Charging

[Mark GSer]

With all my previous bikes i have always used an optimate type charger direct to the battery terminals when in storage BUT after reading the owners manual it suggests using the can-bus charger so as not to damage the bike electronics !
Now being a tight northerner i dont want to be forking out for a (expensive) can-bus charger when i have a perfectly good one already. So my question is, has anyone with an LC fitted an optimate etc to the battery terminals or is it a big no no ?

 

[kirky1298]

I leaves mine all winter . goes out about March time . sticks a battery charger on for a couple of hours and she fires right up .



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but thats a real bike , not a W.C .

 

[Mark GSer]

Im a big fan of the optimate tyrpe chargers because they work the battery (drain/charge) so it stays operational for longer. I had a gel battery on a previous bike that did over 7 years as it was always put on charge when not used.
The new bike is alarmed so there will be more drain on the battery so i will definatly be using a charger but which one !
Btw, when you pull your REAL bike out and fit its battery does it need a good squirt of easystart to get it going ?

 

[Packer]

My 1150 will be 10yo in November, original battery, never had an optimate. When I stripped the bike for a cosmetic refurb prior to my Alaska trip the battery sat on the bench for 7 months. I remembered to give it a two hour boost on the low setting of a 25 yo car charger. Once.

If the bike gets used for a decent run even once a month I would have thought that it would be fine untouched. The trouble with all these smart chargers appears to be that they mask the fact that a battery is dying and you break down away from home instead of at it.

A power hungry security system may make all of the above into bollocks but I'd try it first. Then again I'd be likely to remove any alarm/security system anyway

 

[Nutty]

I bought an optimate two years ago, and its still in the box. Unless you're leaving a bike for more than 6 months, I wouldn't bother. My HP2 with a supposed shit battery sat all over the winter for about five months, untouched, and fired up first time a few weeks ago. I have a theory that messing about with battery chargers actually shortens the battery life

 

[Count]

I have chargers but the reality seems to be, I leave the bikes for a while and they always fire up. I'm not convince that Optimate isn't a scam to chew up battery life while the bike is inactive.

I leave the Ducatis for weeks at a time and not had issues. Every time I think there must be a battery issue by now, they always fire up so I've given up worrying about it.


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[mcinlb]

On the other hand, I have always kept a charger on my bikes when not out and about. My 2013 GS also has an Optimate 4 connected straight on to the battery as was my last TC. No issues what so ever........

 

[alp]

I leave the Ducatis for weeks at a time and not had issues. Every time I think there must be a battery issue by now, they always fire up so I've given up worrying about it.

Jeez I wish my Ducati 999S would start better even though its got a new bat. and on Optimate. She struggles to just turn over the compression. Fires up eventually of course but I'm always left wondering...

 

[bellyboy]

optimate.. for longer lay off's over winter,, Alarms drain down most batteries,,

and Optimate will not damage your battery,,

 

[(RIP) Miff]

With all my previous bikes i have always used an optimate type charger direct to the battery terminals when in storage BUT after reading the owners manual it suggests using the can-bus charger so as not to damage the bike electronics !

If the ignition is OFF, how could an optimate damage the bike electronics by being connected directly to the battery?

 

[Yellow Peril]

If the ignition is OFF, how could an optimate damage the bike electronics by being connected directly to the battery?

If that's not enough just disconnect the + ve simplies

 

[Gareth220]

I was jus about to ask exactly the same question, after reading the manual. I have optimate 4 and 6's and I believe the 6 is also can bus. I have 4 bikes, and if they aren't in fairly regular use I leave then on the optimates. I haven't had to replace the battery on any of them, but for example when I left the Panigale not on charge for about 6 weeks there wasn't enough grunt to get it started, had the same issue with the Multistrada which has just gone to make space for the GS.

On my old 12 GS I didn't leave it on charge, it started ok at the house twice and left me stranded when i tried to start it after riding it about 5 miles to the shops and I had to get recovered. I then ended up having to get a new battery at a dealer in Germany during a trip because the battery was knackered after less than 2 years. So moral of the story seems to be to keen it on the optimate for the few months of winter when I am not using it.

Think I will fit the optimate lead and use an optimate 4 on it, a job for tomorrow morning !

 

[Hamslay]

What's the latest on Optimate compatibility? It seems the manual still says connecting a charger straight to the battery can damage the Can-bus. Has anyone had any problems in the five months since this thread was started?

 

[fennel]

I've been using Optimate 4 on my LC since March. It's been connected to the 12V port.

 

[stubox]

Never bothered with one before and the bikes (s1000,boxer various and k bike) sat in the garage under sheet oct - mar every year. All fired up no problem in the spring so.... .

 

[Hamslay]

Never bothered with one before and the bikes (s1000,boxer various and k bike) sat in the garage under sheet oct - mar every year. All fired up no problem in the spring so.... .

I think it makes a difference if you have an alarm though.

 

[stubox]

I think it makes a difference if you have an alarm though.

If they're active, but they ve all had alarms (BMW ones) and tbh I've never turned the things on instead relying on some mechanical devices and a large hound for the theft prevention.

But yes i would have thought the current drain off an active alarm would flatten the thing over time.

Can you charge while an alarm is active?

 

[Hamslay]

Can you charge while an alarm is active?

Yep. My K1300S auto-armed as soon as the ignition was turned off but I never had a problem with keeping it trickle-charged via an Optimate connected straight to the battery. I'd like to do this on a new GS but the manual seems to warn against it...

 

[Hammam]

I have the Optimate 4 (had an Optimate 3 before) which has a «Can-bus» mode. My dealer advised AGAINST charging through Can-bus. I tried anyway. It didn't work. After a night on, the lower yellow light was still flashing, indicating the battery was still not fully charged. I switched to direct to battery mode, and that works every time. The upper right green light is on after a night.

It may have something to do with Can-bus being very sensitive to high amps and shutting off, but I'm no electronics engineer.

 

[Hamslay]

I have the Optimate 4 (had an Optimate 3 before) which has a «Can-bus» mode. My dealer advised AGAINST charging through Can-bus. I tried anyway. It didn't work. After a night on, the lower yellow light was still flashing, indicating the battery was still not fully charged. I switched to direct to battery mode, and that works every time. The upper right green light is on after a night.

It may have something to do with Can-bus being very sensitive to high amps and shutting off, but I'm no electronics engineer.

Thanks for that. I won't order a Can-bus Optimate 4 then to replace my standard one.

So the BMW dealers are actually encouraging LC owners to charge via a direct connection to the battery, despite the manual saying "Charging the connected battery directly at the battery terminals can damage the
vehicle electronics. Always disconnect the battery from the on-board circuits before recharging it with a charger connected directly to the battery posts."?

It sounds like it's probably safe with an "intelligent" charger like the Optimate, but perhaps a little unwise to just stick a Halfords high amperage charger on it.

Thanks all.