Optimate 4 Charger on 02 Monster 620ie

[mctriv]

Hi, I'm new here, not new to biking and not new to monsters! However, I have never fitted anything like the Optimate 4 and am considering it. Is it easy to install for someone with zero knowledge when it comes to maintenance? I've looked on youtube but my monster is so old that I'm not sure it will be the same? Any advice would be gratefully received.

[terryB]

Hi,
Optimate's are excellent, but if your tight like myself then you can do it much cheaper.
I just bought a " female " part of a cigarette lighter socket and connected to battery, and sat it under the seat. Then any other appliance ( mobile phone, battery conditioner etc )

Connect a male type connector to any of the above and off you go. All these parts are cheap and on ebay. I use a mini battery charger that will not charge a dead / flat battery,
but keeps a good battery topped up. All these have only two wires usually black/red so you can't really go wrong.
Hope this may be of use.
Regards,
Terry

[jonyb]

easy enough. two wires , black and red. red to positive, black to negative.

it is good practise to disconnect negative first and then positive, and reconnect in revese order. prevents any flashing or spiking .

[Flip]

As been said, it is very easy and simply a case of making the permanent connection to the battery via two ring terminals (the Optimate itself is not actually fitted to the bike).

I presume you have lifted the tank before and are familiar as the where the battery is located?

Good practice is to have a relatively empty fuel tank when lifting as the hinge can be a bit of a weak point and lead to leaking if the weld fractures there.

As jonyb rightly says: disconnect negative (Black) first then positive (Red). Then re-connect the +ve followed by the -ve including the Optimate leads before routing them so you can gain easy access to the terminal block when you want to connect up to charge the battery. Mine is routed to the left hand side of the bike and is tied in with a couple of the existing rubber cable straps- you will need to get a couple of Tie-Rap style single use ones to do the same as Ducati stopped using the rubber ones in about 1999.

[mctriv]

Thanks guys, it's ordered and on the way, really grateful ta :)