Battery Charging!

David Ryan

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I have been reading the owners manual re battery charging.
BMW seem to want you to buy a special can bus compatible charger and use the dash din socket for general maintenance charging.
I have an Optimate 3 which is not can bus compatible. I had planned to simply fit an Optimate charging lead directly to the battery but the manual strongly urges you not to do this!
They firstly say not to remove the battery from the bike...........and later they say that if your battery if flat, you must remove it and charge it directly!! All rather contradictory.
Advice please
D
 
Fit the lead directly to the battery and charge that way. Charging through the aux socket works but it can also cause issues. Connecting directly to the battery will always work.

Charging a completely flat battery via the aux socket won't work because the system needs cycled to receive a charge. It can't cycle because there isn't any power so will never charge. This is why they say you need to remove the battery when flat. How flat I don't know to be honest. Low power does odd things with electronics and computers.
 
I'm tempted to just use an Optimate lead in the usual way and I know that many of you do.
I wonder why BMW discourage it in the manual.
 
Because they have invested huge amounts of money in computers that should do a good job. Too often though they fall short. Their way should work and often it does even most of the time it does. I wouldn't be spending good money on another charger for something to work most of the time though.
 
Spoke to BMW Chester about it today. They urged me to use the proper BMW charger that works through the DIN socket on the bike. But I suppose they would, wouldn't they!
 
I connected mine directly to the battery. Mine is can-bus compatible but as was pointed out earlier using the aux socket is not always the best way. Directly to the battery is good as you know it will always do the job.
Note that when you connect the lead you will have undoubtedly disconnected the battery. Before starting bike you should turn on the ignition, DO NOT PRESS STARTER BUTTON, rotate the throttle to fully open and closed twice (I have read three times elsewhere maybe someone knows for definite, I can't remember :duno ). Now you can start the bike. Also beware that the settings you may have altered from default on the display alter back to default and you may have to set your preferred settings again.

Hope this helps
 
More recent Optimates, 4 & 5 I think, have have setting especially for Canbus systems. Works fine on my 1200R.
 
With a flat battery, the reason why bmw doesn't recommend charging with the battery on the bike is because modern smart chargers will know the batt is flat and go to a very high charging voltage. This voltage will fry your bikes electronics.
 
pistole said:
With a flat battery, the reason why bmw doesn't recommend charging with the battery on the bike is because modern smart chargers will know the batt is flat and go to a very high charging voltage. This voltage will fry your bikes electronics.
Click to expand...

What voltage?
 
I have done it both ways, I think the direct connection is much faster and more accurate. The Canbus version does work but seems to take longer and come up with some weird readings some times.
 
pistole said:
With a flat battery, the reason why bmw doesn't recommend charging with the battery on the bike is because modern smart chargers will know the batt is flat and go to a very high charging voltage. This voltage will fry your bikes electronics.
Click to expand...

You know the kind of shite you get the next morning after 8 pints of Guiness and a Lamb Balti.
Well that's how much shite the above statement is.
 
It's just a regular lead acid battery. Buy any trickle charger and wire directly to battery. Bypass the canbus guff to keep things simple. :-)
 
WindyChuffer said:
It's just a regular lead acid battery. Buy any trickle charger and wire directly to battery. Bypass the canbus guff to keep things simple. :-)
Click to expand...

Possibly very true but when you've just spunked north of 13k to buy the bike why not invest in £90 for BMs canbus friendly charger or an Optimate 4 for £50-60 that you can just plug in to the aux socket to keep everything cushty during the winter... :nenau
 
Tricky said:
Possibly very true but when you've just spunked north of 13k to buy the bike why not invest in £90 for BMs canbus friendly charger or an Optimate 4 for £50-60 that you can just plug in to the aux socket to keep everything cushty during the winter... :nenau
Click to expand...

Because if you fit a bog standard aux socket direct to the battery(&fuse) then you can use a standard charger which may already have. You can also use the socket for higher current ancillaries like a heated jacket or tyre compressor.
 
Tricky said:
Possibly very true but when you've just spunked north of 13k to buy the bike why not invest in £90 for BMs canbus friendly charger or an Optimate 4 for £50-60 that you can just plug in to the aux socket to keep everything cushty during the winter... :nenau
Click to expand...


BMW sell a 13amp wall socket so your BMW will only receive 240 amps of bmw's very own special 1200LC specific canbus electricity.
Perfect for people just like you. as you can't be using just any old inferior electricity that comes out of the socket.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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