Might be a stupid question but given the tight location of the battery on my 2009 Polaris Sportsman X2 could I charge and maintain my battery via the 12V accessory plug and a suitable charger?

I am looking at this charger - Motomaster Eliminator Intelligent Battery Charger, 2A | Canadian Tire

 

Don't see why not.

 

look up battery tender jr. I have this on all my atv and motorcycles. can even run a small air comp. off the pigtail .motorcycle superstore .com has the best price. Seth 03

 

get the battery tender and wire it in the correct way.... but yes you can infact charge the battery through the 12v port as i have done this with my car in a pinch a few times using a modified spotlight i built and a hobby charger. but i believe the 12v port is switched off with the key in the off position, so you would need to leave the key on which is counterproductive and not really a good idea.


oh just for fun heres the light... nice for those night time 4 wheeler rides and night time boat rides

IMG_4427.jpg?t=1268792772

the spotlight is a custom made 55 watt hid spot light with 2 lithium polymer batteries... yes very bright and it will run for 2 hours continuously which is why i added the fan because the ballast gets hot in that small space.

heres a pic of a tree 225 yards away... it is even brighter in person lol...
IMG_4333.jpg?t=1268793113

 

yes you can charge it through the 12 volt port with right equipment.

 

I thought that the key would have to be on for the power to get to the battery.

 

I thought Amazon.com had the bets prices....and free shipping

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 021-0128 Battery Tender Plus 12V Battery Charger: Automotive

 

I agree with the Battery Tender suggestion. They have a very small wiring harness that can be bolted directly to the battery terminals. The other end of the harness has a protected connector that hooks to the charger's cable. You can buy extras of those harnesses, and I have one on each of our three machines. It's darned tight above the battery but it fits just fine, and I've routed the harness out so that it rests above the CVT housing. I leave the charger plugged in all the time and rotate it between the machines every few days when I think of it. Takes about 30 seconds and results in topped off, properly-stored batteries 100% of the time.

This is a very reasonably priced solution to this problem. Give it a try!