Are they any good?

2/7/2009 8:28:29 PM

I prefer chicken.

2/7/2009 9:20:04 PM

breaded or grilled?

2/7/2009 9:50:05 PM

I used to use one for my car when I had a large drain on my battery. It always worked well for me, I never ran into the issue of a dead battery as long as i remembered to plug it in.

2/8/2009 1:59:06 PM

they are great if you dont use the vehicel/bike much. will never overcharge your battery either

2/8/2009 5:04:35 PM

my dad had one for his bike and loved it

we have an onboard for the trolling motor batteries on the boat and we love it.

2/8/2009 5:12:57 PM

i bought the $20 1.5amp one from walmart since my motorcycle has been stored for most of the winter (i don't mind riding in the cold, but it needed some work)...it does the job and is probably worth having around

2/8/2009 7:16:45 PM

$20 no is better than the price of a battery every spring

2/8/2009 7:21:59 PM

i suppose...but if it saves each battery for one additional season, after 2 batteries i've made my money back and there's less being thrown away...not to mention the trouble of having to go get the battery and put it in

also, when you go out and your battery's dead, that's teh sucky

*shrug*

[Edited on February 8, 2009 at 7:25 PM. Reason : .]

2/8/2009 7:24:23 PM

after about 6 years of having these ive never one had to replace a battery. on my bike, and my old show car. mainly but other cars too.

2/8/2009 7:49:06 PM

i have one wired up, but barely use it except when my battery dies on the bike, because its a 30 min ordeal just to get to the terminals to jump it otherwise

2/8/2009 7:55:32 PM

ah well...my '86 rebel doesn't start reliably in the winter, and even a relatively new battery doesn't always last long enough when i'm trying to start it, if it hasn't been hooked up to a tender

so i guess it depends...newer/nicer bikes probably don't need one as often as mine does

stupid question because i don't know: can i actually use it to start the bike if it's completely dead? or does it only work keep the battery charged?

2/8/2009 8:30:01 PM

it will takes hours to charge it enough to start, your rebel on the other hand, would probably benefit from pulling the starter, cleaning the brushes and commutator, and lubing the bearings

2/8/2009 8:32:33 PM

And don't forget judicious use of the choke when cranking. I've had great luck starting those engines such as you find on the Rebel and the old CM/CB400-450 bikes from the late '70s to early '80s. Know them carbs like the back of my hand.

2/8/2009 11:21:39 PM