Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Parked for 3 months

I will be parking my Honda Pioneer 700 for 3 months.

Do I remove the battery and put it on a battery tender?

I would just disconnect the+ side, then stick a charger on it a week or so before you plan to use it. I don't trust an unattended battery tender. I have had that little controlled box get hot and swell up on a few.

No need to leave it hooked up to charger the whole time - unless you use a real low watt maintainer like one of the 1.5 to 5 watt solar maintainers.

I used to park an ATV outside with overhead cover from end of Nov to Apr in northern NY/Adirondack area with the battery connected and a solar maintainer hooked up - worked great.

Tender. Mine came from the dealer with a tender hookup

Depends on what time of year and if it's going to be stored outside, if so, pull the battery and leave it on a shelf in the garage. It shouldn't lose that much of it's charge in 3 months but you could always hook a charger to it before reinstalling it in your machine.

Quite often there will be a tiny voltage leak that will eventually pull down the battery. You don't have to remove it unless it's real cold, but at least unhook a cable to prevent any current flow.

Carb or fuel injection? If carb, shut off the petcock and run the carb dry. If injection, put some stabil in the gas. I might get it on blocks so the tires don't flatten or crack.

2001 Polaris 500 Big Boss 6 x6 just over 900 miles on it and sits outside under the deck tarped with a cover year round here in Alaska I run it about every 2 months plug the trickle charger in overnight every 2 weeks. Should sell it don't ever use it anymore.

I left my Can Am Commander sit from mid-Nov. to April last year with no attention and it started just fine.

By any chance do you have a lithium battery? Charging one when it’s below freezing can damage it. The better ones have a built in protection called a BMS that won’t let it charge when it’s that cold but not all have it. A lithium can be left a lot longer between charges.

On a negative ground system, it's best to take the - cable off. I was taught in A&P school, I think it was, to always take the ground off first and hook it up last. If the + cable is on, your wrench or other metal object will become a ground and cause a direct short, just like you had touched both - and + at the same time with a conductor.

Up to you. I don't typically but it's sure not going to hurt anything.

I got back just before Thanksgiving.

Hooked up the ground wire and the thing started right up.

Don't know what battery it is but it's a good one.