It has been over a month for me so far, and I was just curious to know what a good interval is to run it for about 10 or 15 minutes to keep the battery from dying. Should it be every month, every 2 months or what? I'd do it quite often except it is trailered in the back of my garage and it takes a while just to dig the kids' stuff out of the way, hook it up to the truck, etc. go slow (tight fit).

Thanks

 

startingg a cold ATV takes a lot of power. and it takes a good run time to replace that power.
just get a trickle charger and put it on the thing from time to time to keep the battery full.

 

I just looked at the manual and it says to disconnect the battery, and use a special constant volt charger if the ATV isn't used for a month or longer. It states that a conventional charger will reduce battery life. I have a 10 amp, 12 volt fully automatic battery charger. Does this fit the bill? Seems to me it is easier to just start it up and run it for a while (20 minutes?) rather than disconnect the battery, recharge it and put it back. You don't think that amount of time will charge it up, considering the charge needed to start it cold? I appreciate any advice you can give.

 

The thing is... if you just start it up and let it run, apart from probably zapping your battery life, you will end up fouling your plug as well. If you're going to store it for a while, the best thing to do is disconnect the battery... (set it up on a trickle charger if you want) turn off the gas and run it out, and then just let it sit. When you're ready to ride it again, connect the battery back up... turn on the fuel... (replace fuel if it sat long enough) and warm it up a bit... turn it off, change the oil, and then take it out and ride it.

 

A 10 amp charger will shorten the life of the battery. You should charge at a max of 1 amp. Battery tender, is what most of us use. Its totally automatic and can be left hooked up for years with out causing any damage, and it keeps the battery charged and ready to go.

 

i always remove my battery in the fall, and put it in our basement on a piece of wood. (concrete makes the battery go bad) then in the spring i add a biut more distilled water in the cells and then charge battery til full, hook it up and the old girl fires right up and dont have any problems.

 

Battery tender? Can I get one at an auto parts store? Thanks for all the advice.

 

I don't use this on my ATVs as I run them eonough all year not to need them, but I do use them on my car(s) when I have them down for the winter (no car shows going on):

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42292

Check the store locations, you may have one near you. And yes, at first I was afraid of something that is electric being hooked up to my car that cost less than $10. I have used one (of the 2 I have) almost every minute the car is in the garage for about 3 years with no problems. I ended up buying them at the recomendation of a friend who has had one for several years. They will work on any 12V auto/cycle battery.

Brent

 

One key thing is keepin your battery warm. The cold takes the life right out of it. And letting it go dead in the cold definately will kill it. Tickle it with a trickle charger, haha

 

just buy one of those $20 battery tenders. they put a draw on the bat. just like an engine startup then charge it back up same as the generator would. etc... they work great.