Optimate 4 SAE battery connection gap

[Red]

My 1250 has an SAE pigtail attached to the battery already so I want to use that for my new Optimate 4 (which also came with a canbus DIN adapter but I believe a direct battery connection is better for long term over winter). However when I connect the Optimate it doesn't clip closed all the way.

New photo · Thursday, Nov 20 📸

Tap to view!

photos.app.goo.gl

It seemed to charge ok (voltage increased back up to 12v from 11v), and the Optimate seemed happy (green light) but is this gappy connection a problem? Seems a bit shoddy.

 

[littleade]

Try pushing the 2 halves together a bit harder? I've recently put a new flying lead on mine as I wanted to reposition it to the left side of the bike and there is some resistance when pushing the 2 halves together and requires a bit of extra pressure to overcome that last bit of resistance and get the 2 halves to meet. Obviously if you've tried that already there maybe something stopping them meeting that shouldn't be there or one of the 2 halves is damaged in some way?

 

[Red]

I've pushed them together pretty hard! It seems like this is as good as they'll go.

 

[littleade]

Did your new Optimate come with a SAE lead to connect to the battery too? If so might be worth checking if that plugs into the optimate lead ok or if that stops before it's fully engaged as well? That way at least it might narrow down where the problem lies

 

[Tony1250]

Probably not an optimate lead on the bike. I’ve come across a couple of bikes in the past that had very similar looking leads but they weren’t the same.

 

[Red]

It's probably not an Optimate brand lead on the bike, but SAE is like USB, it doesn't matter who made it, it should still fit.

The gap seems to also be there with every lead that came with the charger including the Optimate piggyback, the biggest gap being on the clips but it seems random.

I messaged Optimate and they said "the fit is tight on new products and that looks ok from the pictures you have sent. After a bit of use you will find there is a little give to make it easier to push together".

 

[TaskMule]

They really are horrible plugs. Hard to push in sometimes and flexing back and forth to remove. DC coaxial plugs work better IMO