to make sure use your car battery to jump the bike (do not start the car just put the leads to it)if the bike starts or turns over you know it is the battery or a bad battery tender

FWI: Your battery should be about a 18 Amp/hr battery. Determine the charge time by dividing the amp of battery by the charger amps. Example: With a 2 amp charger charge for 9 hrs (18/2). If using a 10 amp charger charge for 1.8 hrs (18/10). etc. Just don't over charge the battery. To overcharge a battery is as bad as a undercharged one. Best to use a actual charger and not a tender to charge a dead one up.

A rule of thumb I follow is this: when replacing a battery I always check voltage to make sure it has been charged from factory. (If not or sat on shelf too long use a charger) Then I put on the tender just to top it off. This way it is a slower charge than the bikes charging system - dosen't heat the battery up as much.

markdyck wrote:
So my brand new battery could be bad before even doing anything? All I've done with this is put the acid in, let it sit as directed, and then pop it on the charger. Is there any other test I can run to narrow it down to the battery?

Edit:
Well, after trying to test the current across the terminals with the key turned ON I heard some ticking. It stopped and I looked up at the dash and I had lights. I tried to hit the started and CLICK dead. Loud clicks down from around the battery and nothing again. Tried turning it on, waited a bit again the dash lit up. Hit the starter, same thing again. So I popped the Battery Tender JR back on after taking it off not more than 30 mins earlier, and now it's reading as charging, not maintaining. I'm guessing something went weird in the initial charging.

Thanks texasscott1, sounds like you hit the nail right on the head with that surface charge. I'm going to let it charge through and hopefully it will actually charge fully this time!
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What brand battery?

Post activating/filling a new battery with acid theres now way it needs to be charges mult time including all night to show signs of life.

Post filling a new battery with acid and sitting for a bit often even before charging there should be enough energy in the battery to to run all the lights and in some cases even fire up the bike.

So after 1st charging and no sign of life the new battery may in fact be toast which is uncommon but not impossible to happen either unless you have other electrical issues/bad connections/corrosion going on somewhere in elec system

BTW,just an fYI,if you have a maint charger thats for 6v/12v ensure its not accidentiaqlly on 6v setting because if so that will discharge the battery,dont ask how i know that can happen!!!/LOL!!!

Scott