I'm not always able to ride every week, and was wondering if I should invest in a battery charger that can be left hooked up. I know Sprints don't like flat batteries! Especially as winter is coming. What do you use? I wonder about an optimate charger... Bike is kept in its own dedicated storage, lined and insulated, with frost heater (it gets down to the minus 20° C temps here in winter. Not Canada cold, but chilly for the UK!) but I know cold drains batteries. Thanks in advance for any advice.
I know loads of people use Optimate and they're supposed to be very good. I use the Datatool Smart Charger which I can highly recommend but ultimately what you are looking for is a smart battery maintainer rather than a battery charger so that you can just keep it plugged in when not used over the cold period
I'd recommend the Oxford solar charger, but I guess you need to live somewhere that occasionally sees the sun.
Deffo worth hooking up a trickle charger to preserve your battery i have had 2nd hand bikes (with old batteries) last well over 5 years on trickle charger - then sold on without a battery change . Batteries don't like cold and if they go flat sometimes wont recover at all.
I've had excellent service from a couple of these for the last few years :- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153177299631 They're used a lot in the world of caravan users and have similar functionality to the more expensive brands of smart chargers. Whatever you get and despite the good conditions that you're keeping the bike in, it is definitely worth leaving the battery on a smart maintenance charger. Edit :- it comes with a harness (similar to the Optimate) that can be left on the bike so there'll be no need to lift the seat to connect.
I have a few of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261227505784 they work well and apparently are OK with Lithium batteries as they don't have a desulfation?? mode !
Thank you all for your advise. I went for the Optimate 4. I like the look of the Maypole one too, but maybe the optimate had the edge. I dunno, it's all spend spend spend. Bank manager is gonna love me Helluva variation in price for the same item when you look isnt there!
HI guys. Glad i found this thread as i was about to post one of my own! Had my 2017 Speed Triple R for couple months. It came with an optimate charge port fitted. Im wanting to buy a charger but does it make a difference which one i get? Have no experience with them so which one will do the job? Thanks on advance.
That would depend on which optimate charge port is fitted, picture paints a thousand words. Optimate 4 has a completely different connector. If it's the standard white connector then most trickle chargers should fit.
Very true, was just pointing out that if he was looking to connect up using the one attached then he needed to make sure it was the right one
I think that's the one I found. (having an issue with the skimlinks software on forum, my antivirus sees it as a threat not the useful feature is for forum fundraising, and as such won't let eBay links open. Can find items by item number though) The optimate 4 I ordered was 1p cheaper than the one from M&P, but delivery is from 20th to 23rd November. M&P would have been quicker, but according to their blurb they don't ship to my postcode. Not on the mainland apparently... I live on an island! Haa! Don't all us brits live on an island?
I use an Optimate and for a fuel injected bike I would say it is imperative. In the days of carbs you could get down around 10 V and still have a chance of firing up but with fuel injection, Ecu and fuel pump draining before you start a FI bike needs around 11.5V. The plugs although varied are all much of a muchness and can rot out (copper sulphate forms), I chop mine off and use normal bullet connectors but put the bike positive on a female bullet and the earth on a male. That way there is no shorting and you can't get reverse polarity. Plus you can have as many bikes as you have cabled ready for pennies Yorkshire man see!
Gotta go with whatcha know ..... I understand the Optimate is generally reliable so it may be a while DD. I'd suggest that at less than £23 it's worth a punt just to make sure you're not waiting for a replacement if the need ever does arise!
If putting your bike into storage for an extended period, couldn't you remove the battery, keep it inside nice n warm and give it a regular charge it up before installing in Spring? Would it have an adverse affect on the bike not having a battery fitted?
I don't think having no battery would have an adverse effect on the bike itself. . Unless ecu's lose their memory, and even if they did it would be just like starting with a new ecu, it would have to relearn your riding style. Though I have seen cars refuse to start after a week of no battery. Putting the battery somewhere warm would stop the cold draining it, right enough. But starter batteries need a cycle of use to keep them in condition, they aren't like leisure batteries that can take long slow depletion, then a charge; they are designed for a large draw of current, then an instant recharge. So you'd need to use it and charge it a few times to keep it in condition. Least ways, that's my understanding of it.
You would need to keep the battery on the bike if it has an alarm system fitted, an optimate would stop the alarm from draining the battery.
I have a Maypole MP7423 6V / 12V 4A Electronic Smart Charger, thought it was good for anything but Lithium? use it for cars now. Which is why,when I put a lithium battery in my VFR800 Vtec I bought a NOCO Genius g1100 does anything including cars.
I use a Battery Tender Jr. I ride on the weekends and always keep my battery on my charger whenever I am not riding, and any time of year. I have been riding for 30+ years and my batteries have always lasted a long time. Batteries not kept charged will slowly be damaged over time. This damage is totally normal for batteries that are not maintained charged.
Optimate 4 is my choice have used optimate for over a decade now no probs,tried Oxford chargers but never lasted last time had on with digital display got it free with practical sports bike but kept setting alarm off on the speedy,ended up selling it on gumtree nearly paid mag subscription l.o.l
I would also recommend looking at Ctek chargers. I've got one for my Boxster as it doesn't go out much in winter, it's got quite a large battery and it works very well. They do a bike specific one as well as the one I got for the car. Bike: https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/xs-0-8 Car: https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/mxs-5-0
I replaced an aged optimate charger with an all singing and dancing ctek one. It can tell whether it's plugged into a bike or car and charge accordingly. It works just fine with a nice display indicating the progressive charge rate. One criticism though. It doesn't like charging the bike via the triumph accessory socket as the optimate did. I preferred charging through the socket as I don't like too much wired directly to the battery terminals. Given my time again I would have chosen another optimate.
A lot of my friends use ctek chargers on their Land Rovers. If I'd asked them they would have said ctek, but horses for courses an all that, you want bike related info, ask on the best bike forum
