to protect your battery in case it's getting too much amps like if jump starting from a running car. It's also small enough to carry inside the compartment. For jump starting, "red socks, black boots" still applies.

UPDATE: Someone kindly pointed out that the cables are switched at this point.  If you use the cables, red will actually be ground.  Also, the jumper cables should probably only be used when using a battery with a similar rating (jump starting from another motorcycle).  If using a car battery, use regular jumper cables for the car.  

Now, just plug it in and charge.