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Battery Disconnect - Question ??


Noel Hynes

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Noel Hynes

Hi everyone- I know you are allowed to ask one silly question so here goes.

 

In the next few weeks I plan to put the bike into hibernation for a while. Last year I left the battery connected and it required a charge up.

 

If I disconnect the battery will this cause any problems with the electronic information - Eg Dash Mileage- my worry is could it reset itself to Zero when I connect back up.

 

That's it- silly question for 2020...Noel.

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Andy m

You will not get any problems of the sort you describe. You will have to reset the time on the clock (easiest method is to wait until midnight to put the wires back on). 

 

However, to throw a spanner in the works, if left until say March the disconnected battery will still be discharged, possibly terminally so. I would buy a trickle charger and just flick it on for one day a month. 

 

Andy

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stephenmcg

Noel

i would leave battery connected and put charger across terminals when you want to give a bit of a charge.

smcg

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Wedgepilot

Definitely worth getting a trickle charger. I've had one for 20 years, and it's still going strong, so not a bad investment!

 

I connect the battery leads then run the connector behind the battery and dangle it down the left side of the engine. I can easily connect it if I know I won't be using the bike for while, and then tuck it out of the way when I don't need it. 

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Jamesc

I got an AA battery charger/maintainer from Amazon for 20 odd quid years ago. It came with an eyelet terminal-to-SAE cable so I leave that connected to the battery to make hooking up the charger more easy, and can also plug an optimate or similar USB socket into it

 

31sSg6JyBXL._AC_SY400_.jpg

 

Handy for charging the phone for these tracing apps etc 👌

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MatBin

Just to mention car batteries tend to be a different construction than bike batteries so if you buy a charger for your bike, or have an old one, check it's ok to use on your car if you intend to use on both. Alternatively new car battery chargers can be used on bikes, so long as it will trickle charge.

I have a solar charger I use on my bike with the battery remaining on the bike.

Edited by MatBin
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Rocker66

I find using an optimate ( other battery tenders are available) the easiest method. Once the lead has been attached to the battery every time you want to leave the bike for a longish time just plug the optimate in and forget. Worked for us for years.

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Same as @Rocker66. If I haven't ridden for over a week (such as yesterday) I'll get around to attaching the Optimate - open the frunk and connect to the eyelet lead that is fed through the side of the battery cover. No harm leaving the frunk lid ajar as the bike is sheltered in the carport .

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PoppetM

I used all my bikes daily for commuting, this is my first bike that is for fun only.
Mine has to be outside under a cover. I put it on an optimate for first time and touch wood, despite the rain we had today I don’t appear to have fused the entire street yet...

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Thosoneill

Another advocate for the optimate - attach it to the battery terminals and leave it on throughout the winter 

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Reckless

Optimate warning.......

i have optimates connected to the batteries on my bikes, through a timer I might add, and with good reason.

ive been testing one of the optimates today as no matter which bike it’s connected to the charge light never switches to fully charged, so doing some testing I’ve found the charge voltage fluctuates between 14.5 and 15.5v the desulphating charge rate has the voltage up to 20v so it’s possible it’s “stuck” in that mode, my next test will be to see what current it’s trying to force into the battery.

i certainly wouldn’t trust these charges to be connected and powered up constantly, no matter what it says on the box, I’ve heard of too many being boiled dry and even one battery exploding whilst connected.

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Reckless

Tried to get my ammeter to give me a reading but failed to get optimate to kick in and start charging using two different meters, I don’t have a clamp on ammeter for DC 

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Noel Hynes

Hi everyone- many thanks for all of your help and suggestions.

 

I bought a motorbike battery charger from Halfords a few years back and it has worked well. I will make sure every month- I give it a wee trickle charge and start it up- thankfully a friend has allowed me to use his garage which has mains supply inside. Hopefully get a couple more runs before I cover it up for winter.....I also have separate leads which allows me to use a similar connecter as suggested so will wire that up so less hassle when I want to charge it. Thanks again everyone- hopefully no more silly questions in 2020- I will no doubt have a few in 2021.

 

Noel.

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Rocker66
3 hours ago, Reckless said:

Optimate warning.......

i have optimates connected to the batteries on my bikes, through a timer I might add, and with good reason.

ive been testing one of the optimates today as no matter which bike it’s connected to the charge light never switches to fully charged, so doing some testing I’ve found the charge voltage fluctuates between 14.5 and 15.5v the desulphating charge rate has the voltage up to 20v so it’s possible it’s “stuck” in that mode, my next test will be to see what current it’s trying to force into the battery.

i certainly wouldn’t trust these charges to be connected and powered up constantly, no matter what it says on the box, I’ve heard of too many being boiled dry and even one battery exploding whilst connected.

