Battery Optimizer

[853275toddy]

Hi Folks,
Waiting for delivery of LC GS from Kearys in Cork Republic of Ireland. Just 2 quick questions can anyone recomend a battery optimizer for the new bike and will the Garmin Zumo 660 Car mount work with the Nav IV. Thanks Peter

 

[Mark GSer]

Hi Folks,
Waiting for delivery of LC GS from Kearys in Cork Republic of Ireland. Just 2 quick questions can anyone recomend a battery optimizer for the new bike and will the Garmin Zumo 660 Car mount work with the Nav IV. Thanks Peter

Iv useda Ctek charger for years and never had a problem. And i belive the nav IV will fit in the 660 car mount

 

[iandavid]

Iv useda Ctek charger for years and never had a problem. And i belive the nav IV will fit in the 660 car mount

I use BMW's own canbus cahrger. Yes, the Nav IV works in the Garmin car mount.

 

[853275toddy]

Thanks Lads,
I have got the Zumo 660 car mount (still no bike though)
I was going to order the Optimate 4 DUAL BMW Can Bus Goldline DUAL Charger from Nippy Normans but when I emailed him to find out if it was compatible this was the reply I got

Peter

Still waiting to hear from Optimate – they will be finished testing by the end of April.

We will be in touch as soon s we hear.

Regards

Norman

 

[Hammam]

Thanks Lads,
I have got the Zumo 660 car mount (still no bike though)
I was going to order the Optimate 4 DUAL BMW Can Bus Goldline DUAL Charger from Nippy Normans but when I emailed him to find out if it was compatible this was the reply I got

Peter

Still waiting to hear from Optimate – they will be finished testing by the end of April.

We will be in touch as soon s we hear.

Regards

Norman

Careful with Optimate. I have the Optimate 4, the so-called «Canbus version», and it does not seem to work in Canbus mode via BMW's socket. If they are not finished testing the «Canbus Goldline Dual something whatever», and can't tell if it's good with Canbus yet, how could they have claimed that the previous model (the Optimate 4) WAS compatible with Canbus? This seems strange to me. When I told them that the Optimate 4 did not work in Canbus mode on my RT, they couldn't offer any answer.

BTW, my dealer also told me that no charger really works well with Canbus, even BMW's own. Something to do with too low amperage. Canbus is very fussy with its fuse system. Better to use direct to battery, no ignition on. The Optimate 4 works very well that way. Just need an extension with an Optimate SAE Din plug at the end. My dealer installs those for free on all BMWs they sell.

 

[RobertG]

Thanks Lads,
I have got the Zumo 660 car mount (still no bike though)
I was going to order the Optimate 4 DUAL BMW Can Bus Goldline DUAL Charger from Nippy Normans but when I emailed him to find out if it was compatible this was the reply I got

Peter

Still waiting to hear from Optimate – they will be finished testing by the end of April.

We will be in touch as soon s we hear.

Regards

Norman

The Canbus charging has been very unreliable. No reason to believe this will change. Save yourself a lot of heartache and wire a separate connector directly (via a fuse!) to the battery and be happy that the non Canbus Optimate will look after everything.

I went one further and wired an "always on" socket to the battery and stuck a plug on the Optimate. Park bike, plug in.

 

[Hammam]

I use BMW's own canbus cahrger. Yes, the Nav IV works in the Garmin car mount.

Does the BMW charger actually work well in Canbus mode? Are you sure your battery ends up fully charged?

 

[iandavid]

Does the BMW charger actually work well in Canbus mode? Are you sure your battery ends up fully charged?

Never had a problem on my 2010 twin cam GS. I spend 6 months of the year outside the UK and it always starts first time when I'm back.

Two points worth mentioning though. As the canbus shuts down after a short interval, I turn on the ignition, wait until all the song and dancing has stopped, plug in the charger and then turn off ignition. The canbus then stays open for the charger. However I read somewhere that if you have a power cut the canbus does not see the charger when power is restored. It's OK for me because the bike is at my mums house and she knows how to re-activate everything.

A fused plug to the battery is probably the best way but SWIMBO bought me the BMW canbus charger, so I have to use that>

Hope this helps.

 

[Yellow Peril]

Does the new bike have the same battery as the HEX 1200 battery? So if I change in the future, I can carry my odessey battery forward

 

[paul08]

I sent a query to Optimate and got the following reply this morning"

"Thank you for your email. You may use the OptiMate 4 for charging the battery on your BMW, it is just that you will not be able to do this through the accessory socket. If you wish to charge via the accessory socket then you will need to use the OptiMate 4 Dual Program. When in the charger is in the second program (CAN-bus mode) it sends a "wake" signal to the central wiring controller telling it to that the socket is in use, without this signal the socket will be closed when the current passing through it drops below a certain threshold. Currently the OptiMate 4 Dual Program does not have a "wake" signal that is accepted by the central wiring controller on the K1600 models.

Please note that the "CAN-bus" mode is only required on BMW motorcycles.

Regards,

Karl Dowden

Shadowfax ProBike
Unit 4, Sterling Business Park
Salthouse Road
Brackmills
Northampton
NN4 7EX
UK

Tel +44 1604 660777
Fax +44 1604 660444

www.OptiMate.co.uk
[email protected]"

So, it seems that the problem is specifially with the K1600 models.

So, given that my existing Optimate is an older, non-Canbus, version. Has anyone wired up their LC to use such an Optimate?

And if so, as I am a complete numpty with bike electrics, would you/they be willing to post a few pics of where and how you wired your bike up and what parts were needed?

many thanks in advance

 

[Engineer]

The very best battery optimiser is to ride the bike every day

 

[paul08]

The very best battery optimiser is to ride the bike every day

Not in the winters we get in germany!!!

 

[Elvisto]

I've been using the BMW can bus charger for a few years now, never had a problem

But the handbook says to unplug sat nav when charging the bike battery

 

[Hammam]

Not in the winters we get in germany!!!

Or in Quebec!!!

Also, even if I ride my bike every day (not always on the road, mind you) I always put it on the charger at nights, and there is always that little extra charging remaining to get the battery to full. Probably not really significant, but you can't have too much of good thing to keep your battery in top shape since the Optimate 4 (direct to battery) does not trickle charge, but just keeps the battery in check once it's fully charged.