Solar charger

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mikefirefighter
  • Start date Start date

Mikefirefighter

Guest
Has anyone tried a solar charger?
There are two main types a 1.5w for £10 and 5w ones for £100
Obviously I'm not looking to charge a flat battry just cope with drain from the alarm.
 
i got a 12quid one, and a placcy bag, seems to work,cnt remember where it was from though:blast
 
I bought one that was about 10 x 3" area and that was 'adequate' to maintain a charge over storage. However it wasn't upto the job with the R1200GS, so I fitted a weather proof one approx 12" square from Machine Mart. That cost me about £80ish, but I fitted it inside a steel cage with a thick perspex cover to stop any damage or theft, whilst drilling the cable right through the wall. That charger works very well.

My Landy has a medium sized one about 6 by 12" purchased from Maplins and that just hangs in the drivers window and again is more than adequate on the HD deep cycle battery.
 
If your going to spend £40 ish then you just as well buy an optimate, if you haven't got any power then spend an extra £10 and buy a extra long extension lead. Even if you charge it once every two weeks, it will pay dividens in the long run.
Regards.
Grimo :thumb
 
grimo said:
If your going to spend £40 ish then you just as well buy an optimate, if you haven't got any power then spend an extra £10 and buy a extra long extension lead.
Click to expand...

I think that the council would be a bit unhappy at me hanging a wire out of the window of a listed building, and across the street, so I went with the solar charger from Maplins. It didn't do the job, though, and even though I have no alarm, I still had a flat battery after two weeks of not riding it.

I think that you'll need a location in full light to have a decent chance of it being effective.
 
Slowdown said:
How much ?? :eek:


how about this one, and a clear plastic bag?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?moduleno=115194
Click to expand...

That looks a big fecker. I have a Maplin one that I used all over the winter to no god effect.

I thought it was working but in reality it did **** all to keep enough charge in the battery even turn the engine over...

This one might have been marginally better.

grimo said:
If your going to spend £40 ish then you just as well buy an optimate, if you haven't got any power then spend an extra £10 and buy a extra long extension lead. Even if you charge it once every two weeks, it will pay dividens in the long run.
Regards.
Grimo
Click to expand...

Great idea for those with a garage attached to the house and not in a row away from the house where your extension lead has to cross other people's land and a public road.
 
I have the Maplin one - crap! Thought it might be the Canbus.

A certain other Forum over the pond has an interesting thread on this under 'Equipment'!

Can't find any in the UK though!

Remember that your alarm turns itself off after a few days to save battery power (but immobiliser still works). Check the manual again!!
 
NorthernBoy said:
I think that the council would be a bit unhappy at me hanging a wire out of the window of a listed building, and across the street, so I went with the solar charger from Maplins. It didn't do the job, though, and even though I have no alarm, I still had a flat battery after two weeks of not riding it.

I think that you'll need a location in full light to have a decent chance of it being effective.
Click to expand...

Flat battery after two weeks?

I'm normally a daily rider but I left my bike for six weeks (I was out of the country) without starting and the alarm on, started first time. I don't use any kind of charger.

More regular usage would solve this!
 
When I had a bike in an unpowered garage, I bought myself a car battery and connected this to the bikes in parallel with a solar charger. Car battery has many times the capacity of the bikes and during the summer the solar charger kept both happy.

During the winter, the car battery got a charge every couple of weeks as I could easily carry it inside the house.
 
colm_c said:
Flat battery after two weeks?

I'm normally a daily rider but I left my bike for six weeks (I was out of the country) without starting and the alarm on, started first time. I don't use any kind of charger.

More regular usage would solve this!
Click to expand...

Well, I did do 3,500 miles in three weeks last month, so I do actually use the bike a bit, but I have this odd habit of wanting a couple of weeks sailing, or motocrossing across the desert, or even sitting on a beach sometimes, and must admit that I don't get home to use the GS as often as I maybe could when away.

Do you just get someone to ride yours around for a bit when you are on holiday?
 
NorthernBoy said:
Well, I did do 3,500 miles in three weeks last month, so I do actually use the bike a bit, but I have this odd habit of wanting a couple of weeks sailing, or motocrossing across the desert, or even sitting on a beach sometimes, and must admit that I don't get home to use the GS as often as I maybe could when away.

Do you just get someone to ride yours around for a bit when you are on holiday?
Click to expand...

I would say your battery is fcukd.. I also travel a lot and two months in the garage the Gs would start straight away. No alarm and a flat battery after two weeks = new battery.....IMHO
 
Leaving a lead acid battery, of any type (wet, AGM, Gel etc), in any state other than fully charged will result in sulfation occurring on the plates. This is the biggest killer of lead acid batteries.

De-sulfation type chargers *can* be effective in removing the problem, but prevention is better than cure.

So, if you're not riding leave your bike on a decent charger - you spent thousands of pounds on the bike - you can afford tens of pounds on a charger! Flat batteries aren't just a BMW issue.

The GS's only suffer 'cos it's a big engine and a small battery. As they say - That's life.....
 
richie said:
I would say your battery is fcukd.. I also travel a lot and two months in the garage the Gs would start straight away. No alarm and a flat battery after two weeks = new battery.....IMHO
Click to expand...

Yep, like I said on another thread, I just got BMW to replace it when it happened. I got that done three times on the last bike.
 
Slowdown said:
So, if you're not riding leave your bike on a decent charger - you spent thousands of pounds on the bike - you can afford tens of pounds on a charger!.
Click to expand...

It's not a question of cost, though, lots of us don't have power where our bikes live.

I've just adopted the solution of getting BMW to come out and put a new battery in when it happens.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Adventure Boy
ok so what battery charger ?
Replies
16
Views
701
J biker
R1300GSA TE ASA - BMW Charger plus sleep
Replies
13
Views
633
Lupo
Lupo
Woody9356
ADVICE OR SPECIFIC BATTERY CHARGER WANTED
Replies
12
Views
459
Woody9356
Woody9356
GSite
Wanted Optimate 3 Quad bank charger
Replies
1
Views
125
GSite
GSite
ballistic
Anyone got a laptop charger in Keswick area?
Replies
2
Views
153
leadfarmer
leadfarmer


Back
Top Bottom