We have both been using optimates for years. When we were working we leave them on our leisure bikes all winter and just use our commuting bikes. Never had a single problem or know anyone who has. The only person I know of that has had a problem with a battery tender was using a cheaper one rather than a genuine optimate.

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Delboy777

Ctek are the ones to have. 0.8 amp version for bikes.

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Grumpy old man
4 hours ago, Noel Hynes said:

Hi everyone- many thanks for all of your help and suggestions.

 

I bought a motorbike battery charger from Halfords a few years back and it has worked well. I will make sure every month- I give it a wee trickle charge and start it up- thankfully a friend has allowed me to use his garage which has mains supply inside. Hopefully get a couple more runs before I cover it up for winter.....I also have separate leads which allows me to use a similar connecter as suggested so will wire that up so less hassle when I want to charge it. Thanks again everyone- hopefully no more silly questions in 2020- I will no doubt have a few in 2021.

 

Noel.

Hi Noel 

Keep those silly questions  coming we all learn something from them but are too shy to ask.👍

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Defender

Why not your charger on a seven day timer and have it come on once or twice a week for a few hours?

Most modern battery chargers have a 'sense' function that will monitor the battery to what state it is in and then charge or not as appropriate.

I have my spare car battery on the charger at the moment and have just checked it, the voltage was upto 14.1 volts so it was obviously charging, the current was 0.2A or 200mA if you prefer, so it's just trickling charging it to top it up, this charger can deliver upto 8A needed. 

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PoppetM
3 hours ago, Rocker66 said:

We have both been using optimates for years. When we were working we leave them on our leisure bikes all winter and just use our commuting bikes. Never had a single problem or know anyone who has. The only person I know of that has had a problem with a battery tender was using a cheaper one rather than a genuine optimate.

Apologies I have asked this before. You plugged them in and left them plugged up constantly didn’t you (until you used the bike) which is what it’s designed to do...

Still nervous of fusing out the street, or exploding the battery!

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9 hours ago, Thosoneill said:

Another advocate for the optimate - attach it to the battery terminals and leave it on throughout the winter 

 

+1, same approach here. :ahappy:

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Rocker66
2 hours ago, PoppetM said:

Apologies I have asked this before. You plugged them in and left them plugged up constantly didn’t you (until you used the bike) which is what it’s designed to do...

Still nervous of fusing out the street, or exploding the battery!

Yes that’s exactly what we did. It only charges when it needs to to keep the battery topped up not all the time.

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Defender
3 hours ago, PoppetM said:

Apologies I have asked this before. You plugged them in and left them plugged up constantly didn’t you (until you used the bike) which is what it’s designed to do...

Still nervous of fusing out the street, or exploding the battery!

Sam, if you're really that worried about it then use a plug in RCD for the charger alone in addition to the 'breakers in your consumer unit for the circuit the charger is fed from?

 

Edited by Defender
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 07/10/2020 at 12:43, Reckless said:

Optimate warning.......

i have optimates connected to the batteries on my bikes, through a timer I might add, and with good reason.

ive been testing one of the optimates today as no matter which bike it’s connected to the charge light never switches to fully charged, so doing some testing I’ve found the charge voltage fluctuates between 14.5 and 15.5v the desulphating charge rate has the voltage up to 20v so it’s possible it’s “stuck” in that mode, my next test will be to see what current it’s trying to force into the battery.

i certainly wouldn’t trust these charges to be connected and powered up constantly, no matter what it says on the box, I’ve heard of too many being boiled dry and even one battery exploding whilst connected.

After this post I searched for contact details on line, just to ask for any information on what  could be done, I tried several email addresses all being bounced back, until late in last Sunday evening I had a reply. I was told to return it to them in Belgium and they would sort it and return it, I asked how much and explained again how old it is, the reply being “ no problem, it’s free of charge”.

Monday morning I packaged it up and sent it to Belgium, almost £10 postage, but I thought worth a gamble. 

Ill post if or when I get any sort of reply.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Excellent news, the optimate 3 has been returned, fixed and working, the engineers report states two half watt resistors replaced, time booked to repair was only 15 mins, fantastic customer service, 

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White Skark

I have an Optimate and 2 Oxford Chargers, I leave my bikes on them all the time, my Integra is 4.5years old now and I have used one of these all the time when not in use as I have a tracker fitted, battery still going strong.

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