What optimate are you using for the 1300gs?
Optimate charger
- Thread starter Swansea Jack
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Deleted account 251212001
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Optimate 4 on mine for the last 20 months. I leave it plugged in whenever not in use via the socket next to the dash and it seems to do the business no problems.
Optimate (by Wunderlich) Can Bus QUAD BMW Charger with FREE hook and 3 FREE cables
www.nippynormans.com
I did the same and got too many problems!Optimate 4 on mine for the last 20 months. I leave it plugged in whenever not in use via the socket next to the dash and it seems to do the business no problems.
Optimate (by Wunderlich) Can Bus QUAD BMW Charger with FREE hook and 3 FREE cables
Barry
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Yeah, thats been discussed on another thread Baz, it was alluded to that there was a need for a software update on the bike which some of the earlier bikes didn't have. Optimate confirmed it, ive posted a link somewhere before , they've also applied an update on the latest chargers. If you look at the reviews for that charger everyone is happy, 5 stars across the board and a few 1300 owners on there too.
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That’s great news all round. I run with the BMW charger particularly as I got one for free after the first of the issues.
After 3 years on a faultless 1250 I seem to be unlucky enough to have issues with both my 13’s. Issue I have is I don’t think there’s a better all rounder out there that suits my needs.
Barry
harleyzx1400
Registered user
Optimate 4 quad program, got a lithium battery. Had the bike just on a year, 11 000km and no battery problems (yet?!!)
Also leave plugged in when standing at home. Works for me.
Take note, the earlier quad dual will not charge a lithium battery, according to the manual.
Also leave plugged in when standing at home. Works for me.
Take note, the earlier quad dual will not charge a lithium battery, according to the manual.
Optimate 4 quad program on my lithium battery too.
Very simple to operate with each program selected by one button. The options being standard battery/gel or lithium battery and last via canbus for BMW.
Very simple to operate with each program selected by one button. The options being standard battery/gel or lithium battery and last via canbus for BMW.
Optimate 1 duo direct to the battery.
It'll handle lithium or lead acid batteries, but doesn't have the ability to charge via the DIN socket (doesn't speak CAN-Bus).
It'll handle lithium or lead acid batteries, but doesn't have the ability to charge via the DIN socket (doesn't speak CAN-Bus).
I have the optimate 4, why do they hire a psychopath to design their interface? Anyway after 40,000 km I've never had to put a charger on the battery. Even after 6 months over-winter in a heated space the lithium battery never dropped below 13.5 volts
Beerman
Registered user
Optimate 4 Dual direct to battery (tender fitted tucked into the seat). No issues.When I used it on the portal it drained the battery. I've also used a CTek direct to battery with no issues.
RadioFlyer
Registered user
How often have you seen or heard the term “CAN-bus” in the context of a compatible charger for the accessory socket? Way too often and almost always dead wrong.
“CAN-bus” is probably the most misused term in all of BMW-related forum electrical discussions. For an understanding of what the CAN-bus actually is and does I suggest reading the article on Wikipedia.
The ZFE (Zentrale Fahrzeugelektronik or Central Chassis Electrics) is one of several controllers on modern BMW motorcycles. Its job is to manage chassis electrics. It senses logical inputs from switches and responds by turning things (lights, horns, grip heaters…) on and off. It also monitors current draw. If the current draw exceeds a threshold then the circuit is shut down so the ZFE replaces fuses. If the current draw is below a threshold on a light circuit the ZFE assumes that there is a burned out bulb or a wiring fault and tells the Kombi (the instrument cluster) to display a warning. The ZFE manages the accessory port and shuts it down if too much current is drawn (> 5A or >10A depending on the model and year). The ZFE also monitors the accessory port for the presence of a compatible charger and connects it to the battery for charging.
Compatible chargers are often referred to as “CAN-bus” chargers or some other term using “CAN-bus”. This is nonsense and has led to a great deal of confusion. This misuse of the term “CAN-bus” probably originates with charger vendors. Early on the vendors would characterize chargers as being suitable for “CAN-bus equipped” motorcycles as a way of saying that the motorcycle had a ZFE. Later the terminology morphed into terms like “CAN-bus compatible”, “CAN-bus charger” and “CAN-bus mode”.
