Best Battery Tender for a Honda Shadow Spirit 750 (VT750C2): NOCO vs Battery Tender vs OptiMate
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A Spirit that sits all winter without a maintainer usually needs a new battery come spring. A tender is cheaper than a battery. Here's how to pick one that fits the bike.
What the Spirit needs
The 2007 VT750C2 takes a YTZ14S.
Honda's numbers from the service manual:
- Fully charged: 13.0-13.2 V at 68°F
- Needs charging: below 12.4 V
- Normal charging current: 1.1 A for 5-10 h
So you don't need a big charger. Something around 1 A matches what Honda calls normal charging. A maintainer under that just takes longer on a dead battery, and that's fine for winter float.
What to look for
- Output around 0.75-2 A. That's plenty for a YTZ14S. Skip the 10 A car chargers.
- Battery type modes. Stock is AGM. If you went lithium, you need a charger with a lithium (LiFePO4) mode.
- Automatic float/maintain. It should drop to maintenance on its own so you can leave it plugged in all winter.
- A ring-terminal pigtail. Bolt it to the battery once, leave it tucked under the seat, and plug in without pulling anything apart.
The three I'd look at
Specs below come from each maker's own product page or manual.
NOCO Genius (GENIUS1 / GENIUS2)
The GENIUS1 is rated at 1 A, and the GENIUS2 at 2 A. Both handle 6 V and 12 V batteries, including flooded, gel, AGM, maintenance-free and lithium-ion. Both adjust the charge for temperature. The GENIUS1 is the closest match to Honda's 1.1 A normal charge.
NOCO GENIUS1 on Amazon NOCO GENIUS2 on Amazon
Battery Tender Junior
The standard Junior (12 V, 750 mA) is built for AGM, gel and standard flooded or sealed lead-acid batteries. It's not for lithium. It comes with alligator clips and a ring-terminal cable. If you run lithium, Battery Tender sells a 1 A Junior with selectable chemistry that covers lithium too.
Battery Tender Junior on Amazon Battery Tender Junior selectable chemistry on Amazon
OptiMate
The OptiMate 4 Dual Program is a 1 A constant-current charger for 12 V STD, AGM and gel batteries from 3 to 50 Ah. It's weatherproof and tests the battery before and after charging. It's lead-acid only.
For lithium, the OptiMate Lithium 4s 0.8A charges 12.8/13.2 V LiFePO4 batteries at 0.8 A. OptiMate lists it for batteries from 1 to 10 Ah.
OptiMate 4 Dual Program on Amazon OptiMate Lithium 4s 0.8A on Amazon
Makers change models, so check the spec sheet for the exact version you're buying.
Quick pick
- Stock AGM YTZ14S: NOCO GENIUS1 or OptiMate 4. Both are rated at 1 A, right next to Honda's 1.1 A. The Battery Tender Junior works too. It's just slower at 0.75 A.
- Lithium battery: NOCO GENIUS1, the Battery Tender Junior with selectable chemistry, or the OptiMate Lithium 4s. Check your battery's Ah against the OptiMate's 1-10 Ah range.
- Also maintaining a truck or mower battery: the NOCO GENIUS2 gives you 2 A and does 6 V too.
Battery Tender ring terminal pigtail on Amazon
Hooking it up
Bolt the pigtail on with the bike off: positive to positive, negative to negative. Route it so the seat doesn't pinch it. Plug in the tender and check that it shows charging or maintaining.
Check the battery with a meter in spring. Anything at 13.0-13.2 V is fully charged per Honda. Below 12.4 V, it needs charging.
The rest of the storage list (oil, fuel, carb, tires, cover) is in my Spirit 750 winterizing guide.