Recharging battery.

[Tigerlily]

This is probably a daft question but can I recharge my battery while it's still on the bike and connected, or will it goose my electrics? :confused:

[Scotty]

id say it al be reet
especially the old 600 with the 'robust' electrics

them optimate things have an attachment so that you can do just that

[Tigerlily]

What's this Optimate then, seen them mentioned a couple of times but not sure what they are?

[Scotty]

some brand of battery charger

no idea if there better than anyone elses

i bought a hellfrauds one cos it has a switch that fliped from car to bike was desperate at the time but seems to work same sort of price i think £40 ish

[Tigerlily]

Thanks Scotty :)

I'll see if I can get it sorted tomorrow and get out for a ride at last!

[Scotty]

i actually found it quite easy to bump start us bike the other day though i was on a slope

[TLzebub]

What's this Optimate then, seen them mentioned a couple of times but not sure what they are?
I bought a similar charger called a oximiser,it put's a gentle trickle charge it to your battery, and keeps your battery topped up ,it can also recharge your battery, I leave mine connected all the time when not in use,no problems with my battery since! got mine on ebay new half price.
TLzebub

[Zimbo]

You can charge it on the bike, no problem.

An Optimate is a brand of motorcycle battery charger, but it's a little different to most chargers because it's intelligent and monitors the battery's state of charge, adjusting it's output to match. This means that as the battery reaches it's full charge the charger stops trying to charge the battery and just monitors it, topping up the charge as and when required. It can therefore be left connected to the bike permenantly if desired. There are other similar ones about, Oxford do one, some say the Optimate is slightly better but it's also more expensive.
Main thing when looking for a charger is to get one with a low charging output. Charging a bike battery with a car battery charger (typically 8 odd amp output) will charge far too quickly and will cause damage to the battery, making it less efficient. Look for a 1 - 2 amp output.

[Starter Sprag]

Go for an Optimate, about 40 quid

It comes with leads you fix permanently to your battery, giving you an easy plug-in

Use it every time your bike is put away

Makes starting-up a doddle, and keeps all the electrics/electronics happy too

[Tigerlily]

Thanks for the advice and info everyone :D





I know what I want for Valentines Day now! (Aren't I romantic!)

[Tigerlily]

After the recommendation, Rabbit went out today and has bought an Optimate 3 charger and has got his battery charging. He's had trouble starting his and has flattened his battery twice without so much of a hint of it firing up! So much for Japanese reliability :lol:

Just on the off-chance he tried to start mine and it seems to have magically cured itself as it started first time and the alarm is now behaving itself too :confused: :D



Italian bikes 1
Japanese bikes 0 :p

[DesmoDog]

Tigerlilly, make sure he dosen't snaffle your permanent lead. It very handy and has a weatherproof lid on it. As soon as i park up the bike I just plug it into the wall and off it goes. Great stuff.

[Tigerlily]

Not a problem......he bought a spare one for a fiver so we can have one each!

[Garry Hogan]

Of course - if you rode the bike all year 'round like a REAL biker :D , then the battery wouldn't go flat in the first place :rolleyes:

[james007]

after three years of loyal service, this winter I have been having lots of problems starting the duke in the early morning. However in the evenings (the bike is inside all day) it starts fine. Does the cold really damage the battery that much, and how come it has only started this winter? Is it time for a new battery?

[Garry Hogan]

Yep - sounds like your battery is on its last legs :( As a battery gets old, it suffers from sedimentation, which is a build up of crap that settles between the plates :eek: This, in time, leads to the plates shorting out and effectively killing your battery. Just one dodgy cell will be enough to render a battery useless :( Cold weather makes it even worse by lowering the specific gravity - even healthy batteries suffer with this! If you remove your battery and hold it up to the light, a duff cell will show itself by being very cloudy or even black (assuming you dont have an all black battery) :burnout:

[james007]

for a 620, how much should I pay for a battery? Any specific type to go for?