Leaving charger connected- updated, new battery

[RussG]

If I leave my charger connected to my battery but not powered on at the mains will it drain my battery?
____________________
Geek, father, biker

[G]

If it's got some indicator lights that light up etc when not plugged in then definitely; depending on how powerful the lights are whether it's noticeable or not. Otherwise, possibly, but probably not I reckon.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Fail to see why you can't just unplug it?
____________________
My Flickr

[RussG]

the idea was i could just plug it in for half hour before i leave the house, as bike is kept in a shed at the bottom of the garden and would save me having to get dressed to go out side, connect it up etc. so 50% laziness 50% practicality
____________________
Geek, father, biker

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[RussG]

it's not been starting well at all recently. borrowed a friends charger, charged it for few hours and it's started on the button. SO guessing the battery is b0rked, but NEED to take the bike to work tomorrow, as wifey needs the car. So really could do with it starting.

So not sure whether to buy my own charger or a new battery.
____________________
Geek, father, biker

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Carbs, or FI?

If carbs just bump start it.

Why not just leave it on charge overnight?
____________________
My Flickr

[RussG]

had a full service and carbs cleaned less than two weeks ago and still not sorting it, have been bumping but didn't want to bump this morning.

I could leave it on charge overnight, but the double glazing we have shuts too tight to close it on the wire and don't really want to leave the window open.
____________________
Geek, father, biker

[Blue_SV650S]

It will more than likely have a diode in it to ensure no back-feed. So yes it will be fine (unless as G said, it has lights on it when unplugged).
____________________
The purpose of life is to fight maturity.

[RussG]

Thanks for the help guys
____________________
Geek, father, biker

[finpos]

Entirely depends on whether it's fitted with a diode to stop it discharging into the charger - the diode costs about 5p but it's sometimes taken out to save money!

f.

[RussG]

Thanks for your help previously guys, i'm going to replace the battery.

At present the battery is marked - 12N7-4A ,are these all the same? Is there a brand to avoid/look out for? ican it be fitted with another "uprated" battery?

forgive my ignorance, my bike has had to endure a very shitty winter.
____________________
Geek, father, biker

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

I'm using a Motobatt gel type battery. They come pre-charged.
My duc is a big twin and needs a good strong battery to spin it up.
Performed well in conprehensive A-B tests.

Check the compatability on the motobatt website, then look on e-bay.
____________________
Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[finpos]

The battery designation just tells you the size of the battery and the type and layout of the terminals. What you really care about is the capacity rating stated in Amp/hours (Ah); the more the better. However more Ah usually comes with more size so usually you just get what fits.

Generally you get what you pay for - there's lots of relatively cheap traditional lead acid batteries about which frankly seem a bit crap and fail quickly. Either go for one of the more expensive traditional ones or if you don't mind a sudden price hike (about an extra 50%) you can get an AGM battery which really are very much more robust.

mdsbattery.co.uk is another good place to look around to get an idea.

f.

[RussG]

Thanks HT & finpos, i'll check them out
____________________
Geek, father, biker