The CAN-bus itself does not play a role in charging via the accessory port. That many say it does is part of the mythology.
The ZFE “listens” for a specific electrical handshake from a charger and if the handshake is present the ZFE connects the charger through to the battery. No CAN-bus messaging is required to accomplish this.
A ZFE compatible charger sends and repeats a pulse train to the accessory port. The pulse train starts with the charger presenting 12V to the port for 1 second. Then it waits for 150 milliseconds. Next it sends a series of ten 12V pulses each having a duration of 10 microseconds and spaced 100 milliseconds apart. It repeats this pulse train until it senses that the ZFE has connected it to the battery and then it starts its charging procedure.
Of course you can always attach a charger directly to the battery but BMW instructs you to not do so while the battery is installed in the bike. Why? The reason is that many modern chargers are “smart” and will try to recondition (desulphate) a battery if it decides that the battery needs reconditioning. The desulphation process involves the application of high voltage pulses to the battery and if the battery is connected in the bike then all the bike’s expensive electronics also get exposed to the high voltage pulses as well. So there is some risk of damage involved. BMW isn’t going to try to explain how to determine whether your particular charger has a desulphation capability or not so it just tells you not to charge the battery directly in the bike to mitigate the risk.
If you have a smart charger and intend to connect direct to the battery while the battery is in the bike you should read the charger’s manual to see if the desulphation mode can be disabled. I use the Optimate 4 charger in its “CAN-bus mode” (sic) direct to the battery because in that mode high voltage desulphation is deactivated. I can’t be bothered with charging via the accessory port.
“CAN-bus” is probably the most misused term in all of BMW-related forum electrical discussions. For an understanding of what the CAN-bus actually is and does I suggest reading the article on Wikipedia.
The ZFE (Zentrale Fahrzeugelektronik or Central Chassis Electrics) is one of several controllers on modern BMW motorcycles. Its job is to manage chassis electrics. It senses logical inputs from switches and responds by turning things (lights, horns, grip heaters…) on and off. It also monitors current draw. If the current draw exceeds a threshold then the circuit is shut down so the ZFE replaces fuses. If the current draw is below a threshold on a light circuit the ZFE assumes that there is a burned out bulb or a wiring fault and tells the Kombi (the instrument cluster) to display a warning. The ZFE manages the accessory port and shuts it down if too much current is drawn (> 5A or >10A depending on the model and year). The ZFE also monitors the accessory port for the presence of a compatible charger and connects it to the battery for charging.
Compatible chargers are often referred to as “CAN-bus” chargers or some other term using “CAN-bus”. This is nonsense and has led to a great deal of confusion. This misuse of the term “CAN-bus” probably originates with charger vendors. Early on the vendors would characterize chargers as being suitable for “CAN-bus equipped” motorcycles as a way of saying that the motorcycle had a ZFE. Later the terminology morphed into terms like “CAN-bus compatible”, “CAN-bus charger” and “CAN-bus mode”.
The CAN-bus itself does not play a role in charging via the accessory port. That many say it does is part of the mythology.
The ZFE “listens” for a specific electrical handshake from a charger and if the handshake is present the ZFE connects the charger through to the battery. No CAN-bus messaging is required to accomplish this.
A ZFE compatible charger sends and repeats a pulse train to the accessory port. The pulse train starts with the charger presenting 12V to the port for 1 second. Then it waits for 150 milliseconds. Next it sends a series of ten 12V pulses each having a duration of 10 microseconds and spaced 100 milliseconds apart. It repeats this pulse train until it senses that the ZFE has connected it to the battery and then it starts its charging procedure.
