Optimate 4 and lithium battery

[pbbanks]

Just been informed by BMW Pidcocks that the BMW Battery Charger Plus has been discontinued by BMW. I had one on my order ready to pick up tomorrow now they don't have a BMW solution that works for Lithium Batteries.

When I called Optimate they informed me that the Optimate Duo 1 or 2 will work with Lithium batteries if connected directly to the Battery but the NEW Optimate 4 Quad BMW has been delayed because the GS1300 is reporting invalid battery charge levels via the accessories port and thus the charger won't work!

Does anyone have an Optimate that is defo working with the new GS1300?

Have they said why it's been discontinued?. Does the BMW charger plus still work ok with the 1300gs or are they saying there's a problem and that's why it's discontinued?.

 

[tspivey]

Have they said why it's been discontinued?. Does the BMW charger plus still work ok with the 1300gs or are they saying there's a problem and that's why it's discontinued?.

Having just bought a new one and not even used it yet, don’t get the bike until March, I’d also like to know.

 

[leadfarmer]

Having just bought a new one and not even used it yet, don’t get the bike until March, I’d also like to know.

I’ll let you know in a week’s time, I’m picking mine up next Saturday

 

[bmsouls]

Have they said why it's been discontinued?. Does the BMW charger plus still work ok with the 1300gs or are they saying there's a problem and that's why it's discontinued?.

Hi,ive just been to halfords looking at the noco lithium chargers £50 got talking to one of the lads and he told me to buy a one of their motorcycle lithium chargers £25 bought one only thing is you have to connect to the battery direct same as optimate no hardship really in the winter.Thing is i only had it on 15 mins and it said fully charged bike hasnt moved for three weeks so ive turned it off they reckon it can be left on as a tender but unsure with these lithium batterys. (ps he says they are made by noco)

 

[Rushy]

You really must use a Lithium specific charger for a Lithium battery. You can get away with using a cheap dumb charger suitable for regular batteries to top it up if necessary but don’t use any decent smart charger that will try to recover it unless its Lithium specific. A Lithium motorcycle battery will charge from say 20% to 80% charged very quickly , for the same reason they can & will discharge very quickly of there is any parasitic drain or if you’ve fitted something like a tracker.

My CCM will be 4 yrs old in March and has had a Lithium battery on it since new, I have it permanently hooked up to a Lithium specific charger maintainer , no problems whatsoever.

 

[cybergizmo]

Have they said why it's been discontinued?. Does the BMW charger plus still work ok with the 1300gs or are they saying there's a problem and that's why it's discontinued?.

They said the factory that built them was in the Ukraine and the supply has been stopped due to the war.

They supplied the BMW Battery Charger (Basically a CTEK in a BMW box).

This one https://shop.bmw.co.uk/5518/genuine-oe-car-trickle-battery-charger-uk-version-3-pin-plug/

 

[leadfarmer]

Have they said why it's been discontinued?. Does the BMW charger plus still work ok with the 1300gs or are they saying there's a problem and that's why it's discontinued?.

these folks are selling it for the R1300GS so I’m sure it’s fine

 

[Stotti]

 

[The Stimulator]

Looks like I’m another one for whom the Optimate 4 Quad doesn’t work through the DIN socket. Gives me all the correct indications for charging up, and then simply tells me the battery is discharged. Before anyone asks, yes, it’s set to Lithium.

Anyone got theirs working reliably through the DIN socket?

 

[tspivey]

Life is a ride motorcycle tours has put up a YouTube video saying not to use it.

 

[GSRoss]

I don’t get the bike until next month but my plan is to use my Optimate Lithium I used for my RR with the fly lead under the rear seat connected direct to battery. Had it connected whenever my bike was sat in the garage and the shido lithium battery was still going strong after 7 years.

 

[The Stimulator]

Thought I’d drop this here for anyone interested in this issue. This is the full response I got from Optimate regarding the indications/issues. No tracker/ezCAN fitted to my bike, but it does have a factory fit alarm.

 

[tspivey]

Thought I’d drop this here for anyone interested in this issue. This is the full response I got from Optimate regarding the indications/issues. No tracker/ezCAN fitted to my bike, but it does have a factory fit alarm.

So, if it’s the bikes fault and not their charger, I wonder if are people having the same issue using the BMW PLUS charger?
They then advocate connecting directly to the battery, against BMW’s advice written in the manual. Though I think that advice is to prevent people connecting cheap crap chargers that can fry the electrics, not such as Optimate and CTek.
I have the BMW PLUS connected through the socket, though don’t have an alarm, ezcan or tracker and it works perfectly.

 

[Smartbazza]

BMW advised me not to use the Optimate (sold on NN's as suitable) through the socket as my bike completely discharged the battery and had to be recovered.

they gave me a BMW charger out of courtesy as i had got my bike 31 miles home then no further.

Barry

 

[leadfarmer]

I have the BMW PLUS connected through the socket, though don’t have an alarm, ezcan or tracker and it works perfectly.

Same here

 

[RT_slippers]

So, if it’s the bikes fault and not their charger, I wonder if are people having the same issue using the BMW PLUS charger?
They then advocate connecting directly to the battery, against BMW’s advice written in the manual. Though I think that advice is to prevent people connecting cheap crap chargers that can fry the electrics, not such as Optimate and CTek.
I have the BMW PLUS connected through the socket, though don’t have an alarm, ezcan or tracker and it works perfectly.

Same here

 

[The Stimulator]

Same here

I note the response that I got from Optimate did state some bikes work fine through the DIN socket, so I wonder if the issue is not so much an Optimate 4 vs BMW Plus charger one, but an issue of how is your bike specced. Only way I can check my bike is to get hold of a BMW Plus charger and see what happens when I plug it in via the DIN socket.

 

[stick]

I have the BMW Plus , fully loaded TE 1300 , no issues at all thro the din plug .

 

[roundincircles]

Wonder if this is OK

K900 EVO+ | BATTERY CHARGER AND MAINTAINER WITH CAN-BUS SYSTEM 1 AMP

4 PROGRAMS: Lead Acid, Lithium, Lead Acid Can-Bus, Lithium Can-Bus for all BMW motorcycles. ITALIAN ENERGY TO KEEP THE BATTERY OF YOUR CAR 100% CHARGED. Leave the maintainer always connected and forget it. We recover the batteries that are almost 0 Volt discharged.

bcbattery.co.uk

 

[younger06]

Certainly going by the blurb/description......it looks spot on.

Sent with a Zen10