Of course you can always attach a charger directly to the battery but BMW instructs you to not do so while the battery is installed in the bike. Why? The reason is that many modern chargers are “smart” and will try to recondition (desulphate) a battery if it decides that the battery needs reconditioning. The desulphation process involves the application of high voltage pulses to the battery and if the battery is connected in the bike then all the bike’s expensive electronics also get exposed to the high voltage pulses as well. So there is some risk of damage involved. BMW isn’t going to try to explain how to determine whether your particular charger has a desulphation capability or not so it just tells you not to charge the battery directly in the bike to mitigate the risk.
If you have a smart charger and intend to connect direct to the battery while the battery is in the bike you should read the charger’s manual to see if the desulphation mode can be disabled. I use the Optimate 4 charger in its “CAN-bus mode” (sic) direct to the battery because in that mode high voltage desulphation is deactivated. I can’t be bothered with charging via the accessory port.
@RadioFlyer... you like to mention its all BS re canbus chargers across many posts. But I keep thinking can just about any intelligent charger behave if you plug in the accessory socket ?
on one of my bikes, an old 2007 GS, this socket goes to sleep when the ZFE has decided the key has been out of the bike for X minutes - and is thus out of circuit with life ?
so unless to use the aux socket connection charging must be applied before it falls a sleep - in which case what happens in the garage over winter with a power cut does the battery go flat?
Or do certain chargers really produce some magic canbus signal that can wake the ZFE via the Aux socket… allowing you to plug in at any point without a key and or reconnect after a power outage?
Also worth noting there's now about three body control modules on current BM bikes - and a I believe a huge bunch of fuses on the electrics of R1300
on one of my bikes, an old 2007 GS, this socket goes to sleep when the ZFE has decided the key has been out of the bike for X minutes - and is thus out of circuit with life ?
so unless to use the aux socket connection charging must be applied before it falls a sleep - in which case what happens in the garage over winter with a power cut does the battery go flat?
Or do certain chargers really produce some magic canbus signal that can wake the ZFE via the Aux socket… allowing you to plug in at any point without a key and or reconnect after a power outage?
Also worth noting there's now about three body control modules on current BM bikes - and a I believe a huge bunch of fuses on the electrics of R1300
RadioFlyer
Registered user
@botus yes I do like to correct misinformation - especially popular misconceptions.
Only a charger that knows how to do BMW's "handshake" can charge via the accessory port.
On your 2007 bike you have to switch the ignition on, plug in the charger then switch the ignition off for that version's charger to charge via the accessory port.
On the 1300s with the new "Plus" charger it is only necessary to plug the charger into the bike once the charger has completed its booting up process and charging/maintaining will commence provided that the battery is not too deeply discharged. I don't know what happens if at some point the power is interupted.
One of the bike's controllers manages this. It is not a CAN-bus process.
Only a charger that knows how to do BMW's "handshake" can charge via the accessory port.
On your 2007 bike you have to switch the ignition on, plug in the charger then switch the ignition off for that version's charger to charge via the accessory port.
On the 1300s with the new "Plus" charger it is only necessary to plug the charger into the bike once the charger has completed its booting up process and charging/maintaining will commence provided that the battery is not too deeply discharged. I don't know what happens if at some point the power is interupted.
One of the bike's controllers manages this. It is not a CAN-bus process.
It does say in the manual though specifically not to wire chargers directly to the battery when it’s in the bike. I did it with my previous seven BMW boxers with no ill effects. On my R1300GS I use the black BMW charger plugged in to the socket at the side of the screen, only because I got one of their chargers cheap (£81 new) and it’s a lot easier with no wire dangling out from under the seat.
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I used the Optimate direct to the battery using the lead as the socket created some problems. the BMW charger i connect thru the socket.
Barry
so if you get a power cut the charger disconnects and can't reconnect ? - what a joke - thank goodness most aren't stupid enough to do it that way
None of that with mine, I just plug it in to the parked up, switched off bike and turn it on at the wall. Done that for the last 18 months. No issues at all if it’s switched off and on again, it just restarts the cycle.
The only minor issue I get is that it starts up the NavV1, which then turns itself off again but it appears power goes to the mount briefly.
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